‘American Idol’s Top 20 Revealed After Ohana Round: Who Received Platinum Tickets?

The competition continued on the Monday, March 9, episode of American Idol. The Top 30 contestants traveled to Hawaii for the newly-added Ohana round, and by the end of the night, judges Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie made 10 more cuts.

In this new round of competition, the 30 singers performed for the judges, their fellow contestants, friends and family members, and a group of “industry tastemakers.” The judges gave their feedback, then the contestants, friends/family, and industry experts voted on their favorites (contestants could not vote for themselves and friends/family could not vote for their own loved ones).

At the end of the round, each of the three groups picked an artist to receive a platinum ticket, which meant they automatically advanced into the Top 20 to sing for America’s vote. The judges then decided who the remaining 17 spots went to.

Scroll down for a recap of the night’s performances and to find out who moved on … and who was eliminated.

Jordan McCullough

For the Ohana round, Jordan McCullough sang “Grandma’s Hands” by Bill Withers, which he dedicated to his family. “When I think of this song, I think of protection,” he said. “I think of love and care.”

The judges were up on their feet, singing and dancing along to the performance. “Where did he come from!?” Bryan wondered, while Underwood said, “Not a bad way to get things started.”

Richie told Jordan, “I don’t know what happened to you in Hawaii, but let the congregations say amen! You delivered. That was fantastic.”

Chloe Lauren

Chloe Lauren made it to the Top 30 after winning in a last-minute sing-off during Hollywood Week. She dedicated her Ohana Round performance of Adele‘s “Hello” to her son, who wasn’t able to make it to Hawaii.

When Chloe got to the chorus, she fumbled the lyrics and gave the band an angry/confused look. “Keep coming, keep going!” Underwood urged her, while the crowd sent cheers of encouragement. Chloe eventually got back on track.

“You’re here because we love your voice,” Underwood assured her. “It’s not about the little things that can go wrong during the performance. It really is how you shove it aside and finish strong. You got back on that horse and took off real quick. Way to finish strong.”

Lucas Leon

Lucas Leon performed a rendition of “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert, which he dedicated to his parents because “they are who really built me.”

Underwood raved, “You’re so in control of your instrument, it’s kind of mind-blowing. You have a really beautiful, just soft, sweet spot in your voice that I feel like just draws everybody in. I would love to hear more of that.”

Keyla Richardson

Keyla Richardson’s entire American Idol journey has been for her son, so it was no surprise when she dedicated Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years” to him during the Ohana round.

“I want to let him know no matter how grown he gets, I’m going to love him forever, and every day we’re getting one step closer to where we want to be,” she said.

The judges were impressed, with Underwood telling Keyla, “To have the gift of watching you and getting to watch [your son] … when I’m on stage, and my boys are out there, I don’t know what they’re doing. And I feel like I just got a glimpse of what they might be doing when I’m on stage, and it just made my mama heart so happy. Your talent is limitless.”

Braden Rumfelt

Braden Rumfelt, who Bryan previously said “could win this thing,” continued to show his range by singing “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys.

“I feel like I just had the biggest smile on my face the whole time,” Underwood gushed. “Your voice is just velvety and big, and you’ve got a lot of power in there in all the right places.”

Hannah Harper

Hannah Harper sang Vince Gill‘s “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” dedicating her performance to her late grandfather, who used to sing it for her.

“Gosh, there are so many parallels in your voice and Dolly [Parton],” Bryan said. “It’s just so beautifully country. Just remember that key that you got to at the end and really live in that space because your voice really opened up there. You got the goods. Your voice is so beautiful to me.”

Richie also noted that Hannah’s “got that straight authentic mountain voice.”

Genevieve Heyward

Genevieve Heyward hit the stage to perform “Your Song” by Elton John, which was dedicated to her father, who had previously been in Hawaii while on leave from Vietnam.

