The Live Shows continued with the 2026 Judges’ Song Contest on the Monday, April 6, episode of American Idol. After last week’s vote-counting snafu, the episode began with Ryan Seacrest revealing who is moving on to the Top 12 and which two artists were eliminated.

The contestants from the Top 14 who were eliminated were: Jake Thistle and Julián Kalel.

For this week’s ’90s-themed Judges’ Song Contest, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie each selected a song from the 1990s for the Top 12 artists, who then got to pick which of the three tracks they would perform. The judge who had the most picks at the end of the night had the opportunity to save one of the bottom two artists from elimination, rounding out the Top 11.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out the Judges’ Song Contest winner. Plus, who’s moving on to the Top 11?

Hannah Harper

Hannah Harper’s three song choices were “Heads Carolina, Tails California” by Jo Dee Messina, “Unbreak My Heart” by Toni Braxton, and “Only Love” by Wynonna Judd. She went with the first option, which she actually sang during her first audition for Idol producers.

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Hannah guessed that Bryan was the one who chose the song for her, but it was actually Underwood. “That’s what happens when you get the perfect voice with the perfect song and there’s just magic happening all on that stage,” Underwood raved. “You sounded so great. I loved the modulation. You looked like you were having fun. I feel like Hannah’s starting to come out of her shell a little bit. We want a little more of that, please.”

Bryan said Hannah did a “great job” and that he was glad Underwood picked a more “uptempo” song for Hannah to choose from. Richie added, “The thing that makes it so wonderful is you just stepped into it and made it yours. I love it.”

Jordan McCullough

Jordan McCullough’s Top 12 song options were: “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill, “I Swear” by John Michael Montgomery, and “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey. Even though the latter was the choice he was most confused by, he ended up singing “Always Be My Baby” for his performance.

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So, who picked the song choice? Jordan guessed Underwood, but it was actually Richie! “I knew it,” Richie gushed. “I knew it in my bones. I said, what would be the most left of center? No one will ever see it coming. And then I said, who can sing this? You, of course!”

“Lionel, you were right,” Underwood admitted. “We were wrong, you were right, and you were right for picking it. You have all the tools in your toolbox and you use them so well.”

Finally, Bryan weighed in, adding, “Very smart song choice. Step outside your comfort zone, totally the right move for you. Great job.”

Daniel Stallworth

Next up was Daniel Stallworth, who had the following three songs to choose from: “Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell, “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz, and “I Want You Back” by *NSYNC. Daniel chose to sing the Kravitz hit.

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The judge who selected that song was Bryan, although Daniel guessed that Richie picked it. That put the judges at a 1-1-1 after the first three performances.

“The fact that you didn’t really know that song and delivered it that way … I learned so much about you just then. You elevated to a different kind of person with that performance,” Bryan said.

Underwood praised Daniel for “stepping outside the norm” and doing his “own thing” with the song. “You know what you can’t teach? You can’t teach vibe,” Richie pointed out. “You got a vibe.”

Lucas Leon

For Lucas Leon, the judges gave these three song options: “It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” by Toby Keith, and “Ain’t That Lonely Yet” by Dwight Yoakam. Although Lucas initially planned to sing “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” to bring the energy up, he ended up selecting “It’s Your Love” instead.

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Lucas predicted that Richie chose the song, and he was right! “Your voice with that song, resonated to the point of believability. I love what you did,” Richie applauded.

“I had a hard time trying to figure out what to pick for you, and you surprised me on that song,” Underwood admitted. “It felt believable, it felt genuine, I liked your voice on it.” Bryan concluded by adding, “I’m so glad you picked that. The last two times we’ve seen you perform, you really grew into a more artistic mindset. You’re working the room and it’s really working for you.”

Chris Tungseth

The next performance was from Chris Tungseth, who was given these three song choices: “She Talks to Angels” by The Black Crowes, “Kiss From a Rose” by Seal, and “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain. The third song was the only one Chris had heard of, so he chose to sing that.

