American Idol's Top 9 Revealed Live: Who Rocked? And Were The Right Two Singers Rolled? Vote!

It was "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night" on the April 13 episode of "American Idol," and everything was on the line. And by "everything," we mean a free trip to Disneyland.

Eleven singers remained atop Monday's show — Brooks, Rae, Hannah Harper, Kyndal Inskeep, Lucas Leon, Philmon Lee, Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, Daniel Stallworth, and Chris Tungseth — but only nine were left standing by the end of the two-hour broadcast.

Mentored by music supercouple Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, the Top 11 served up a night of surprisingly diverse rock 'n' roll staples, pulling from the songbooks of Foreigner, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, and Queen, just to name a few. This week's mentors also took the stage, treating us to an unexpected mashup of their 1979 hit "Heartbreaker" with Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." No complaints here!

Judge Carrie Underwood also got in on the action, opening the night with a performance of "Rebel Yell" opposite special guest Billy Idol, who (breaking news!) is among the 2026 class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees alongside longtime collaborator Steve Stevens.

Speaking of news, Ryan Seacrest announced that Season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson will be mentoring the Top 9 next week for the time-honored Disney Night.

Read on for a full breakdown of this week's results, including which two singers were sent packing, and which nine will live to compete another day. When you're finished, vote for your personal Top 7 in our poll, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the state of Season 24.

With a head of hair like the one Chris Tungseth is sporting, rock 'n' roll feels like it should be in his blood, so Foreigner's "Cold As Ice" seemed like the perfect fit. Neil Giraldo encouraged Tungseth to lean into the anger of the song, and while he did commit to a little finger-pointing bit at the beginning, the rest of the performance was all smiles. We had hoped Tungseth would go a little harder on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night, but despite the overall feel-good vibes of his delivery, he did manage to fit in several impressive moments of pure rock 'n' roll belting. We also echo the advice of Lionel Richie: stay far, far away from that nightstand — it's holding him back from becoming the energetic showman we know he can be. We also echo Luke Bryan's comments about Tungseth's hair. We need more Beyoncé-level wind effects in these performances.

TVLine's grade: B+

After being saved from elimination by Luke Bryan last week, Rae had a lot to prove with her performance of Donna Summer's "MacArthur Park." And prove herself she did, (Singing a song that Carrie Underwood famously performed during her "American Idol" season is always a risk, but Rae actually took that as a sign that she should do it. More power to her!) After a quick pitch issue at the top of the performance, Rae quickly rose to the occasion, doing what needed to be done, belting those famous notes to the back of the audience. Once the tempo picked up, Rae was firing on all cylinders, bringing the vocals and the drama. And much like the judges, we're completely clueless about what this song really means, so we'll just have to go with Lionel Richie's explanation: "You're not supposed to know what it means." And we're OK with that.

TVLine's grade: B+

After receiving some very good advice from his brother ("Nobody wants to hear a slow song again"), Braden Rumfelt opted for an upbeat tune this time around, tackling Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." And we're so glad he did, because the personality Rumfelt exuded in this performance reminded us exactly why we love him — and made us love him more, if we're being real. The vocals weren't always there (to quote Randy Jackson, he was pretty pitchy, dawg), but we'll be darned if Rumfelt wasn't absolutely feeling himself tonight. It's possible that he got a little too lost in his own sauce, sacrificing big notes for big energy, but the crowd seemed to like what they heard. Carrie Underwood remarked that Rumfelt "came to play" this week, and we agree. We just wish we played a little bit harder.

TVLine's grade: B

Brooks entered this week with confidence, choosing Jackson Browne's "These Days" as a nod to the way he has always lived his life, independently and in his own lane. From his piercing first note, we were hanging on Brooks' every word. It was the first song of the night we weren't as familiar with (don't judge us!), so if you told us that this was a Brooks original, we'd have believed you. The emotions felt so real — he believed every word he was singing. On a night when everyone else has been looking to melt the judges' faces off, Brooks went a softer route, and it paid off in spades. The rangy tune allowed Brooks' unique voices to go to some impressive places; we were fully hypnotized by his voice, right along with the judges. Speaking of the judges, is there any higher praise than Lionel Richie telling you that your God-given voice is "one of the greatest unique sounds you could ever ask for"? 

