Paula Abdul reclaimed her seat at the judges’ panel on May 4 for a special throwback edition of “American Idol,” which also revealed which three singers will be competing in next week’s Season 24 finale.
Abdul’s fellow OG judge Randy Jackson returned to mentor this week’s Top 5 — Keyla Richardson, Chris Tungseth, Braden Rumfelt, Hannah Harper, and Jordan McCullough — each of whom took the stage for two performances. One of those was a “Class of 2006” celebration, giving us duets between the current Top 5 and several Season 5 finalists, including Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, Kellie Pickler, Elliott Yamin, and winner Taylor Hicks. (Soul Patrol, rise up!)
This week’s “Idol” also doubled as a “Dancing With the Stars” crossover, with four of the show’s pros — Rylee Arnold, Witney Carson, Jan Ravnik, and Gleb Savchenko — moving and shaking alongside the Top 5 as they performed for America’s votes. And if that backstage meeting goes as well as Hicks hopes, he may be joining them next season!
Read on for a breakdown of the results from Monday’s “Idol,” including which trio is moving on to next week’s finale — and which two have reached the end of the road. When you’re finished, vote for your winner of choice in our poll below, then drop a comment with your thoughts on all things Season 24.
SAFE: Keyla Richardson
Keyla Richardson has been letting us have it all season, so when she revealed that she’d be opening the night with Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High,” it sounded too good to be true. And it kind of was. Don’t get us wrong, it wasn’t a bad performance by any means, but we could feel a major disconnect between Richardson and the song. You could chalk that up to nerves; it’s not every day you have a “Dancing With the Stars” pro rubbing up on you mid-song. Richardson’s confidence definitely improved as the song progressed, we were just hoping for a little more oomph right out the gate.
TVLine’s grade: A-
For her duet, Richardson was paired with “Idol” Season 5 winner Taylor Hicks on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City,” and we were living for it. Any qualms we had with Richardson’s nerves in the first song were completely absent from this second performance. Her confidence was off the charts, and she and Hicks fed off each other’s energy surprisingly well. It was electric, it was explosive, and it honestly made us question why we were so against Hicks winning back in the day. (What can we say? McPheever was a heck of a drug.)
TVLine’s grade: A
ELIMINATED: Chris Tungseth
Chris Tungseth’s most pleasant surprises have always come from his more vulnerable moments on stage, something he decided to fully lean into this week with Noah Kahan’s “Northern Attitude.” And what a wise decision that was. This was easily one of Tungseth’s best overall performances of the competition; the vocals were strong, the charm and confidence were flowing, and we couldn’t take our eyes off of him — which is saying a lot, considering there was literally a foxtrot happening right behind him.
TVLine’s grade: A
How much hair and beard can fit on screen at any one time? The limits were certainly pushed when “Idol” decided to pair Tungseth up with Bucky Covington for Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls.” We were a little worried about Convington upstaging Tungseth — and he certainly gave him a run for his money — but the finalist fully held his own, growling and screaming his way through the country hit.
TVLine’s grade: A-
ELIMINATED: Braden Rumfelt
Braden Rumfelt admits he was “distraught” by the notion of having to dance alongside the pros this week, so he was relieved to learn that he only had to provide the vocals. Randy Jackson worried that Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” might be too big a song for Rumfelt’s voice, but after everything we’ve seen him tackle this season, we were far less concerned — even if we’re absolutely tired of this song being performed on competition shows. Beyond merely navigating the notes, Rumfelt brought the drama and the emotion required of this little earworm.
TVLine’s grade: A-
Two decades after Paris Bennett crushed Queen’s “The Show Must Go On,” she teamed with Rumfelt for a make-or-break encore performance this week. Rumfelt’s smoky vocals got things started, then exploded when he hit the first chorus. This was such a powerful song choice for this juncture in the competition, and both Rumfelt and Bennett rose to the occasion. Their voices didn’t blend as seamlessly as some of the other pairings, but great + great = great, and that’s exactly what this was.
TVLine’s grade: A-
SAFE: Hannah Harper
Talk about a change of pace! Hannah Harper is the last finalist we would have expected to perform Peggy Lee’s “Fever,” so our curiosity was instantly piqued. Sure enough, Harper’s smoky vocals were a perfect fit on the sultry classic, and the casual finger-snapping provided just enough stage presence to get the judges off her back. Shaking things up with such a different song choice this late in the game could have been a disaster, but we’re glad Harper bet on herself this time around.
TVLine’s grade: A-
In terms of pairings, it doesn’t get much more perfect than Harper and Kellie Pickler. And what better song for them to perform together than Martina McBride’s “A Broken Wing,” which just so happens to be the song Pickler auditioned with 20 years ago? This felt like a classic country duet, with both songstresses bringing an equal-but-different energy to the overall performance.
TVLine’s grade: A-
SAFE: Jordan McCullough
Gratitude was on Jordan McCullough’s mind as he took the stage for an emotional performance of Leona Lewis’ “Footprints in the Sand,” and we speak for everyone watching when we say we’re sending that gratitude right back to him. This was simply McCullough at his finest. A soft, sweet introduction soon gave way to a powerful explosion of feelings, until we suddenly found ourselves drowning in his talent. And willingly so. In that moment, we were all Paula Abdul weeping at the judges’ panel.
TVLine’s grade: A+
McCullough knew exactly which Season 5 finalist he wanted to sing with — and he got his wish when “Idol” paired him with none other than Elliot Yamin. And Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You”? Are you kidding us?! Those two powerhouse vocalists on one of the most iconic love songs of all time almost felt unfair to the other contestants, but hey, it isn’t McCullough’s fault that he’s so good. The respect and reverence he showed Yamin (whose voice also remains insane) during the performance made us love McCullough even more, if that were possible.
TVLine’s grade: A+
