For years, Hollywood Week on American Idol was known to be the most grueling week of competition. The artists were put through an intense bootcamp that included multiple performances in front of the judges. With such little time to prepare, the contestants often stayed up until all hours of the night working on their songs, resulting in major stress and burnout.
For Season 24, though, things have changed up a bit. For starters, Hollywood Week is taking place in Nashville instead of Los Angeles. There will just be one major cut in Hollywood Week, bringing the number of contestants down from 127 to just 30 who will move onto the Ohana Round.
As host Ryan Seacrest explained in the February 23 episode, the artists performed individually, and after each block of performances, the judges deliberated and made cuts. Those who were chosen to move on were transferred into the Golden Room where they awaited what would come next. Seacrest noted that there would be another cut before the Top 30 is revealed, but the specifics of how those eliminations will be made was not revealed.
March 2 will be the final night of Hollywood Week programming, which means that the round will only air across two episodes total. Fans took to Reddit after this week’s episode aired and expressed frustration over how few performances viewers are getting to see because of this format and schedule.
“This isn’t Hollywood Week. It is Hollywood Day,” the original poster wrote. “One performance to determine the top 30? This ‘big cut’ is a disservice to the contestants, judges, and voting audience.” The Redditor noted that past Hollywood Weeks included rounds like duets, groups, and the cutthroat Idol Arena, all of which are no longer part of the format.
Another fan agreed, writing, “it’s so hard to invest when things move so quickly,” and someone else commented, “It’s way too rushed.” Another user said, “Hollywood week was already pretty rushed before this and it’s even moreso now,” and someone else added, “I agree. It’s not fair that a lot of singers who nailed their audition got sent home. I feel like when they change things up too much it could cost them ratings and people will lose interest.”
Three week Ohana Round
The Ohana Round will also feature country superstar Brad Paisley as a guest mentor for the Top 20. According to photos on the ABC media website, Sasha Farber, pro dancer from Dancing with the Stars was also in Hawaii.
The Ohana Round will air over three weeks. Week one is called Ohana Round and will feature the Top 30 performing for the “Industry Tastemakers” plus their fellow finalists, two family members and friends. After the judges chose the Top 20, the contestants performed songs across two nights (airing week 2 and week 3), presumably for America’s Vote.
According to Futon Critic, the Ohana Round will air on Monday, March 9 (Ohana Round Top 30), Monday March 16 & 23 (Top 20 parts 1 & 2).
And guess what! Once again, we got SPOILERS for both the Top 30 and Top 20, supplied by trusted sources. These spoilers COULD be wrong, but we feel certain that the vast majority of names on the lists are correct.
The song spoilers are incomplete. Watch this space for updates.
American Idol 2026 Season 24 Top 30 and Top 20 Contestant List
Top 30
- Abayomi
- Bella Emry
- Braden Rumfelt
- Brenna Brigman
- Brianna Yancey
- Brooks Rosser
- Bryant Thomas
- Chloe Lauren
- Chris Tungseth
- Daniel Stallworth
- Genevieve Heyward
- Hannah Harper
- Jacquie Lee
- Jake Thistle
- Jesse Findling
- Jordan McCullough
- Julian Kalel
- Keyla Richardson
- Kiera Howell
- Kyndal
- Kutter Bradley
- Lucas Leon
- Madison Moon
- Makiyah Mustiful
- Michael Garner
- Philmon Lee
- Rae Boyd
- Ruby Rae
- Sheldon Riley
- Tianna Roberts
Top 20:
- Abayomi
- Braden Rumfelt
- Brooks Rosser
- Chris Tungseth
- Daniel Stallworth
- Genevieve Heyward
- Hannah Harper
- Jake Thistle
- Jesse Findling
- Jordan McCullough
- Julian Kalel
- Keyla Richardson
- Kutter Bradley
- Kyndal Inskeep
- Lucas Leon
- Madison Moon
- Makiyah Mustiful
- Philmon Lee
- Rae Boyd
- Ruby Rae
Top 20 song choices (not in order)
- “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and The News – Jake Thistle
- “Dancing On My Own” by Robyn (Calum Scott Version) – Brooks Rosser
- “Love on The Brain” by Rihanna – Braden Rumfelt
- “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj – Makiyah Mustiful
- “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan – Genevieve Heyward
- “Ain’t No Grave” by Bethel Music & Molly Skaggs – Hannah Harper
- “Call Your Mom” by Noah Kahan – Kyndal Inskeep
- “You Found Me by The Fray – Jesse Findling
- “It’s Not Over” by Daughtry – Kutter Bradley
- Daniel Stallworth
Ohana Night 2 song choices (not in order)
- “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson – Madison Moon
- “Just to See You Smile” by Tim McGraw – Lucas Leon
- “Drag Me Down” by One Direction – Ruby Rae
- “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 – Jordan McCullough