Heavy/ABC "American Idol" Top 10 results for season 22
Just 24 hours after cutting the Top 14 down to 12 contestants, “American Idol” fans will be responsible for eliminating two more singers on the April 22, 2024, episode. During the two-hour show, contestants will be mentored by pop star Meghan Trainor, who spent part of 2023 serving as a judge on “Australian Idol.”
Spoiler Alert: Heavy has reported the results live throughout the night. If you do not want to know the results, do not read any further.
If you aren’t interested in the details of each performance and just want to see the Top 10 results, scroll down to the bottom.
‘American Idol’ Top 10: First Hour
The show kicked off with Ryan Seacrest and the contestants all on the stage. Before introducing judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, he said the night would be dedicated to Billboard Number one hits.
The performances kicked off with Abi Carter, who was the last one to perform on the previous night’s show. During her mentorship session with Trainor, she immediately gave her a bear hug and told her what a huge fan she is of her. Carter’s singing Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well,” which she said was scary given all the pressure of impressing the Swifties. Trainor encouraged her to “riff” at the end of the song rather than just playing the piano.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie gave her a standing ovation, but the other judges did not. Bryan said he was having a hard time distinguishing last night from tonight, and that it was not as “shiny” as the previous night’s performance. “Don’t get too comfortable at the piano,” he told her, encouraging her to work the room with some energy. Though a few people booed Bryan, Richie agreed with him but cushioned it by saying that he wanted to hear more. Perry said that Carter is so good at slower, intimate songs, she just needs to give “angelic” every time and not necessarily run around the stage.
Next up, Seacrest introduced Will Moseley, who said going from Gene Simmons as the mentor the night before to Meghan Trainor was like “flipping a light switch.” He said he loved her lightheartedness, including wiping his brow when he was sweating. She told Moseley that his smile “lights up the universe” and encouraged him to show it and have a good time. Moseley played Chris Stapleton’s “Starting Over.”
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie said he loves that he recognizes Moseley’s voice right off the bat and that it was a perfect song choice. Perry said she loved seeing his smile, because it’s good to see the emotion in his voice also on his face — in his eyes, cheeks and mouth. Bryan said it’s okay for him to “act a little bit” and that he’s “solid every time you get up here.”
After a commercial break, it was Jayna Elise‘s turn; she remembered singing “All That Base” when she was part of KidzBop. Trainor worked with Elise on some of her vocal tricks, wanting her to balance showing off her voice but also respecting how her song — Rihanna’s “Diamond” — is meant to sound.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Perry told Elise that her delivery is “so controlled” and “measured,” that she has reached her ultimate groove. Bryan said that her looks are really pro and never to “let off the gas” with her performances. Richie said he marvels at how Elise can “take any song and turn it into you — that’s amazing.” He added that her stage presence is something they can’t teach, but that she has it “in spades.” After the judges’ feedback, Elise said she dedicated that song to former runner-up Willie Spence, who sang that song on the show but, sadly, died in 2022.
Next up, Trainor worked with 19-year-old country singer Mia Matthews. When the teen said Kelsea Ballerini is her favorite artist, Trainor said she could try to FaceTime her — and she picked up, talking to them both. “Idol! So fun, so cool,” she said. As Matthews practiced her chosen song — Miranda Lambert’s “Only You” — Trainor gave her pointers on looking fully confident physically as she sings.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Matthews got a standing ovation from Bryan and Richie. Bryan started out by saying that while watching her and Trainor interact, they were amazed at how much she looked “like a star” on the stage, and complimented how far she’s come. Richie, too, said Matthews has “grown so much” and that if she keeps up what she’s doing, she’s “going places.” Perry called her a “certified looking star,” but encouraged Matthews to pull out another card — moving around and giving her performances “physicality” to get to the top of the heap. Though Trainor is not in LA with the contestants for their performances, she joined via FaceTime to tell Matthews she’d done great.
The next contestant, after a commercial break, was R&B singer Roman Collins. He surprised Trainor by saying that he was going to sing “Roar” by Katy Perry, which she said she’d be way too nervous to do herself. Collins said he planned to slow it down, which she also called “very smart and brave.” He appeared at the piano, which he hasn’t done in previous performances. Toward the end of the song, he got up from the piano and returned to his ore energetic, soulful tendencies. Finishing right behind the judges’ table, Perry gave him a huge hug.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: After the crowd went wild, Richie told him, “You have never failed to take it over the top! You have a vibe about you that’s almost like, we’re waiting for you to explode.” He said “your roaring was amazing tonight.” Perry said her parents always text her to say they’re praying for him, and clearly loved the performance. Bryan said he was surprised by the slower, quieter beginning, but that when he stood up, he took it to another level, which is what “world-class entertainers” do.
Next up, Trainor said Jack Blocker wins for the “coolest flip of a song” after they worked on The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” together, changing the pace and vibe of the hit song. They also FaceTimed Blocker’s wife, who’s a big fan. Blocker played a stripped-down version of the tune on his acoustic guitar at center stage.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: “You did it again, you used your brain again,” Perry told him. She thought that the song could have been sped up a tad, but loved his strategy, telling him she’d love to even hear him sing acapella. Bryan said Blocker’s progression and versatility has been awesome, but added he wished there was a bit more energy to the performance. Richie said, “You’re guiding us, instead of us guiding you at this point.” He told him he has a unique song and presentation, and that “if you do this correctly, I smell money. I smell lots of money.”
