American Idol 2025 Recap – We’re live blogging the Head-to-Head Round!
American Idol season 23 continues with the Head-to-Head round (April 7). Judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan reveal the Top 24 after contestants pick duet partners and perform–all within a 24 hour period. Ryan Seacrest hosts. But instead of waiting until after all the singers perform to reveal the Top 24, the judges will deliberate after each number and decide on the spot who stays and who goes.
American Idol 2025: Head to Head Duet SPOILERS! (Photos)
American Idol 2025 Top 24 Contestant Preview
American Idol 2025 Spoilers: Top 24 Season 23 Contestant List & Song Picks
American Idol 2025: Full Season 23 Schedule
Jelly Roll joins American Idol as its in-house “Artist in Residence.” The singer will help the remaining 42 contestants prepare their performances.
Four contestants, Canaan James Hill, Gabby Samone, Zaylie Windsor and Mattie Pruitt have already entered the Top 24 on the strength of their Showstopper performances. They watch their fellow contestants perform from the comfort of the balcony.
Thunderstorm Artis and Drew Ryn – Night We Met by Lord Huron ft Phoebe Bridgers
Drew approached Thunderstorm to be her duet partner and he was up for it. Jelly Roll warns them both to keep their eyes open during their performance. He watches the the performances backstage in front of monitors. He does the whole “proud papa” thing. Both singers are competition show vets, The Voice and X Factor USA respectively. And they have been knocking around showbusiness for awhile now. The two are sublime. They chose the right song to showcase their talents and delivered it beautifully. “Great performance…did not see that coming,” said Lionel. He loves Thunderstorm’s tone and calls Drew a stylist. Carrie calls it the perfect song and perfect voice pairing. Luke calls them both “amazing.” He appreciates how their years of musical experience informs their performances on the Idol stage.
And just like that, Carrie advances them BOTH to the Top 24.
Sonny Tennet and CHÉ – Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
The two singers, both hailing the UK, joke about how their names are a play on words aka Sonny and Cher. The show REALLY leans on that. The two have been buddies for awhile. “We’re friends but we still love each other,” says CHÉ explaining that their interpretation of the song is not romantic. Jelly Roll compliments their lack of ego. At their final rehearsal, Sonny is nervous, belied by his distracted body language on stage. He seems not only nervous, but TENSE. Between the two singers, CHÉ is more relaxed and on point. He has big moments, while Sonny’s voice cracks. Having said that, CHÉ is not at his best either. “I just witnessed two craftsman,” says Lionel. “I got the information I needed from both of you.” Carrie notes the difference between the two singers’ ease on stage.
Sonny is ELIMINATED. CHÉ advances to the Top 24,
The judges can’t POSSIBLY be making these decisions on the spot. They must already know who they plan to advance, at least roughly, and this round is for strictly performative. Entertainment for the fans.
Penny Samar and Grayson Torrence – Wildflower by Billie Eilish
During rehearsal, Grayson is crying and so nervous She wants to make the Top 24 so bad. Jelly Roll consoles her back stage. The two singers start the performance sitting on the floor holding hands. Neither contestant has had much screen time so far. They are both indie girlies and deliver lovely harmonies. The phrasing isn’t showy, but gorgeous tones carry the day. They hug and cry afterward. Lionel calls it a “perfect performance.” Carrie felt they both held on to their artistry, but didn’t step over each other. “They are both great,” says Luke
Penny and Grayson BOTH advance to the Top 24
MKY and Josh King – Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez
The two learned a new song. Maybe because they didn’t know any of the same songs on the list? During rehearsal, Josh gets cold feet, afraid he won’t remember anything on stage. He’s sure he’s going home. MKY seems annoyed with him, a musician, who should be able to deal. Jelly Roll gives Josh a pep talk behind the scenes. MKY sings with a sweet unmistakable sound. Somewhere, Josh found his confidence and managed to hold his own. Choosing between the two, MKY takes the stage with more confidence. But at one point Josh pulls out a harmonica and the crowd loves it. Carrie calls the duo “the gamblers.” and feel that it worked. Luke believes they both get better and better.
