‘American Idol’ recap: Hannah Harper shines and Kyndal Inskeep makes tough call as Top 20 round kicks off
After a round that trimmed the hopefuls down to just 20, the remaining ‘American Idol’ singers landed in Hawaii for their next big moment. The Top 20 performances are being stretched across two nights, with the first batch of 10 taking the stage during the March 16 episode, and the rest set to follow on March 23. Country star Brad Paisley and popular performer Keke Palmer dropped in as mentors. Palmer didn’t just stay behind the scenes; she also pulled up a chair at the judges’ table alongside Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. The night kicked off with Makiyah, who came out swinging with ‘Bang Bang’, originally performed by Jessie J and Ariana Grande. Then came New Jersey’s Jake Thistle, bringing a softer energy with ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis.
Genevieve Heyward switched gears with ‘Pink Pony Club’ by Chappell Roan, while Daniel Stallworth took a bold step and chose to perform ‘All Night Long’, a track made famous by Richie himself. Kyndal Inskeep had a bit of a tug-of-war with herself before taking the stage. She picked ‘Call Your Mom’ by Noah Kahan and debated whether to bring her guitar along. In the end, after some gentle pushing from both mentors, she left it behind. She wasn’t the only one experiencing that decision-making spiral. Kutter Bradley also ditched his guitar for the first time, performing ‘It’s Not Over’ by Daughtry. Meanwhile, Jesse Findling tried something new in his own way, focusing on movement while performing ‘You Found Me’ by The Fray. Fan-favorite Hannah Harper then returned with ‘Ain’t No Grave,’ leaving the judges in awe.
Next, Braden Rumfelt stepped onto the stage, and he took a suggestion from his girlfriend as he sang ‘Love on the Brain’ by Rihanna. Closing the night was Brooks, delivering ‘Dancing on My Own’, originally by Robyn. Now comes a twist that really matters. For the first time this season, viewers are calling the shots. The official app is no longer in play, so fans now have three ways to support their favorite contestants. First, they can head to the voting website (idolvote.abc.com) and cast votes after creating an account.
Second, viewers can vote via text during the live broadcast by sending a contestant’s assigned number to “21523.” Finally, there’s also a new social media option. Fans can head over to the show’s official pages on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, find the pinned voting post, and comment their favorite singer’s name. One comment equals one vote. Each person gets up to 10 votes per contestant, and the window stays open for 10 hours, starting at 8 p.m. ET on March 16 and wrapping up early at 6 a.m. ET the next morning. The result will be revealed during the first live show on March 30, after the second group of contestants has had their turn to perform.