‘American Idol’ Top 10 Results: Hour 2
At the top of the second hour, which will include a performance by “Idol” alum David Archuleta, Emmy Russell said she loves Trainor and as she practiced her song — Selena Gomez’s “Lose You To Love Me” — she kept forgetting the lyrics and the melody. She told her to listen to the song “over and over again” and keep it simple. She said she felt “really comfortable” and even able to dance for the first time.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: “We have just thrown so much at you,” Bryan told Russell, and said that they could see the anxiety she went through — and continues to go through — but to try to love her time and love the music because “you are shining.” Richie told her to remember that she can’t mess up because everyone’s just looking forward to seeing her. Perry said that it was one of Russell’s “best vocal performances” and that she appreciated how she’s pushed herself, encouraging her to “keep conning yourself into that confidence.”
When 15-year-old Triston Harper walked in to work with Trainor and greeted her in his low voice, she squealed with delight and then said, “I don’t know how to explain Triston — he’s 50 years old!” Harper said that he was singing a song dedicated to his girlfriend, Paris, whom he said he’s known all his life but started dating seven months prior. They adorably FaceTimed her while she was at the grocery store, and gushed over their cute connection. Harper played Luke Combs’ “Beautiful Crazy,” and returned to his cowboy hat and acoustic guitar after the previous night’s departure, when he sang an Elvis classic.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Richie said he was relieved to know Harper is “actually human” after seeing him gush over his girlfriend. Richie said, “Don’t lose your power,” encouraging him to keep the angst in his voice. Perry said that his singing is very believable, but also said she wants to see “more of that Elvis stuff” in his performances. Bryan said that it was his first “15-year-old performance,” which he said he loved — but implied that it wasn’t quite the quality of the previous night.
Next up, Julia Gagnon also dedicated her performance to someone special, saying that she chose Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” to her fiance’s grandmother, who died just before she began competing on “Idol.” She recalled going to watch the sunset with him the morning she died and knowing she was part of the sky. Trainor said that if she didn’t have makeup on, she would’ve been bawling. She also suggested Gagnon use the mic stand to stabilize herself during the emotional tune, if needed.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: All three judges gave Gagnon a standing ovation. Perry said it was one of her favorite performances by Gagnon since she first auditioned, saying her “dynamics got me believing me again.” Bryan thanked Gagnon for showing all of her tricks on such “a delicate song.” Richie said it convinced him that she’s solidly “back in the game.”
After a commercial break, former “Idol” runner-up David Archuleta returned to the show to sing his new song, “Hell Together,” which he wrote for his mom after he came out as being part of the LGTBQ+ community. He told the story of how she stepped away from the Mormon church, saying she couldn’t stay somewhere that wouldn’t accept her kids.
Originally from Utah, Archuleta waved to Kabrienne Richins — also from Utah — before she headed to center stage for her performance. During the mentorship session she had with Trainor, the pop star coached her through singing “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus, encouraging her to use her full voice, and pointed out that she has “dead arm,” encouraging her to not be afraid to move.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Bryan said, “You have not been this character until the last two nights and I’m really into you exploring songs this big.” He especially liked her ending and called it “really good.” Richie said Trainor was right to encourage her to use her “big voice” and embrace the crack in it. Perry said that now that fans know she has versatility, she can’t put those skills “back in the box” and said she’ll need to keep up what she’s doing.
Though McKenna Faith Breinholt couldn’t do her mentorship session with Gene Simmons because she’d been under the weather, she was able to work with Trainor later via video, on the number one Billboard hit she chose — Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan.” Breinholt said the song is “extremely healing” for her because she “felt like I was a cardigan under someone else’s bed” but she now believes in herself. After working on notes, Trainor said it was her favorite cover of that song she’d ever heard.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: Perry was the first to stand up for Breinholt, followed by Bryan and Richie, who said that “you and that cold sound really sexy.” Perry said “she just sounds that way” and that it was her “favorite.” Bryan said that it was “so pro, so next level.”
The last of the Top 12 contestants to take the stage was Nashville singer-songwriter KAYKO, who was sandwiched between Jordan Anthony and Nya the night before as Seacrest announced that of the three of them, the was going to get to stay. KAYKO said that his biggest issue is staying on-pitch while performing live, but Trainor told him not to try such hard things — including jumping around or going falsetto at the end — so that he wouldn’t struggle on his song, “Somebody I Used To Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra. Wearing eyeliner and approaching the mic with gusto, Perry looked shocked by his energetic rock performance, which got all three judges on their feet. In fact, all three of them rushed the stage to give him a huge hug.
- JUDGE FEEDBACK: As Richie yellowed “wow,” Perry said Trainor can’t be his best friend, because she wants to be. Bryan said he loved that KAYKO listened to the advice on controlling pitch and that the performance totally worked. Richie simply couldn’t stop yelling “wow, wow, wow!”
‘American Idol’ Top 10 RESULTS
After the final commercial break, Seacrest was joined by all 12 contestants on the stage to read the results of the votes that came in during the show. He said over 20 million votes resulted in the following Top 10:
- Abi Carter
- McKenna Faith Breinholt
- Will Moseley
- KAYKO
- Kabrienne Richins
- Mia Matthews
- Jack Blocker
- Emmy Russell
- Triston Harper
- Julia Gagnon
This means Jayna Elise and Roman Collins will be going home.