TVLine's grade: A-

Church energy has always been the name of Daniel Stallworth's game, giving a whole new meaning to the titular prayer in Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer." And with the pressure mounting, Stallworth probably relates to that feeling right about now. What ultimately made its way to the stage was a funky, sexy reimagining of the classic song, which slowly transformed into what Stallworth does best. Come on, a full gospel breakdown? On this song? That was wild, and it totally worked. Bon Jovi must see this! During rehearsal, Stallworth said he was nervous about singing a rock song for the first time, but after all those alterations, it barely qualified as one. And that's not a bad thing, as we'd rather watch him shine in his comfort zone than falter in something that doesn't fit.

TVLine's grade: A-

After a bizarre introduction from none other than *checks notes* WWE Superstar The Miz, Keyla Richardson snapped us back to reality with an explosive performance of Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." First of all, kudos to Neil Giraldo for suggesting that she start it as a ballad, which not only allowed us to enjoy the softer side of Richardson's voice but also added to the impact when the tempo suddenly picked up. Pat Benatar instructed Richardson to sing this one directly to her son, and you could feel the extra emotion in her voice. She fully lost herself in those final moments, leaving every other contestant questioning their safety in the competition.

TVLine's grade: A-

After frightening Lucas Leon with some unprompted thoughts about mortality ("We're in the fourth quarter," they told him), Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo pushed the li'l baby outside of his comfort zone on Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets." In the end, though, we wouldn't say he seemed particularly uncomfortable; if any part of this was a stretch for him, we didn't pick up on it. There really isn't anything negative we can say about this performance, which not only gave us Leon at his best but also at his most authentic. This is exactly what we would imagine a Leon concert to be — easygoing, quietly intense, and an overall good time. It was definitely giving lounge singer vibes, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Who doesn't love lounging? Honestly, we're just glad he didn't perform this anything like Haley Reinhart did back in Season 10. We wouldn't want to have to compare anyone's performance to that legendary moment.

TVLine's grade: A

Kyndall Inskeep was already stressing out during rehearsal, not sure whether to sing Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" or The Police's "Message in a Bottle." Neil Giraldo was pushing for the latter, as it would allow Inskeep to be more of "a performing art...ist," a dramatic pause that will baffle us until the end of time. Still, Inskeep remained undecided. And would you believe that the show made us wait an entire commercial break to find out which one she chose? (Of course you can believe it. This is "American Idol" we're talking about. Five minutes ago, The Miz had Ryan Seacrest in a headlock.) Anyway, Inskeep decided to follow her heart, rasping her way through "Piece of My Heart." It started out strong, but as Carrie Underwood pointed out, the performance "deflated" as it went on. Inskeep explained that she's having a difficult week with her voice, but Underwood stood her ground, noting that it felt like Inskeep still gave up.

TVLine's grade: B

More confident than ever, Philmon Lee was ready to shoot for the moon with Foreigner's "Hot Blooded," but this week's mentors used their guiding hands to keep him among the stars. The version of Lee that we got on stage tonight was unlike any we've seen before. Between the head-to-toe leather and savage rock vocals, this was Lee 2.0. The natural rasp in his voice served him well, and he made sure to finish strong with a classic scream. As Luke Bryan pointed out, this was the kind of song we expected everyone to perform on "Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night," not that we're mad about the eclectic tracklist. The judges also had a few notes about Lee struggling with some audio issues, but it didn't take us out of the performance. However, Ryan Seacrest owes Lee an apology for making him do that "swagger" moment; that cringey moment alone should have sent Lee through to the Top 9.

TVLine's grade: A-

On paper, Hannah Harper performing Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" sounds like heaven... and it was! Her smoky voice on those timeless lyrics stirred up more emotions than any other performance this week, and we join the judges in saying that we got absolutely lost in the dreaminess of it all. Not only was this one of Harper's most authentic performances yet, but it was also one of her most vulnerable. We'd like to thank Harper for not switching up too much about it; yes, she made it her own, but it was still the classic song we all know and love.

TVLine's grade: A

We figured "American Idol" would end this night with a bang, but "Somebody to Love" by Queen? Now we're talking! Like Daniel Stallworth did earlier in the night, Jordan McCullough put a gospel spin on the classic tune... only times a thousand. From the moment he first asked — nay belted — for somebody to find him someone to love, we knew we were in for the best performance of the night. Sure enough, McCullough continued to barrel through the song like a freight train. His stage presence is far from polished, but that's what we love about him. Almost as much as we loved the falsetto-into-belt he employed for that explosive finish. McCullough could barely hear the judges' praise over the sound of his adoring public.

TVLine's grade: A+