American Idol's Top 20 Perform: Who Gets Your Vote After Part 1?

After securing this season's Top 20 during the show's first-ever 'Ohana Round, "American Idol" kept its contestants in Hawaii on March 16 for another round of make-or-break performances — and their fates are finally in the hands of the viewers.

That's right, voting has officially begun for Season 24, with ABC giving fans three ways to get the job done: you can vote online at AmericanIdol.com; you can vote by texting a contestant's corresponding number (see below) to 21523; or you can vote by commenting on the show's Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok account with your contestant of choice.

Now that that's settled, let's talk about this week's performances, some of which would have certainly blown the roof off of the "American Idol" studio... you know, if it hadn't taken place outside. Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley also made for nice mentors, while we think Palmer deserves a semi-permanent chair on that judges panel. The insight, the energy — we loved everything about it.

The episode gave us an eclectic mix of tunes from the first half of this season's Top 20 — Makiyah (1), Jake Thistle (2), Genevieve Heyward (3), Daniel Stallworth (4), Kyndal Inskeep (5), Kutter Bradley (6), Jesse Findling (7), Hannah Harper (8), Braden Rumfelt (9), and Brooks (10) — with everything from R&B to something called "resurrection rock" represented on stage.

Which of these singers deserve to stick around, and who do you think should get the boot? Read on for a breakdown of this week's performances, including TVLine's grades for each, then vote for your favorites in the poll below.

Makiyah got the party started with an explosive performance of "Bang Bang," made famous by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and a certain former "American Idol" judge who shall not be named. Even without that bright pink pantsuit, our eyes would have been locked on Makiyah as she confidently owned the stage, oozing attitude throughout. She was clearly giving this one all she had, and it paid off; the stank she put on those "wait a minute"s should be studied by science. Things got a little awkward when guest judge Keke Palmer praised Makiyah for powering through a minor fumble in her performance... which Makiyah didn't seem to be aware of, or at least didn't care to acknowledge. Either way, she rebounded, and this was a killer way to start off the Top 20.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

You know you're doing something right when Brad Paisley tells you that you actually have to make your performance look more difficult. That's the situation Jake Thistle found himself in while rehearsing "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & The News, and we're happy to report that he took the country superstar's advice to heart. (Lionel Richie called it his "ugly face," which was... a compliment?) There's something effortlessly cool about Thistle, and it shone through in every aspect of his performance. He was clearly in his comfort zone with this song, grooving and growling his way through the song without breaking a sweat. And are we completely losing our minds, or do we hear a little bit of Nick Jonas in Thistle's voice?

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Genevieve Heyward may have successfully sought serenity from the palm trees, but there was nothing zen about her high-energy performance of Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club." It was a perfect song choice, giving Heyward a chance to showcase more of her personality — and showcase she did, solidifying her reputation as a fully realized artist. We loved her unorthodox intro, and some of those melodic changes gave us chills. (We'll be honest, change scares us sometimes, but Heyward always knows what she's doing.) We were especially impressed with Heyward for swapping out Roan's famous falsetto for a full-on rock belt. Her voice remained strong, the energy never dipped, and Heyward absolutely killed it. It was the kind of inspired cover we really hope Roan gets a chance to see.

TVLine's grade: "A"

Performing a judge's song in front of them is always a risky gamble on "American Idol," but when a contestant like Daniel Stallworth is rolling the dice, you know you're in good hands. In this case, Stallworth opted to bring the party vibe to Hawaii by singing Lionel Richie's legendary good-time anthem "All Night Long." Taking the stage in a suit and sneakers, Stallworth almost immediately got a "Way to go!" from Richie, which undoubtedly put some pep in his step. Stallworth's arrangement began slow and smooth, before picking up and delivering the tempo we all know and love. Had a lesser contestant been on that stage, this could have been a cheesy performance, but there was no cheese to be smelled. Stallworth's energy is infectious, his voice knows no bounds, and he gets extra points for how well he interacted with the audience. "A lot of people will try to do that song," Richie told him, somewhat ominously. "You took the song and made it yours. It was amazing." (Phew!)

