America’s favourite singing reality show, American Idol, is on its 24th season, and the excitement is high. The first live show of the competition aired on Monday, March 30, 2026 (ET), following weeks of pre-taped performances in Hawaii. With just 14 out of 20 idol hopefuls, the race to the Top 12 is officially underway. The live episode’s theme was “Songs of Faith,” and the contestants gave some of their best performances.
With the competition intensifying and major changes in audience voting rules, this season is turning out to be one of the most unpredictable ones in recent memory. Here’s a recap of the night and who made it to the Top 12.
A quick recap of the “Songs of Faith” episode: The shocking elimination
The episode kicked off with high emotions and one of the most unexpected shockers. The show’s host, Ryan Seacrest, revealed that the voting from America’s audiences had narrowed the Top 20 contestants down to 14. For the first time in the show’s recent past, six singers were eliminated before the competition even began, even though they had already prepared for the night. The ones eliminated include Ruby Rae, Madison Moon, Makiyah, Abayomi, Kutter Bradley, and Genevieve Heyward.
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