‘American Idol’ Starts And Ends ’90’s Week Episode With Emotional Eliminations
on Apr 06, 2026
One week after American Idol delayed a results announcement, the show sent two hopefuls home.
The first live broadcast of American Idol Season 24 began with the elimination of six contestants chosen by America’s votes. The remaining 14 each performed an inspirational song for Songs of Faith Night. Voting was open throughout the episode, with two more set to be eliminated at the end of the night.
But the addition of social media voting and the “unprecedented” number of votes cast made it impossible for the show to calculate and make an announcement. For the first time in Idol‘s history, the results wre postponed.
To ensure all votes were counted and the integrity of the show was maintained, production opted to announce the Top 12 at the beginning of this week’s episode (April 6). And up to two more will be sent home at the end of the episode.
Each of the Top 14 has spent the past week preparing a song for the Judges’ Song Contest. Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie each chose a song they thought the contestant should cover. But the final decision was made by the hopeful. This year, every song suggestion submitted by the judges was from the ’90s.
But only the Top 12 had a chance to perform their prepared song.
Who made the Top 12?
Monday night’s episode got off to an emotional start as host Ryan Seacrest revealed which two hopefuls would not be advancing. At this point in the competition, every elimination feels surprising, and Monday’s results announcement was no exception.
The two hopefuls sent home were … Julian Kalel and Jake Thistle.
That left Hannah Harper, Brooks Rosser, Keyla Richardson, Philmon Lee, Braden Rumfelt, Jesse Findling, Lucas Leon, Rae, Daniel Stallworth, Jordan McCullough, Chris Tungseth, and Kyndal Inskeep to sing their Judges’ Song Contest song for America’s votes once again.
Up to two more will be sent home on Monday night. Check back here for results at the end of the show!