TVLine's grade: "A-"

To use a guitar or not to use a guitar? That was the question for Kyndal Inskeep, who wanted to approach her performance of Noah Kahan's "Call Your Mom" from as open and vulnerable a place as possible. Inskeep's decision to ditch the guitar and rely solely on her God-given instrument was the right one, which we knew from her first ethereal notes. She has the kind of voice that cuts right through your soul, and she put it to good use on this tearjerking ballad. She wasn't just emoting, she was feeling and believing every word coming out of her mouth. This was a polished performance, the quality of which you might expect to see from someone who's been in the industry for years. And even as her emotions intensified along with the song, her hauntingly beautiful vocals never wavered.

TVLine's grade: "A"

Kutter Bradley told the guest judges that he hopes to model his "American Idol" journey after Season 5 stand-out Chris Daughtry, so what better song for Bradley to perform this week than Daughtry's "It's Not Over"? He seemed a little restrained in rehearsal, but we were delighted to see Bradley come fully alive when he finally got on stage, delivering a countrified version of the alt-rock hit. It was very Donnie and Marie — a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll — and it fit him perfectly. He handled the song's high notes with incredible ease, and did we hear a little Patrick Stump in his voice with this one? (We're hearing a lot of voices in our heads this week, in case you haven't noticed.) It was fun watching Bradley's performance get bigger as he became more comfortable on stage, finishing strong.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Jesse Findling chose to perform The Fray's "You Found Me," because he relates to feeling — wait for it — lost and insecure. To ease any performance anxiety, this week's guest mentors encouraged him to loosen up and embrace imperfection, advice he followed with mixed results. We'll be honest, the performance got off to a slightly rocky start, but as soon as he got to "never rang," the song was his. His stage strut isn't the most natural thing in the world, but with that voice, we don't think he needs to do much walking around. If his next performance is this good, he has our full permission to simply park and bark. This was one of those performances that got better and better as it progressed, eventually achieving "how dare you, sir?" status. And you know we don't throw that around lightly.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Another contestant saying sayonara to her guitar this week was Hannah Harper, who expressed a desire to become more comfortable in her body on stage. She also hoped to engage with the audience more with her sermon performance of "Ain't No Grave" by Bethel Music and Molly Skaggs. Harper has always been a strong competitor, but it really felt like someone lit a fire under her this week, and it showed in her explosive performance. This was superb storytelling, and she had the audience hanging on her every word as she took them on a complete journey. The judges clearly had a religious experience, telling Harper that she just started a new genre called resurrection rock.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Braden Rumfelt is becoming the king of unexpected song choices, and we're not mad about it. After dazzling us with an Alicia Keys classic last week, he returned this time with Rihanna's "Love on the Brain." Keke Palmer and Brad Paisley were so blown away by what they heard, they told him not to worry about anything that he's doing. With that confidence boost, Rumfelt took to the stage and gave us a performance that was better than it had any right to be. He would completely disarm you with his laid-back demeanor, only to blindside you with a musical sucker punch you'd gladly take again. We should probably see a doctor about this, but we think we also have love on the brain for Rumfelt.

TVLine's grade: "A"

We love seeing people react to hearing Brooks sing for the first time, and Keke Palmer gave us the best reaction yet. After listening in absolute awe to his rehearsal of Robyn's "Dancing On My Own," the guest judge simply started crying, completely overcome with emotion at the sound of his "angelic" voice. That said, he did crack a few times during rehearsals, so we were pretty worried about how his final performance would turn out. Well, shame on us for ever doubting Brooks, because the threat of those high notes didn't derail him one bit. Perfectly capturing the inherent heartbreak of the song, Brooks started off with his signature sweetness before going all-in, vocally and emotionally. It remains to be seen how America will respond to Brooks once votes are factored in, but at this point, he seems like the one to beat. This was a terrific way to end the night.

TVLine's grade: "A"