“Identity is heard when you sing such an iconic song like Elton’s, but for you to just hang on and keep in control of that is amazing,” Richie told the aspiring artist. “Way to come out here!”

Abayomi

“I’m doing this song for my mother,” Abayomi said before singing “Rise Up” by Andra Day. “She is a single parent, and life is not easy being a single parent. She taught me to rise up against all the things I’m dealing with, and it inspires me.”

The judges could not believe Abayomi’s talent at such a young age. “She’s freakin’ 16, and she’s like a Disney star!” Underwood confirmed.

Ruby Rae

Before singing “Til Forever Falls Apart” by ASHE and Finneas, Ruby Rae spoke about how important family is to her.

“My family has always been by my side throughout my entire music journey,” Ruby explained. “So it’s really exciting to do this in the Ohana Round.” Underwood called the performance a “breath of fresh air.”

Bryant Thomas

Bryant Thomas opened up about recently moving to Florida “in pursuit of love,” and how hard it’s been for him to be away from his family. “This song goes out to all the people we had to leave behind in order to pursue our dreams,” he said when he took the stage, then sang “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac.

Bryant got emotional during the performance, and it took a toll. “We still gotta remember, ‘I got a song to deliver, and I gotta make sure I’m knocking this thing out start to finish,'” Bryan warned. “Now, you’re one of my favorite voices, but it got a little screamy, a little bit, so just curb down some of that over-raspy, gravelly stuff.”

After Bryant left the stage, Underwood noted, “He was trying real hard, and he doesn’t need to.”

Rae

Rae’s performance of “I’ll Be There” by Jackson 5 was dedicated to her sister, who she described as “my heart, my soul, my everything.”

Bryan gushed, “You always just command the stage so perfectly with such confidence. I’ll tell you, you are one of our exceptional voices that we have. It’s just really awesome to watch you be able to tell your sister how much you love her. You are a serious contender. That was a great performance.”

Jake Thistle

Although it was a risk, Jake Thistle decided to sing an original song called “Sleep on Me.” He said it was important to him because “my parents and my family have always been really supportive of me writing songs.”

Richie noted that it was a “big chance” to do an original at this point in the competition. “Keep the vocals just as you started out in the beginning, strong, keep it all the way through,” he said. “But songwriter to songwriter, you did well.”

Underwood was impressed, noting, “You could hear him in a studio. It’s like watching Bruce Springsteen meets Bob Dylan.”

Brooks

Brooks continued to shock the audience with his unique voice, singing “Everywhere, Everything” by Noah Kahn.

“Every time you sing and open your mouth, I want more,” Underwood raved. “I feel like we’ve seen you already kind of stepping in and getting a little more confidence in yourself. Just keep leaning into that. It’s so fun to watch and so fun to listen to.”

Jesse Findling

Jesse Findling’s song choice of “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran was suggested by his father as a dedication to his grandfather, who was a photographer. Jesse said he was able to really relate to Sheeran, who also used to have a stutter.

“It’s honest and it’s real and it’s believable and it’s just beautiful,” Underwood commented afterwards.

Sheldon Riley

Before his performance, Sheldon Riley got choked up while explaining that he hasn’t “had family with me for a long time on this music journey.” However, he noted that he’s built his own family and his own home, then performed “To Build a Home” by Patrick Watson.

Sheldon had to stop his performance while crying, and he was sobbing by the end.

“You have so much talent and range and power in your vocals,” Underwood assured him. “I feel like your brain just gets in the way. I feel like you’re kind of building up some walls in front of us every time you sing. But you don’t need to do that because you’re enough.”

Julián Kalel

Julián Kalel sang his original song called “Surrender,” which he actually auditioned with during Season 23 of American Idol. Unfortunately, he had to drop out of the competition that year to focus on his mental health.

“When I wrote this song, I was really down,” Julián explained. “I went to my dad, and he told me the anxiety and the fear is out of your control, let it stay out of your control, it’s not worth your fear.”

