American Idol's Top 11 Revealed Live After Voting Snafu — Did Lionel Richie Save The Right Singer?

Following last week's voting hiccup, in which the results were held due to concerns over "accuracy," the April 6 episode of "American Idol" opened with an explanation (of sorts) from host Ryan Seacrest.

"Last week, your millions of votes came in an unprecedented way," he began. "We held off on your results to make sure every vote was counted. I've got them here in my hand, and we're about to find out who makes your Top 12. I can tell you that the vote was incredibly close."

With that straightened out (sort of), we reached our first unceremonious eliminations of the night. Based on America's votes, we said a very quick goodbye to Julian Kalél and Jake Thistle, who would have been eliminated after last week's episode. After awkwardly thanking the duo for their "charisma and charm," Seacrest sent them packing, never to be seen again... at least not until the finale, if they're lucky. 

This left 12 contestants — Brooks, Jesse Findling, Hannah Harper, Kyndal Inskeep, Philmon Lee, Lucas Leon, Jordan McCullough, Rae, Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Daniel Stallworth, and Chris Tungseth — to take the stage on Monday for the time-honored Judges' Song Contest, with each singer performing a '90s song selected by either Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, or Carrie Underwood.

With Richie victorious in this year's competition, it was up to him to decide which of the bottom two would be saved from elimination. And neither Underwood nor Bryan helped make that decision for him. "Heavy is the crown," Underwood said, happily passing off the stressful responsibility.

Read on for a complete breakdown of this week's "Idol" to find out who went home, including our own grading of each performance, then drop a comment with your thoughts below. Did Richie save the right person? And while you're down there, vote for the contestants you want to see in the Top 10.

Much to her surprise, Hannah Harper was the first Top 12-er to perform this week, and the smoky mountain songstress chose "Heads Carolina, Tails California" by Jo Dee Messina. Rocking a quirky, colorful look, she effortlessly handled the upbeat country ditty, having already performed it for her initial "Idol Across America" audition. We're not sure whether it was nerves or technical issues, but she fumbled a bit midway through the song, almost too quickly to notice, though we're happy to say she recovered nicely. Revisiting that last critique, we're going to chalk it up to nerves, because even Ryan Seacrest asked, "You didn't know you were going first, did you? We saw the look on your face." We also disagree with Carrie Underwood's assertion that Harper is finally showing us a lot of personality. Is the personality in the room with us? Because we didn't see too much in that performance.

TVLine's grade: "B"

Jordan McCullough almost opted to sing a Vince Gill song this time around, but he ultimately went with Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby," and we're so glad he did. "They want me to do some doggone Mariah Carey?" he asked. "I know that's right!" And it was so right. McCullough turned the pop hit into a full-on gospel performance, confidently sauntering about the stage to make sure every side of the audience got to experience his magic. His performance was so good, we were almost too focused to notice those weird (AI?) fantasy scenes being projected behind him. And that final run? Absolutely disgusting. Honestly, please excuse us while we throw up from sheer talent. Kudos to Lionel Richie for putting this song on McCullough's list, because it was an excellent surprise.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

We're not going to lie, we're a little annoyed with Ryan Seacrest for pushing Daniel Stallworth towards choosing Lenny Kravitz' "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over," because we would have paid money to see him perform *NSYNC's "I Want You Back." (You hear that, Seacrest? Butt out!) In all seriousness, Stallworth's cool, smooth vocals were a perfect fit for this song, which he peppered with his signature runs. (And can we have some commotion for the orange leather suit, three words we never thought we'd love together?) Of course, this it became a totally different ball game when Stallworth stood up from his piano bench. He slathered some serious swagger on the second half of his performance, confidently interacting with fans while delighting them with explosive vocals and ending on a sweet falsetto.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Lucas Leon was originally leaning towards performing a Toby Keith song to "bring the energy up a little bit," but he ended up going with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's "It's Your Love" as a duet for one. As always, Leon tackled the country song with a far more mature sound than his signature Gen-Z haircut might lead you to expect. And to his credit, he did infuse the performance with plenty of energy, growling his way through each chorus, each with a significant uptick in intensity. This was a very charming presentation, and you could tell Leon was really soaking up every moment. Even Carrie Underwood was surprised by how "genuine" the performance came across (was that shady?), while Luke Bryan commended him on his growing artistry.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Our hearts really wanted Tungseth to sing Seal's "Kiss From A Rose," but our heads know that Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" is a much better fit for his grizzly country voice. Tungseth opened strong, navigating the moody song without breaking a sweat, conveying all of the emotion and attitude. There were definitely a few shaky moments in the second half, including a questionable belt, but the rest of it was strong enough for us to overlook those minor slip-ups. There were two things we were sure of going into this performance: Tungseth would crush the song, and his hair would be deserving of its own applause. We were definitely right about the second one, maybe not so right about the first.

