Disney Night is always one of the most anticipated events of the year on American Idol. For Season 24, the Top 9 got to partake in the beloved theme night, during which they were mentored by past Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson, who also served as a guest judge.
The nine remaining artists hit the stage with performances of Disney songs, with viewers once again casting their votes for their favorites throughout the episode. Judge Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan were able to weigh in with their praise and critiques, but ultimately have no say in who is eliminated.
At the end of the episode, the Top 7 will be revealed, which means two contestants will be sent home. Scroll down for live updates from throughout the night!
Daniel Stallworth
Daniel Stallworth got the night started with an Aladdin classic, “A Whole New World.” Hudson urged him to bring his “gospel roots” out in the performance.
ABC
“The advice that Jennifer gave you, you took to heart,” Richie assured Daniel. “Your sermon was amazing, and more importantly, it was so natural. You were just giving God’s gift to us and it was so powerful the way you delivered.”
Underwood added, “I knew you would crush it and I was right. it felt like it was made for you and your voice. It just seemed to easy. Beautiful,” and Hudson told Daniel that he “ministered and owned it.”
Finally, Bryan jumped in to say, “I love your charisma, your style, the way you navigate. Everything you do is so well done. Since day one we’ve seen it. You’ve got it all hooked up and put together. You started at one level in that song and really started showing out at the end.”
Braden Rumfelt
For his Disney Night performance, Braden Rumfelt sang the Oscar-winning song “Remember Me” from Coco. He got a little nervous in rehearsal and struggled with the lyrics a bit, but was given a vote of confidence from his mentor.
ABC
“You have such a great ‘getting into character’ kind of presence when you sing,” Underwood began. “It’s really refreshing to watch. It’s not like you’re just out here singing a song and dazzling us with your voice, you’re getting into the character and telling a story, and it’s pretty captivating to watch.”
Hudson told Braden she was “so proud” of him and labeled him “a star” in multiple ways. Bryan said, “That was a very challenging, tricky song. We’ve seen you come out and sing big moments, but that thing was tender, a lot of movements, a lot of chords. In this high pressure scenario, you did a great job creating the mood and showing us things you could do. I saw a lot of your future in that performance.”
To conclude the commentary, Richie praised Braden for “navigating” the performance and agreed with Bryan that it was a “tricky” song to sing.
Lucas Leon
Next up was Lucas Leon with a performance of “Life Is a Highway,” which was featured in the movie Cars. Hudson urged him to “own the stage” when he got to the live show, and he did just that when he rocked out with his guitar.
ABC
“You took every note. You owned the stage. I felt like I was at your concert,” Hudson applauded. “You are well on your way, young man. Continue to just trust your instinct because you have an instinct that you couldn’t even pay for.”
Bryan congratulated Lucas for being so “comfortable” at such a young age. “You’re so watchable to just watch,” he admitted. Richie told Lucas he wants him to give even “more attitude” moving forward.
“That was joyful. You were up there, you were having fun, you weren’t in your head about it, and it was just entertaining,” Underwood concluded. “It was fun to watch. It was fun, it was good!”
Keep refreshing because this post will be updated during the episode…
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