“American Idol” is officially down to a top 20.
Here’s a list of the contestants still in the competition — and how to vote for your favorite singer.
Who is in the ‘American Idol’ top 20?
Below are the competitors in the “American Idol” top 20:
Abayomi
Braden Rumfelt
Brooks Rosser
Chris Tungseth
Daniel Stallworth
Genevieve Heyward
Hannah Harper
Jake Thistle
Jesse Findling
Jordan McCullough
Julián Kalel
Keyla Richardson
Kutter Bradley
Kyndal Inskeep
Lucas Leon
Makiyah
Madison Moon
Philmon Lee
Rae
Ruby Rae
What to expect from the ‘American Idol’ top 20 round
Artists Brad Paisley and Keke Palmer are the superstar mentors for the top 20 round, which was filmed in Hawaii.
According to the ABC press site, Monday night’s episode will feature performances from the following top 20 contestants:
- Jake Thistle
- Braden Rumfelt
- Brooks Rosser
- Kyndal Inskeep
- Daniel Stallworth
- Genevieve Heyward
- Hannah Harper
- Makiyah
- Jesse Findling
- Kutter Bradley
The episode will also feature a performance from Season 21 winner Iam Tongi and Thunderstorm Artis, who was a top five finalist this past season of “Idol.” Both artists are from Hawaii.
Paisley and Palmer will return the following week to finish mentoring the top 20 contestants. That episode, airing March 23, will feature a performance from Skip Marley.
How to vote on ‘American Idol’ 2026
The top 20 round marks the first time in the season viewers can cast their votes and weigh in on their favorite singers — and there’s a new voting method.
The first voting window for the top 20 round begins at the start of the East Coast broadcast of “American Idol” on March 16 and ends at 4 a.m. MDT on March 17, according to idolvote.abc.com. The second window of voting for the top 20 opens at the start of the East Coast broadcast of “American Idol” on March 23 and closes at 4 a.m. MDT on March 24.
There are a few ways to vote on “American Idol”:
- Vote for the 10 contestants performing Monday night at idolvote.abc.com (fans must create an account to vote). The link will automatically be updated to include the remaining top 20 contestants for the following episode.
- Vote via text. During each “Idol” episode, a contestant will have a specific number that can be texted to “21523.”
- A new voting method for the season allows viewers to vote for their favorite singers via social media. Once the voting window is open, viewers can visit the official “American Idol” page on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and comment on the pinned official voting post with the name of the contestant they want to vote for. One comment equals one vote.
Viewers can submit up to 10 votes per voting method per contestant, according to idolvote.abc.com.
The voting results will help to determine the “American Idol” top 14.