TVLine: "B+"

We knew this was going to be a good one before Philmon Lee even started singing. Come on, he was the first contestant who actually convinced Ryan Seacrest to sing on national TV, which helped him decide on "Hard to Handle" by The Black Crows — easily the best song choice of the night up until this point. Like the judges, we were surprised by the dramatically different arrangement at first, but we actually loved it, and it ultimately allowed Lee to show yet another of his side of his personality as a performer. Vocals have never been an issue for Lee, and he brought it once again this week. (That pure-rock scream? Come on now.) We echo Carrie Underwood's statement that this was Lee's "stand-out, breakout moment."

TVLine's grade: "A"

Kyndal Inskeep went gaga for Goo Goo Dolls, selecting "Iris" from her list of song choices without giving it a second thought. The shoeless songstress began her performance seated on the stage, putting a softer, more introspective spin on the first verse. (It was giving Ben Platt in "Dear Evan Hansen," if that means anything to you.) The energy kicked in once Inskeep reached the chorus, giving her the kind of explosive "Idol" moment that every contestant hopes for. Unlike Lee's twist on a Black Crows staple, we didn't entirely love this radically different rendition of "Iris," though we appreciate Inskeep's attempt at "making it fresh," to quote Carrie Underwood.

TVLine's grade: "A-"

We're sorry to say that this wasn't Brooks' best night, but we are happy to say that wasn't entirely his fault. "American Idol" did him a little dirty with this wonky arrangement of The Cranberries' "Linger," which tripped him up several times throughout the performance. It was also pretty high for him to be belting those notes out, rather than leaning into the softer sound we know he's capable of. The worst part is that, with such a unique voice at his disposal, this song should have been a match made in heaven with Brooks. But it was, in fact, quite earthbound. Carrie Underwood noted that Brooks seemed "uncomfortable" in the back half, but we think it had less to do with nerves and more to do with the bad arrangement. Justice for Brooks!

TVLine's grade: "B-"

We know there isn't a "best dressed" category, but Rae would get our vote this week. Living her full '90s fantasy, complete with puffy pink sleeves and long black gloves, she was the total package. Fortunately, she came with the vocals to match! Rae said she wanted to challenge herself, so we were a little surprised that she chose Taylor Dayne's "Love Will Lead You Back," only because that one was a guaranteed slam dunk. Oh well, we're not going to complain about a killer performance. Unlike some of the previous contestants who battled their way through questionable rearrangements, Rae kept it simple, performing the iconic ballad as it was written — and she crushed it.

TVLine's grade: "A"

Braden Rumfelt has been the king of unexpected song choices this season, and he continued his reign this week by choosing Celine Dion's "All By Myself," a song we give anyone credit for performing on a competition show. We loved the beginning of this one, especially the smoky spin Rumfelt put on those opening vocals, and his first chorus was impressive, with his piercing belt coming through loud and clear. But this was a tough song choice for several reasons, not the least of which being the expectation that would inherently come with the big note. It wasn't quite a bullseye, but Rumfelt landed close enough to the center that we'll allow it.

TVLine's grade: "B+"

Bless his heart, young Jesse Findling wasn't familiar with any of the choices on his all-'90s menu this week, but he had at least heard of Oasis' "Wonderwall," making his decision an easy one. We weren't crazy about the show's more dramatic, slowed-down arrangement of this alt-rock classic, but it didn't detract from our enjoyment of Findling's overall performance. The belting, the energy, and yes, even the drama — we loved it all. And we were just as surprised as anyone to learn that Lionel Richie was responsible for this choice, which he called a "hail Mary." He really didn't know if it would be a good fit for Findling (even though it seemed like a no-brainer to us).

TVLine's grade: "A-"

Given her string of recent successes on stage, it was no surprise that "American Idol" saved Keyla Richardson for last this week. Every single one of the judges' choices for Richardson were bangers, even if she'd never heard of them, but she eventually found her way to The Cranberries' "Zombie." The mere thought of what Richardson could potentially do with this song gave us chills, but the end result was even better than anything we could have imagined. This was a rare arrangement this week that really elevated the song, giving Richardson a chance to go all-out with a powerful dramatic performance. And her son singing along from the audience? Don't even get us started. We love this whole family.

TVLine's grade: "A"