As always, his performance earned rave reviews. “You’re so solid,” Bryan told Julián. “I’ve heard you do that song before, and the fact that you’ve written that song, just even some of the changes in the chord progression are so mature and far beyond your age. You’ve just got the star magic. One of my favorite performances of the night.”

Kutter Bradley

Kutter Bradley dedicated his performance of “Amarillo Sky” by Jason Aldean to his parents who “showed me what hard work is.”

Bryan told the country hopeful, “Great song choice for you, and I’ll tell you, rocking overalls in Hawaii? That’s pretty amazing. You really impressed me with where you went vocally. I enjoyed it. Great job.”

Bella Emry

When Bella Emry performed, the industry experts had mixed feelings. “It looked like she was a little bored,” Sasha Farber commented.

However, another guest disagreed: “What are you talking about? That was storytelling!” Meanwhile, Loren Gray was on both sides, adding, “I wish she would’ve looked over here. But I thought she brought power to the song. I thought it was beautiful.”

Michael Garner

Michael Garner, who won the other Hollywood Week sing-off, performed “Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson.

Underwood remarked that “he’s just a baby,” while Farber admitted, “It just felt like something was a little off. Maybe it wasn’t his best performance.” Rolling Stone’s Shirley Halperin noted, “He’s like a country [Justin] Bieber with the little hair flip!”

Kyndal Inskeep

Kyndal Inskeep got emotional while explaining that she was singing an original song for her mom called “Woman of Me.” She explained, “She has been a backbone and just a rock in my life, but growing up we had a tendency to clash.”

Richie praised Kyndal’s “incredible” songwriting, while Underwood said, “I just want to hear more of your songs. You’re such a great storyteller and you have the voice to back it all up. This was truly a moment meant for you right now.”

Philmon Lee

Philmon Lee dedicated his performance of “All I Want” by Kodaline to his great grandmother, who loved hearing him sing the song before she passed away.

“You just took us on a journey,” Underwood told Philmon. “You brought us in when it was meant to feel intense, and then on the soaring notes, you kind of took us to this whole other place where we could kind of feel that swell. That’s a gift.”

Makiyah

Makiyah closed out the night by singing “Stand Up” by Cynthia Erivo. The performance was dedicated to her mother. “She has always stood up for me,” Makiyah explained. “She has always paved the way for me, been there every step of the way.”

Bryan gushed, “Makiyah came here to kill! It was so emotional. It showed everybody what you could do. It had southern moments, it had southern gospel moments, it had uplifting moments. Way to step up there and show us a whole other level of what you can do.”

Who got the platinum tickets?

The first platinum ticket was given to the contestant who received the most votes from their peers, and the winner was Jordan McCullough.

Next, the platinum ticket chosen by the family members and friends, which went to Brooks. Finally, there was the platinum ticket voted for by the industry tastemakers, which went to Kyndal Inskeep.

So, Jordan, Brooks, and Kyndal automatically advanced to the Top 20 and will sing for America’s vote.

Who made the Top 20?

In addition to those three, the other artists in the Top 20 are: Philmon Lee, Madison Moon, Braden Rumfelt, Jake Thistle, Jesse Findling, Ruby Rae, Genevieve Heyward, Lucas Leon, Hannah Harper, Chris Tungseth, Julián Kalel, Rae, Daniel Stallworth, Abayomi, Kutter Bradley, Makiyah, Keyla Richardson.

That means that the artists who were eliminated are: Jacquie Lee, Bryant Thomas, Bella Emry, Shelton Riley, Chloe Lauren, Brianna Yancey, Brenna Brigman, Michael Garner, Tianna, and Kiera Howell.

The Top 20 will perform in Hawaii on the March 16 and March 23 episodes, with America voting for their favorites for the first time. The results will be revealed on March 30 when the live shows begin.

American Idol, Season 24, Mondays, 8/7c, ABC