American Idol Season 24 Finalizes Top 11 with 90s Song Competition

The 24th season of the American competitive music show “American Idol” finalized its Top 11 contestants on April 7, following a delay caused by unexpected voting volume. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest with judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, this episode featured the remaining 12 participants from the original Top 14 lineup—two of whom, Julian Kalel and Jake Thistle, had already been eliminated the previous week—competing using 90s hit songs.

The competition proceeded through a “Judge’s Choice” round where each judge secretly selected a 90s song. The team associated with the singer of the song chosen the most by the majority of judges emerged as winners. The winning judge gained the right to save one contestant facing elimination. Lionel Richie won this round and acquired the save opportunity. As a result of the final voting, Rae and Jesse Findling ended up in lower positions. Richie used his save on Rae, causing Findling to be eliminated.

Looking at the key performances from the Top 12, Hannah Harper received praise from the judges for singing Jo Dee Messina’s “He’s Carolina, She’s California,” a song chosen by Carrie. Jordan McCullough captivated the audience with impressive improvisation during Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby,” selected by Lionel. Daniel Stallworth delivered a surprisingly polished performance of Lenny Kravitz’s “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over,” chosen by Luke, earning high praise from the judges despite being an unexpected choice.

Daniel Stallworth, a 27-year-old elementary school teacher from Moss Point, Mississippi, survived another elimination threat within the same week. Although he chose Kravitz’s song, which he was unfamiliar with, he mastered it on stage and added his own unique interpretation, drawing intense praise from the judges. Stallworth becomes only the fourth person from Mississippi to reach the Top 11 in the past four years, following Colin Stough and Zachariah Smith from Season 21, and Season 23 winner Jamal Roberts.

The final Top 11 contestants are Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Daniel Stallworth, Lucas Leon, Chris Tungseth, Philmon Lee, Kyndal, Brooks, Rae, Braden Rumfelt, and Keyla Richardson. In the next episode, the Top 11 will compete using classic songs by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees to determine the Top 9.