As the latest live show of “American Idol” season 24 came to a close on April 20, 2026, host Ryan Seacrest read the names of the Top 9 contestants who’d made it through to the Top 7, based on two hours’ worth of Disney Night performances and viewer voting.
Of the last three standing, only Braden Rumfelt, Kyndal Inskeep, and Lucas Leon remained. As Seacrest announced that Rumfelt had nabbed the final spot in the Top 7, cameras panned to the judges’ table, where Carrie Underwood and guest judge Jennifer Hudson’s jaws had practically hit the floor to see Kyndal become the first Platinum Ticket recipient of the season to get sent home.
Carrie Underwood Thought Kyndal Inskeep’s Performance Was Her ‘Redemption’ Moment
“She wasn’t even on my radar to be eliminated at all,” Underwood told TV Insider of Kyndal after the live show. “But if you’ve ever watched ‘Idol,’ this is about the time when we kind of have a shocker. It just happens for whatever reason. Every season kind of has that ‘what?’ moment right around now.”
Kyndal has been considered a frontrunner since the day she auditioned, when she was gobsmacked to witness another “American Idol” hopeful sing her song for the judges. The 29-year-old newlywed from Indiana came to the show as an indie artist with an already-impressive following, and wowed the judges with her unique voice and beautiful songwriting.
After sailing through Hollywood Week, she also dazzled the crowd in Hawaii, earning the Platinum Ticket from a group of industry insiders that producers invited to the island for the show’s first-ever Ohana round.
Kyndal did struggle with her confidence the last two weeks, especially after losing her voice before the April 13 show. Nevertheless, the judges were very encouraging and viewers continued to advance her to the next rounds. During the April 20 show, guest mentor Jennifer Hudson infused Kyndal with good vibes during her rehearsal of “Butterfly Fly Away” from “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”
Kyndal’s was the final performance of the night, and the judges thought her delivery was terrific, with Hudson even throwing one of her shoes onto the stage — a sign of respect and awe from the EGOT winner. Underwood told Kyndal it was a moment of “redemption” after having a tough week before. So when the singer wound up in the bottom two, they couldn’t hide their shock.
Luke Bryan Agrees That He Didn’t Expect ‘American Idol’ Fans to Vote Out Kyndal Inskeep
Underwood did point out to TV Insider that getting eliminated at this stage of the game is not a death sentence for one’s career, just as Hudson reminded the contestants at the end of the show. She made it to the Top 6 exactly 22 years ago, and went on to become one of the most successful “American Idol” alums in the show’s history.
“’American Idol’ is an incredible platform,” Underwood told the outlet. “It’s an incredible way to get yourself exposed to the world. This is a jumping off point. I won and I’m doing this now. Jennifer didn’t and she’s doing this now. Your destiny is your destiny.”
“So many people look at winning as the end all and be all,” she continued, “but there are countless numbers of former hopefuls that get to make a living making music. You know what I mean? And that‘s the dream. Even if they’re not No. 1 on Billboard selling bazillions of records. They’re living their dream because they get to make a living making music.”
Judge Luke Bryan also expressed his surprise about Kyndal to TV Insider, telling the outlet, ““I can’t answer why Kyndal’s still not here. Historically, voters will give leniency when someone’s sick, but for some reason, that’s the route they took. I think she’s extremely talented and a beautiful songwriter. She’s got her own little artistic lane. So, I was surprised, definitely.”
Kyndal handled getting cut with grace, writing in her Instagram Stories after the live show, “I love yall so much 🤍Gonna take a beat just to soak this all in but honestly how cool is it that I got to sing a song about a butterfly spreading her wings the night I enter into a new season 🦋🤍”
The Top 7 will move on to perform on the April 27 live show, singing from Taylor Swift’s catalog of hits.
The reason that we’re surprised every week by who is eliminated is because the voting on American Idol ends before the West Coast & Mountain time zones have even seen half of the performances……the winners are chosen by the mid west and east coast. The last contestants hadn’t performed yet~ SO UNFAIR!!! 😡
I think that’s why if you have a favorite, you should vote for them even before they have performed. I don’t believe you have to wait until each of the contestants have performed to vote for them.
totally agree, so unfair
Kyndal is a very attractive young woman with some talent, but she doesn’t seem to rise above thousands of aspiring singers. At age 29, she’s not inexperienced and has had ample time to be “discovered.” For her career, it’s probably best that the timing was such that she was eliminated, as it’s 100% unlikely that she would have won the competition. It’s pretty clear that by positional placement in the order of appearance on each broadcast that Hannah Harper has been selected by the producers to be this season’s winner. Harper has the sentimental backstory as a young mother with three children and a virtual lifetime of performing with her family’s band. Unquestionably, she’s a consummate professional.
If the most unique voice becomes the American Idol, Jordan McCullough should easily become the winner. So much of who wins is determined by current viewership of the show and whether they have some familiarity with the contestants. McCullough has inspirational talent, but was already a contestant on The Voice, eight years ago. His appearance on Idol seems like a rerun.
Kyndal and Lucas Leon were also previously on The Voice.