BOTH MKY and Josh advance to the Top 24
Victor Solomon and Amanda Barise – Lady Marmalade by Labelle
Oh look. It’s vocal coach India Carney working with the duo. She feels that Amanda is shining more. “My voice is tired,” insists Victor. He feels he’ll be able to handle it the next day when it’s time to perform. The coaches put him on vocal rest. Amanda dominates the beginning of the song, for sure. Victor is working the stage and giving it his all. His voice is great as always, But it’s a better song pick for her. Carrie calls it “amazing.” Lionel reminds the audience that the judges will no longer vote on contestants after this.
BOTH Victor and Amanda advance to the the Top 24
Kyana Fanene and Yani – Please, Please, Please by Sabrina Carpenter
A clip of the performance starts and ends with the singers harmonizing. It’s only a snip.
Yani is ELIMINATED. Kyana advances to the Top 24
Bryson Quick and Lexi Tieffel sing together, while Lashon and Rileyy Laenz are paired up. All four singers are ELIMINATED. Remember Bryson? The judges invited him to sing at the Grand Ole Opry with Season 19 winner Chayce Beckham and then the show promptly forgot about him. Lashon impressed the judges at her audition.
Nina Daig and Slater Nalley – I Remember Everything by Zach Bryan Ft Kasey Musgraves
Nina sang an original song at her audition dedicated to her special needs brother. Slater performed an original song written about his teacher’s late son. Nina is very nervous. Slater tries to help by changing up the arrangement. “We had to rework it 3 or 4 times,” Nina confesses. Jelly Roll coaches them through it. It’s a good song choice for both singers. The arrangement allows both to shine. Their voices are both raspy and intimate. It’s a good pairing. Nina didn’t know the song before this morning. Lionel felt the second half was better than the first. Carrie could feel their teamwork. She LOVES Slater. “You could go pretty far.” Luke agrees.
Nina is ELIMINATED, Slater advances.
Baylee Littrell and Keilene – Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Keilene is annoyed with Baylee who keeps forgetting his parts. That’s a nepo baby for you. “I’m delirious Keilene confesses at 2 am. Baylee reports they stayed up all night working on their song. In the morning, Vocal coach Adrianne McPhee suggests some changes that helps them feel more confident. The song is out of Baylee’s comfort zone. He seems not as confident as he does singing country/original songs. Keilene holds down the high notes on the harmony parts. But she’s a little shouty on her solos. Lionel felt they both hold on to their identities. Carrie is happy that both their identities came out. “Solid performance,” she offers. Luke felt some moments were too intense. Carrie hints that keeping Baylee was NOT a unanimous decision. She suggests he step it up. Dad Brian is in the house to cheer him on.
Keilene is ELIMINATED, Baylee advances to the Top 24
John Foster and Clara Rae – Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez
Just a sliver of the song is revealed here.
Clara is ELIMINATED, John advances to the Top 24
Filo and Kolbi Jordan – Die with a Smile by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga
The vocal coach believes the two “over-run” sometimes. Understatement! Jelly Roll states that there is “beauty in the quiet moments. Filo and Kolbi are both Platinum Ticket holders and sang together with Canaan during Hollywood week. Both are ornamenting the song too much, especially Kolbi. But the terrific phrasing and tones make up for the oversinging. Carrie calls their voices “superhuman” and feels they dialed it back sufficiently. Luke calls them “worthy of Platinum.”
BOTH Filo and Kobli advance to the Top 24
All three Platinum Ticket singers are in the Top 24.
For some reason that is never explained, rap singer and reality star Flavor Flav drops by and joins the party.
