American Idol Season 24 returned on Monday night for the start of the Ohana Round at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. The Top 30 contestants performed for the judges, as well as their fellow singers, their family members, and a group of industry experts. At the end of the episode, the Top 20 was decided.
Who Earned the American Idol Platinum Tickets?
During the new Ohana Round on American Idol, three contestants were chosen to receive the coveted Platinum Ticket, sending them straight to the next round, where they’ll perform for America’s vote. The recipients of these Platinum Tickets were decided by three groups — their fellow contestants, the contestants’ family members, and a group of industry experts.
The Idol contestants chose Jordan McCullough as the first Platinum Ticket recipient. During the episode, Jordan performed “Grandma’s Hands” by Bill Withers, getting the crowd and the judges on their feet. The next Platinum Ticket, decided by the contestants’ family members, went to Brooks — who sang “Everywhere, Everything” during the show. Judge Carrie Underwood said he was “so fun to watch.”
The third and final Platinum Ticket recipient was decided by a group of industry experts with a combined 150 million followers on social media — including DWTS pro Sasha Farber. This group chose Kyndal Inskeep as their favorite performer of the round. She sang an original song about her mother called “Woman of Me.” Underwood called her “such a great storyteller.”
The American Idol judges decided the rest of the Top 20 during Monday’s show, meaning 10 singers had to be eliminated. Over the next two weeks, the Top 20 will perform at Aulani Resort for the chance to earn votes from viewers at home.
In addition to Jordan McCullough, Brooks, and Kyndal Inskeep, the Top 20 includes Philmon Lee, Madison Moon, Braden Rumfelt, Jake Thistle, Jesse Findling, Ruby Rae, Genevieve Heyward, Lucas Leon, Hannah Harper, Chris Tungseth, Julian Kalel, Rae, Daniel Stallworth, Abayomi, Kutter Bradley, Makiyah, and Keyla Richardson.
Standout performances from Monday’s show included Hannah Harper, who honored her grandfather with an emotional performance of “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill. Judge Luke Bryan compared Hannah to Dolly Parton.
Julian Kalel also delivered an amazing performance of his original song “Surrender.” Bryan called Julian’s songwriting “so mature and far beyond your age,” adding that he delivered “one of my favorite performances of the night.”
The judges were also wowed by Makiyah, who delivered a powerhouse performance of “Stand Up” by Cythia Erivo that, appropriately, inspired the American Idol judges to stand up before the song was even over. Bryan told Makiyah that she “showed everybody what you can do.”
Emotional Singers Fail to Make It Through
Since the theme of the Ohana round was family, there were plenty of emotional performances during Monday night’s show. However, that emotion didn’t guarantee every singer a spot in the Top 20.
For example, Chloe Lauren performed “Hello” by Adele, dedicated to her son. At one point, Chloe stumbled over the lyrics but pushed through, with Underwood telling her she finished strong. Despite this, she didn’t end up making it through to the next round.
Another emotional performance from Monday’s show came from Sheldon Riley, who is no stranger to talent shows. He shared that he hadn’t had any family with him on his journey for a long time before performing “To Build a Home” by The Cinematic Orchestra. Sheldon got so choked up that he struggled getting some of the lyrics out. Underwood shared her opinion that Sheldon’s “brain gets in the way” of his talent. Sheldon was unfortunately eliminated.
Do agree with the results of Monday night’s Ohana Round on American Idol? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to tune in next week as the first half of the Top 20 takes the stage for America’s vote, with Keke Palmer joining the panel as a guest judge.
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
