In the second-to-last live episode of season 24 on May 4, 2026, the Top 5 of “American Idol” are getting pared down to the Top 3. Those three finalists will get to head back to their hometowns for epic celebrations and then compete for the title in the grand finale.
For this two-hour live episode, the remaining contestants prepared to perform two songs each, once solo and then a duet with a finalist from the 2006 season, returning to mark 20 years since they competed on the show.
They’re performing for judges Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and Lionel Richie, as well as for guest judge (and original “Idol” judge) Paula Abdul, with live voting happening throughout the episode. Host Ryan Seacrest is announcing the results right after the last commercial break. Before we get to who got eliminated, let’s recap who made it into the Top 5.
Braden Rumfelt, ‘American Idol’ Finalist From North Carolina
DisneyBRADEN RUMFELT, 23, hails from Asheville, North Carolina. He turned to music after breaking his back twice playing sports, he told Billboard, but never imagined he was good enough to make it on “American Idol.” However, he has performed extensively with his parents and siblings as the Rumfelt Family, described as “one of Christian music’s most dynamic secrets” on their website.
Braden has valued getting to know his fellow contestants, telling Billboard while competing in Hawaii, “I don’t have a lot of friends back home because I don’t get out. Being in this competition and hanging out with all the other guys and girls is crazy to me. Everybody’s great.”
Jordan McCullough, ‘American Idol’ Finalist From Tennessee
DisneyJORDAN MCCULLOUGH, 27, is a church worship leader in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, but told Billboard that he grew up listening to country music artists like George Strait and Randy Travis with his dad and R&B groups like Xscape and Boyz II Men with his mom. He has astounded the judges every week with his powerful voice and unique arrangements.
“Monday nights are my favorite nights of the week because I’ve waited for this,” he told TVLine. “This is what my dream has been, performing on the ‘Idol’ stage, so I’m not necessarily nervous to perform. There are a lot of other things at stake, but once I step on that stage, it’s game over in my mind. All bets are off. I’m just up there performing my heart out.”
Hannah Harper, ‘American Idol’ Finalist From Missouri
DisneyHANNAH HARPER, 25, is a stay-at-home mom from Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where she lives with her husband and three boys, as well as a big extended family. She grew up touring the country with her family, playing and singing bluegrass. Hannah’s original song “String Cheese,” inspired by her own struggle with postpartum depression, went viral after she sang it for her “American Idol” audition, with more than 100 million views.
Hannah told Billboard that juggling being a mom and a contestant on “American Idol,” with her family in Los Angeles as she competes, hasn’t been easy, revealing, “Each morning when I leave for call time, I can hear them hollering all the way to the elevator because they want me.”
“It wouldn’t be doable if I didn’t have a village of people making it happen,” she conceded. “I have family members coming out each week to help my husband, who is here. My husband is a full-time dad now. He quit his job so that I could pursue this and so if you have a team of people backing you and the Lord behind you, then it’s going to happen, but it’s definitely a challenge.”
Chris Tungseth, ‘American Idol’ Finalist From Minnesota
DisneyCHRIS TUNGSETH, 27, grew up in a musical family in Le Sueur, Minnesota, where his mom was a piano teacher and his dad was an opera singer. He looks like a North Woods lumberjack, and some contestants joked during the Hawaii round that he looked like a real-life Aquaman in the ocean!
Chris has proven to have a big heart and a lot of empathy for others, having experienced the loss of his dad to cancer and being a caregiver for his mom, who has MS. After losing his dad three years ago to cancer, Chris told Billboard, he went to school for a degree in exercise physiology with an emphasis on sports performance, focusing on being a strength coach. He was researching grad schools for physical therapy when the opportunity to be on “American Idol” fell in his lap — and the rest is history.
Keyla Richardson, ‘American Idol’ Finalist From Florida
DisneyKEYLA RICHARDSON, 29, is the oldest of the remaining contestants and knew this was her last shot at trying out for “American Idol.” The single mom from Pensacola, Florida, works as a music teacher at a school run by her parents, and is mom to nine-year-old Drew, who can often be seen singing along in the audience when she performs.
Keyla told Billboard that she’s growing with every week on “Idol,” explaining, “I’m learning how to be a different kind of artist. That’s not easy, because you come in one way and now you have to learn a way to be versatile, to reach whoever you’re trying to reach. I’ve learned to be patient and I just learned control, like controlling my emotions. I’m still working on that, but I feel like every performance is going to get better and better because I’m taking it in. I’m watching the performances like I’m watching film of football.”
Who Got Eliminated From the 2026 Top 5?
After voting is closed during the final commercial break of the evening, Seacrest returns with the Top 5 finalists and a card with the results of the night’s voting. As soon as the results are announced, you’ll find them right here!
