Dibesh Pokharel aka Arthur Gunn is the first runner-up of the latest season of American Idol. He lost the winning title to Just Sam!

The 22-year-old Wichita singer, who was born and spent his childhood in Kathmandu, was among the top two finalists in the finale during the Sunday night (Monday morning in Nepal) episode, aired on ABC.

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Tonight’s episode started with the announcement of the five finalists based on last week’s votes. With Arthur Gunn, Dillon James, Johny West, Fransico Martin and Just Sam making it to the next level, Louis Knight and Julia Gurano got eliminated. The voting lines were then opened for two hours to choose the winner of the season right after the announcement was made.

Each of the five finalists sang two songs tonight. It was Dillion James who was up on the stage the first with Eric Clapton’s “Change the World” in the first round. And after Fransico aand Just Sam were done with their first performances, it was Gunn’s turn to shine and he did. He performed “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw and Katy Perry said she could tell it’s the finale after hearing him sing. Luke Bryan loved how he connected with the camera and Lionel Richie said Arthur dropped the mic and it was magical.

For the round two, each of the contestant were to sing a song that had struck a cord with viewers throughout the season, which would also be their first single if they win. And no surprise, it was “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival for Gunn. For his performance, Lionel called him an absolute star, Katy said he is singing like he is about to win and Luke said he nailed every aspect of American Idol.

Unlike the previous American Idol finales, this one was not being broadcast live nationwide due to the drastic change in production because of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of the contestants performed right from their homes; each was sent the same camera and lighting equipment to ensure fairness. The three judges and the host, Ryan Seacrest, also remained housebound.

This was the third season of American Idol on the ABC network and 18th season overall.

Congratulations, Dibesh. You’ve made us all proud. You are a winner.