Krystal Molina and Isaiah Misailegalu – Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
Isaiah admits that he doesn’t know much music, including the duet song choices. He’s nervous about “going out of tune.” It’s amazing that Isaiah has NEVER heard this song. It was everywhere all at once a few years ago. For the first time, he struggles a bit through the performance. That easy confidence is missing. Krystal, on the other hand, is belting her heart out comfortably. Lionel acknowledges that Krystal’s power overshadowed Isaiah. Carrie agreed saying it wasn’t his finest performance.
Krystal is eliminated, Isaiah advances to the Top 24
And there you have it. This “head-to-head” round is PURELY performative. Isaiah could have literally taken a giant dump on the stage, and the judges would have still advanced him.
Cali Morris and Olivier Bergeron – Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
It’s a short clip of Cali and Olivier. It’s a split decision. Carrie says it was a hard decision to eliminate Cali. Meanwhile the judges feel Olivier gets better and better as the competition progresses.
Cali is ELIMINATED, Olivier advances to the Top 24
Kam’Ron and Crews Wright – How Great They Art by Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill
I am surprised Kam’Ron has gotten this far. He almost seems lackadaisical on stage. He’s often pitchy and there are forgotten words at times in this performance. Crews has advanced so far based on his entertaining stage presence. However, Luke feels the two singers aren’t quite ready for the competition.
Kam’Ron and Crews are BOTH ELIMINATED
Desmond Roberts and Jamal Roberts – The Door by Teddy Swims
NO RELATION NO RELATION. Heh. Originally, they picked No Air by Chris Brown and Jordin Sparks. But it didn’t work for one of the singers. A vocal coach suggests”The Door” by Teddy Swims. They go for it, despite neither of them knowing it. Jamal looks like he’s going to faint on stage. The performance is as haphazard as the two singers probably feel. They throw in a bunch of unnecessary runs, and it sounds like desperation. They make it through the song decently, considering they only recently learned the song. That kind of pressure is crazy. Lionel has never heard “this much feeling.” Carrie feels both singers have been spectacular in the past. “Don’t just rely on the runs,” she warns.
Jamal and Desmond BOTH advance to the Top 24
There is only ONE spot left in the Top 24
Breanna Nix and Rylie O’Neill – Gratitude by Brandon Lake
Both singers are moms, it’s how they connected in the first place. During their stage performance, Jelly Roll gets Lake on the phone. The Christians in the audience have their hands up waving. Both singers are killing it here. But it’s obvious what’s going to happen next. Lake is blown away. Jelly Roll comes out on stage to allow him to congratulate them both.
Carrie gets teary as she commends them for bringing their faith onto the stage. Yes, it’s so brave. It’s really not, actually. Christian music is big business, and whole swaths of the US are overwhelmingly Christian. I’m thinking American Idol is maybe looking for a Christian winner like Canaan or Breanna to win this season.
Rylie is ELIMINATED, Breanna advances to the Top 24
The Top 24 SPOILERS are linked at the top of the page and are CORRECT!
American Idol 2025 Season 23 Top 24 Contestant List
Females:
Amanda Barise – Instagram
Breanna Nix – Instagram
Drew Ryn – Instagram
Gabby Samone – Instagram
Grayson Torrence – Instagram
Kolbi Jordan (Platinum Ticket awarded at a Tennessee Titans game) – Instagram
Kyana Fanene – Instagram
Mattie Pruitt – Instagram
Penny Samar – Instagram
Zaylie Windsor – Instagram
Males
Baylee Littrell – Instagram
Canaan James Hill – (Platinum Ticket holder) – Instagram
CHÉ Chesterman – Instagram
Desmond Roberts – Instagram
Filo (Platinum Ticket awarded by Carrie and Ryan NY Rockin Eve) – Instagram
Isaiah Misailegalu – Instagram
Jamal Roberts – Instagram
John Foster – Instagram
Josh King – Instagram
MKY (Mikey Jimenez) – Instagram
Olivier Bergeron – Instagram
Slater Nalley – Instagram
Thunderstorm Artis – Instagram
Victor Solomon – Instagram
