American Idol Season 24 returned on Monday night for the first live show of the season, as the Top 20 was narrowed down to the Top 14 according to America’s votes from the Hawaii round. Those Top 14 singers took the stage for their chance to move on.
American Idol Top 14 Perform in First Live Show
The theme for Monday’s new episode of American Idol was Songs of Faith. The Top 14 singers delivered some incredible performances, starting with Keyla Richardson, whose rendition of “Jireh” had Luke Bryan saying she “commanded the room and the stage.”
Rae also delivered an amazing performance of “Up to the Mountain” by Patty Griffin. Lionel Richie said it was “from beginning to end, a perfect performance.” The judges were also blown away by Jordan McCullough’s cover of “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe, as they gave him a standing ovation. Carrie Underwood said simply, “Praise God.”
Meanwhile, Brooks’ performance of “Imagine” by John Lennon had Richie praising his “uniqueness,” while Underwood called it “authentically Brooks.” Toward the end of the night, Hannah Harper also blew them away with her rendition of “At the Cross” by Chris Tomlin, with Underwood saying she “could feel your heart in it.”
The night ended with a performance from Chris Tungseth, who sang “By Your Grace” by Cody Johnson. Underwood told him, “Your voice is just so special and unique.”
Who Else Performed This Week?
During Monday night’s new episode of American Idol, Jesse Findling also took the stage to perform “Bless the Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts, with Underwood saying he “made that song suit your voice.” Lucas Leon’s cover of “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake had Bryan saying he’s “ready to be a star.”
Meanwhile, Daniel Stallworth sang “Brighter Days” by Blessing Offer, with Richie praising his “ability to tell a story and move the crowd.” Philmon Lee’s performance of “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd had Bryan asking, “Where has this guy been?”
Other performances from Monday’s show included Jake Thistle’s cover of “Have a Little Faith in Me” by John Hiatt,” which made Underwood “jealous”; Braden Rumfelt’s rendition of “Hard Fought Hallelujah” by Brandon Lake, which prompted Richie to tell him to “step into the light”; Julian Kalel’s take on “Fix You” by Coldplay, which Bryan called a “great song choice”; and Kyndal Inskeep’s version of “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus,” which prompted Underwood to say she should be “super duper famous already.”
Voting was open for American Idol viewers at home during the show — online, through text, and through social media. At the end of the night, just as it seemed like host Ryan Seacrest was about to announce the results, he shared some unexpected news.
Seacrest emphasized the overwhelming number of votes that came in from viewers, adding that, in order to ensure accuracy, the results would not be revealed this week. Instead, they will be announced at the start of next week’s show, which will have a ’90s theme.
The host, who has been with the show since its inception, shared that this had never happened before. The contestants and judges all looked shocked by the news. Who are you rooting for to remain in the competition? Let us know in the comments below.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