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Chris’ prediction was that Underwood selected the song, and he got it right. “I put a lot of thought into each [choice] and I could just hear your voice on that one,” she explained. “It was really interesting to me, and I’m going to be super honest, I feel like there were some real magical moments and a few not so great moments. I really want to go back and listen to this, but the magical ones were magical. I do feel like that was the right song choice for you.”

Bryan agreed with Underwood. “A little bit of your back-phrasing of your vibrato maybe got behind you a little bit,” he noted. “But the soul of your voice is just so good and so you. It is authentically you.”

Richie jumped in to add, “You have an identifiable voice and what you have to do with it is experiment with it more. Don’t be safe. Don’t be safe if you get past this.”

Philmon Lee

Philmon Lee returned to the stage next after choosing one of his three song options: “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer, “I Believe” by Blessed Union of Souls, and “Hard to Handle” by The Black Crowes. He sang “Hard to Handle.”

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While Philmon guessed that Underwood picked the song, it was actually Bryan, which brought the score back to a 2-2-2 tie. “You started with a different arrangement and I was like, ‘He didn’t pick my song!’ I love the way you went with that,” Bryan pointed out. “Right at the right moment, you went to the original version and Carrie started levitating out of her chair. You’re a great singer. Lean in every time.”

Underwood admitted that she thought Philmon needed a “breakout, standout moment” on the show, and she said, “That was it. I’ve never heard the song done in any sort of arrangement like that. Hats off to the band, hats off to you.”

Richie agreed that he never heard the arrangement done like that before. “You had it under control. That’s saying a lot for your vocal ability,” he concluded.

Kyndal Inskeep

Kyndal Inskeep was the next contestant to perform. She had to pick between the following songs: “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, “You’re Still the One” by Shania Twain,” and “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls. Kyndal said she got “chills” when the Goo Goo Dolls song was mentioned, so that’s the one she went with.

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In rehearsals, Kyndal predicted that Underwood was the person who picked the song, but during the live show, she guessed Bryan. Both guesses were wrong, though, as it was Richie who chose “Iris!”

“I came out envisioning you with this other kind of energy,” he explained. “It just fits you perfectly.”

Underwood said, “That song has really stood the test of time and I feel like we’ve gotten a lot of that song over the past few years, which is great, but the thing that you do with it is we know you’re going to make it fresh, you’re going to make it your own, you’re going to rearrange it, and that’s exactly what you did. It fits you just as much as it fits them.”

Bryan praised Kyndal’s artistry. “You knew right off the bat it was the one you wanted. That’s a good thing to see you be that confident in something,” he shared. “Great job.”

Brooks

Brooks Rosser was tasked with picking a song from the following: “Dreams” by The Cranberries, “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M., and “Linger” by The Cranberries. Brooks realized right away that he was being pushed out of his comfort zone, and he chose to sing “Linger” to prove he could do it.

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Although Brooks seemed pretty confident that Underwood made the song choice, it was actually Richie, which put him up 4-2-2 in the competition. “I really wasn’t sure but I lucked out on this one. Your voice is one of those unique voices where it really just has to hone in on something genuine and you, and I wasn’t quite sure of this, but I’m so happy I won, thank you,” Richie admitted.

Underwood actually chose the other Cranberries song, so she was on the same wavelength as Richie. “I feel like the back half you were kind of uncomfortable,” she admitted. “People have to realize you have not done things like this, at all, ever before. Get your brain, shut it down. Just do what you do because you got it. Your voice is incredible.”

Bryan agreed with his fellow judge and urged Brooks to “find just a little more confidence,” adding, “I know we’re throwing so many different things at you. I know this is a lot for you, but we’re really pulling for you and I think you’re really, really special.”

