American Idol determined its Top 5 finalists after eliminating Brooks Rosser and Daniel Stallworth during the "Taylor Swift Night" episode that aired Monday night on ABC.

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After American Idol's Top 7 contestants each performed two songs -- one of which was selected from Taylor's iconic catalog of songs -- Brooks, a 23-year-old dementia care med tech from Bel Air, MD, and Daniel, a 28-year-old elementary music teacher from Moss Point, MS, were eliminated.

Brooks and Daniel were ousted based on the home viewer votes that poured in during the live Season 24 episode.

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest shared that it was "the highest vote of the season" and "an extremely tight race" on Monday night.

American Idol's Top 5 finalists as a result are Braden Rumfelt, a 23-year-old substitute teacher from Murphy, NC; Chris Tungseth, a 27-year-old construction tradesman from Fergus Falls, MN; Hannah Harper, a 26-year-old stay-at-home mom from Willow Springs, MO; Jordan McCullough, a 27-year-old worship director from Murfreesboro, TN; and Keyla Richardson, a 29-year-old music teacher from Pensacola, FL.

Round 1 of the performances on Monday night was dedicated to Taylor Swift, and then Round 2 featured the finalists singing songs inspired by California.

Comedian Nikki Glaser served as a guest judge for the performances alongside regular American Idol judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Jordan kicked off Round 1 by singing "Tim McGraw."

Carrie told the singer, "You have the smoothest, just most incredible voice. And I feel like week after week, you just prove that you can sing anything... You just sound beautiful on everything. I don't know how you do it!"

Chris took the stage with "Exile" featuring Bon Iver.

"I loved that you were really locked in on that, for some reason," Luke said.

"You had me focused... I loved your character and the way you delivered the song. You had your own imagery and character that you created."

Although Luke said he never imagined Chris would sing a Taylor Swift song on the show, he noted, "It was one of my favorite performances you've done. It was great."

Hannah performed the hit "Mean," and Lionel said, "You are true to yourself. You don't come out here with a gimmick... You did a fabulous job."

Carrie also noted that she "loved everything" about this performance -- from Hannah's wardrobe to the banjo -- and that it was a really smart choice.

Brooks chose to sing "Love Story," and Luke said he loved hearing the singer's interpretation of that.

Lionel complimented the storyteller in Brooks' performance, but he wished the finalist had taken the microphone off the stand and walked around with it. Luke also wished Brooks had brought "more energy" to the stage.

Daniel decided to sing "Fearless," and Lionel said he loved the performance.

"You made it a Daniel song," Carrie noted.

And Luke shared, "The entertainment quality of what you just did was at an extremely high level... and you made the room comfortable."

Keyla then performed "Lover," and Carrie praised her melodic choices.

"When you can take a song and turn it into you... you are beating us up out here! It's just so beautiful to watch," Lionel said. "Your talent, your voice, your stage presence -- amazing."

Braden took the stage with "Cardigan," and Luke said it was his favorite performance of Braden's time on the show this far.

"You just seemed so comfortable in it and definitely told the story. It was one of my favorite things you've done as well," Carrie added.

For Round 2, Brooks sang the California-themed song "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5, and Lionel thought it was "the perfect song" for him.

Jordan serendaded the audience with "I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt, and Carrie said she hears the Holy Spirit every time he sings.

"You have one of the best voices I've ever heard in my whole entire life," Carrie gushed, adding, "I don't know how you do it, but thank you for doing it!"

Daniel performed "Best Part" by Daniel Caesar featuring H.E.R.

Luke said Daniel and Jordan were "sparring" with their talent and he hit new notes the judges hadn't heard yet from him.

Braden took the stage with "This Love" by Maroon 5, and Lionel praised the singer for giving the crowd his "ugly face." Carrie added how Braden looked like a rockstar and the performance "was working" for him.

Chris opted to sing "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish.

"I felt like I was at an awards show watching you do your thing. I just got very worried when you were singing because I have no idea what America is going to do with this," Carrie noted.

Hannah sang "That's The Way Love Goes" by Merle Haggard, and Carrie called her vocals "perfect."

Lionel went on to exclaim, "That was absolutely amazing. You're looking like a star and you sounded like a star. I guess you're getting close to that big star!"

Keyla sang "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James, which made the audience roar with applause and cheers.

Lionel gave the singer a big "Amen," and Luke said watching Keyla's growth has been so inspirational.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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