When American Idol went live for the first time in season 24, the plan was for the night to end with the Top 12 being crowned; however, some technical difficulties prevented ABC from pulling off the second part of the night's two-part eliminations. Because of this, episode 11 not only saw the Top 11 being crowned but also saw the Top 12 revealed, sending three hopefuls home in total across the night.
The night opened with an awkward elimination, with host Ryan Seacrest wasting no time to reveal the results intended to be announced in the final moments of the previous episode. The first eliminations of the night came with Julian Kalel and Jake Thistle being sent home, failing to make it into the Top 12.
With the results of the Top 14 voting complete, it was time to move right into the night's performances with the annual Judges' Song Contest. The episode saw each contestant choosing between three songs, one selected by each of the season's judges. The judge whose songs are selected by the most contestants not only gets bragging rights, but they also get the chance to save a contestant from elimination at the end of the night!
Hannah Harper
Song Choices:
- "Head Carolina, Tails California" by Jo Dee Messina
- "Un-Break My Heart" by Toni Braxton
- "Only Live" by Wynonna
Winning Song: "Head Carolina, Tails California" by Jo Dee Messina, selected by Carrie Underwood.
Carrie kicked off the night with the first win of the night, and she loved what Hannah brought to the performance, noting the performance was a perfect example of when a perfect voice meets a perfect song. The judges loved seeing her come out of her shell in the performance and encouraged her to bring more of that in future performances.
Jordan McCullough
Song Choices:
- "Go Rest High On That Mountain," by Vince Gill
- "I Swear" by John Michael Montgomery
- "Always Be My Baby," by Mariah Carey
Winning Song: "Always Be My Baby," by Mariah Carey, selected by Lionel Richie
In selecting the song, Lionel wanted a song left of center, and he loved how Jordan did a masterful job of taking the song and turning it into his own. Carrie agreed, pointing out how he has all the tools needed in his toolbox and knows how to use them so well. Meanwhile, Luke loved seeing him step outside of his comfort zone.
Daniel Stallworth
Song Choices:
- "Can We Talk" by Tevin Campbell
- "I Want You Back" by NSYNC
- "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz
Winning Song: "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" by Lenny Kravitz, selected by Luke Bryan
Luke loved the fact that Daniel didn’t know the song and delivered such an amazing performance, which he felt elevated Daniel to be a different person. Carrie loved seeing Daniel step outside of his form and how he put his own spin on the song, while Lionel noted you can't teach vibe and Daniel has a great vibe.
Lucas Leon
Song Choices:
- "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
- "Should've Been a Cowboy" by Toby Keith
- "Ain't That Lonely Yet," by Dwight Yoakam
Winning Song: "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, selected by Lionel Richie
Lionel loved how Lucas' voice resonated with the song to the point of believability. Carrie admitted that she struggled to come up with a song choice for him but loved the song he selected and how Lucas surprised her with the performance. Luke was also impressed, noting how much he's loved seeing him growing into a more artistic mindset and working the room.
Chris Tungseth
Song Choices:
- “She Talks to Angels,” by The Black Crows
- “Kiss from a Rose” by Seal
- “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain
Winning Song: “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain, selected by Carrie Underwood
While Carrie's song might have won out, she wasn't exactly wowed by Chris' performance. Although she felt that there were some really magical moments in the performance, there were also some not-so-great moments. Luke and Lionel both agreed, with Lionel encouraging him not to play things safe should he make it through to the next round.
Philmon Lee
Song Choices:
- “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer
- “I Believe” by Blessid Union of Souls
- “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes
Winning Song: “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes, selected by Luke Bryan
Luke loved the spin Phlimon put on the song, which proved how great a singer he is. Carrie agreed, calling the performance a true breakout moment and praising him for creating an arrangement of the song she had never heard before. Lionel loved how under control Philmon was of the performance, which he said was a true testament to his vocal abilities.
Kyndal Inskeep
Song Choices:
- “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia
- “You’re Still The One” by Shania Twain
- “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls
Winning Song: "Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls, selected by Lionel Richie
Interestingly, the judges didn't really offer up too much feedback to Kyndal's performance. Lionel felt the song fit her perfectly, Carrie loved how she made it her own, and Luke praised her for her artistic approach.
Brooks Rosser
Song Choices:
- “Dreams” by The Cranberries
- “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M.
- “Linger” by The Cranberries
Winning Song: “Linger” by The Cranberries, selected by Lionel Richie.
While Lionel selected the song, he didn't have much to say about the actual performance. Carrie noted that she loved the beginning of the performance but felt that the back half was not his best. Luke agreed, noting that Brooks needs to find his confidence.
Rae
Song Choices:
- “Love Will Lead You Back” by Taylor Dayne
- “I’ll Make Love To You” by Boyz II Men
- “Walkaway Joe” by Trisha Yearwood
Winning Song: “Love Will Lead You Back” by Taylor Dayne, selected by Carrie Underwood
Carried felt Rae caused it, while Luke loved how she came to life by the end. Lionel meanwhile commented that her voice took it to that other place.
Braden Rumfelt
Song Choices:
- "All By Myself" by Celine Dion
- "I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
- "Freedom!" by George Michael
Winning Song: "All By Myself" by Celine Dion, selected by Lionel Richie
Lionel admitted that this was a tall order and there were some moments he didn’t have a grip, but you pulled it off in the end. Luke praised Braden for a great job and crushing it, while Carrie seemed to hint that she would need to go back to listen to the performance again, hinting she wasn't quite a fan of the vocals.
Jesse Findling
Song Choices:
- "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley
- "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams
- "Wonderwall" by Oasis
Winning Song: "Wonderwall" by Oasis, selected by Lionel Richie
Lionel called the selection a Hail Mary selection for him but loved how perfectly it matched his voice. Carrie said he did your thing, and it worked nicely. Luke called it one of his favorite performances from Jesse so far.
Keyla Richardson
Song Choices:
- "Zombie" by The Cranberries
- "Breathe" by Faith Hill
- "It's All Coming Back to Me" by Celine Dion
Winning Song: "Zombie" by The Cranberries, selected by Lionel Richie
With time running low, there wasn't much time for feedback. Lionell loved how she kept them waiting for her explosive moment and how she held their attention to that point, which was so intense and amazing.
American Idol crowns its Top 11
Following a night of amazing performances, it was time to say goodbye to yet another artist, but this week came with a fun twist. By selecting the most winning songs, Lionel earned the right to save one artist from elimination. Following America’s votes through the night, Ryan took to the stage with the Top 12 to reveal the artists who would be moving right on through to the Top 11 with the artists saved in the following order:
- Chris Tungseth
- Kyndal Inskeep
- Daniel Stallworth
- Hannah Harper
- Jordan McCullough
- Braden Rumfelt
- Philmon Lee
- Keyla Richardson
- Brooks Rosser
- Lucas Leon
This left Rae and Jesse Findling in the bottom 2 and in danger of being eliminated. After careful consideration, Lionel chose to save Rae which led to the elimination of Jesse Findling.
Next week, we've got Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Week coming in which the artists will perform iconic rock & roll classics. By the end of the night, another two artists will be sent home to give us our Top 9.