Rae

Rae’s three song choices this week were: “Love Will Lead you Back” by Taylor Dane, “I’ll Make Love to You” by Boyz II Men,” and “Walk Away Joe” by Trisha Yearwood. She admitted that all three songs were “new” to her, so she knew this would be a challenge, but she went with “Love Will Lead You Back.”

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Her guess was that Underwood was the song selector, and it was the right instinct. “I love Taylor Dane and when I was thinking about you and who you kind of remind me of, her picture … she’s gorgeous, she has an incredible voice, and it just made sense for you, to me. You crushed it,” Underwood gushed.

“It felt like [you didn’t know the song] in the beginning but at the end it really came to life with who you are. It was a great job,” Bryan said. Richie said he was “amazed” that Rae didn’t know the song before the show. “Your voice, because of your signature, you just took it to that other place,” he raved. “It was so well done.”

Braden Rumfelt

For his performance, Braden Rumfelt was given these options: “All By Myself” by Celine Dion, “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith, and “Freedom! ’90” by George Michael. Despite knowing it would be a challenge, Braden chose “All By Myself” for his performance.

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Braden initially wanted to guess Richie, but he changed his mind to Underwood. It turns out his first prediction was correct, and Richie added another point to the board.

“This was a Hail Mary,” he admitted. “I didn’t think for a moment you were going to pick this, but you did. That’s a tall order you just did, and believe it or not, there were some moments there you didn’t have a grip on it, but you did it.”

Bryan said Braden did a “great job” and commended him for being “brave on that and just going for it.” Underwood admitted she needs to go back and listen to the performance again in case her “ears were fooling her in the room,” but she let Braden know he has a “great voice.”

Jesse Findling

Jesse Findling’s three song options were: “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley, “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” by Bryan Adams, and “Wonderwall” by Oasis.” “Hallelujah” was the only song he was familiar with at first, but he took the risk and learned “Wonderwall” to perform on the show.

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Jesse said he was “really confident” that Bryan selected the song, as he had picked it for someone else a few seasons ago. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Once again, it was Richie’s song choice.

“This was a Hail Mary again. I didn’t think it was going to match. It did,” Richie applauded Jesse. Underwood was shocked by Jesse’s song selection, but said, “You did your thing and you worked!”

Bryan concluded, “All hail you and King Lionel over there. You did your thing with it. Great song choice. That was one of my favorite things I’ve seen you do.”

Keyla Richardson

The final performance of the night was from Keyla Richardson, who had to choose from “Zombie” by The Cranberries, “Breathe” by Faith Hill, and “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion. Keyla didn’t know any of the songs beforehand, and she picked “Zombie” to perform.

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Keyla thought that Richie picked the song, and she was right. Talk about a dominating night for Richie! “I feel as though I’m not liked by my judges,” he joked. “I feel like the public may turn against me.”

He praised Keyla for “holding” the audience’s attention all the way to the end. “Amazing, Keyla,” he confirmed. With her few seconds to speak, Underwood urged fans to vote, and Bryan said, “I love you. I’m really mad at Lionel right now. Great job.”

Who won the Judges’ Song Contest?

Richie won the 2026 Judges’ Song Contest by a landslide. The final tally came down to seven for Richie, three for Underwood, and two for Bryan. That means that Richie earned the power to save one of the bottom two contestants.

Who made the Top 11?

At the end of the episode, Seacrest revealed which 10 artists received enough votes to go through and which singers were in the bottom two.

The artists automatically in the Top 11, in no particular order, were: Chris Tungseth, Kyndal Inskeep, Daniel Stallworth, Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Braden Rumfelt, Philmon Lee, Keyla Richardson, Brooks, and Lucas Leon.

That left Rae and Jesse in the bottom two, and Richie with a tough decision to make. “I look to my wonderful judges for help and security and they gave me nothing,” Richie revealed. “Both of you did an amazing, amazing job. It’s very difficult.”

Ultimately, he chose to save Rae, putting her in the Top 11, which meant Jesse was eliminated.

American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC