‘Idol’ results are in: Is Daniel Stallworth one of the final 5? Who was eliminated?
South Mississippi singer Daniel Stallworth got a standing ovation from the judges, the crowd and his fellow competitors Monday night on “American Idol.” What he didn’t get enough of were votes from the viewers at home.
The Moss Point native’s three months on the show ended when he was eliminated in an episode that reduced the remaining field of singers from 7 to 5. Leaving the show along with Stallworth was Brooks Rosser.
Stallworth did everything he could to stick around, delivering two songs that were loved by the judges. He performed “Fearless” by Taylor Swift in the first hour of the episode and then followed it up with “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar featuring H. E. R.
The elementary school music teacher’s performance of “Fearless” received compliments from the judges, including guest judge Nikki Glaser.
- Lionel Richie: “What I love about you is that you walk out on this stage, and you are fearless, man. You not only sing, but you perform so the crowd is right there with you.”
- Carrie Underwood: “I feel like this is another example of we’re throwing different themes at you guys, and (you’re thinking) ‘I’m going to pick a song, but how do I put my stamp on it, how do I make it something I would sing?’ You did a really great job of that. You made it a Daniel song.”
- Nikki Glaser: “That’s one of my favorite songs from the Eras tour, and you just brought something totally different to it. I just have the best time watching you. I forgot I was on TV. I was a part o the crowd. I wanted to touch you. I was so excited when you came over here. I was fangirling. I want to go to 22 of your shows.”
- Luke Bryan: “The entertainment quality of what you just did was at an extremely high level. You made the room comfortable. You high-fived me. I was like “Oh my God, he touched me,’ and that’s what it’s all about. You just entertained the heck out of me.”
His performance of “Best Part” in the second hour of the show also drew praise:
- Carrie Underwood: “You sang all the notes. Every one. Your voice is like butter on hot toast. It was great.”
- Nikki Glaser: “Such a versatile performance. You were so great. I could fully see a whole show from you. You’re such a pro. I’m so excited to see more from you.”
- Luke Bryan: The growth of this group from where y’all were until now is hard to wrap my brain around. I mean, Jordan comes out, and then you come out and you guys are sparring, it’s just amazing watching you guys get creative. Those notes at the end -- I hadn’t heard you do that all season. Amazing.”
- Lionel Richie: “It was amazing.”
Stallworth, who captured South Mississippi’s attention throughout Season 24 of the reality television singing competition, survived three judges votes and five live episodes before his run ended Monday.
As it happened
9:01 p.m.: Stallworth and Brooks Rosser were the two singers eliminated. Advancing to next week’s episode are: Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt and Chris Tungseth.
9 p.m.: Daniel Stallworth’s “American Idol” dream came to an end Monday.
8:53 p.m.: We’re heading to the final commercial break of the night. Voting will close during this break, and the 5 singers who will advance (and the two who will be eliminated) will be announced.
8:46 p.m.: Luke Bryan will perform after the break and then voting will conclude for tonight’s episode during a final commercial break.
8:41 p.m.: The last performance of the night by the finalists is Keyla Richardson’s take on “I’d Rather Be Blind” by Etta James.
8:39 p.m.: The judges were captivated by Harper’s performance. Seacrest followed their comments by saying “she’s got it.”
8:37 p.m.: Harper is singing “That’s the Way Love Goes” by Merle Haggard.
8:35 p.m.: Hannah Harper and Keyla Richardson will be the final contestants to take the stage. Less than 30 minutes remains to vote in tonight’s episode. Voters can cast 10 ballots per platform, for a total of 50 votes. Instructions, and links, are below.
8:30 p.m.: Chris Tungseth is performing “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish. After his performance, we will be two finalists and a Luke Bryan performance away from finding out tonight’s results.
8:27 p.m.: The judges had high praise for Rumfelt’s rendition.
8:25 p.m.: Braden Rumfelt is the fourth singer in Round 2 tonight, performing “This Love” by Maroon 5.
8:23 p.m.: Next week’s episode will include a collaboration with Dancing With the Stars. Additionally, former Idol judges Randy Jackson and Paul Abdul will be a part of the show, with Abdul serving as a guest judge.
8:19 p.m.: Stallworth did everything he possibly could to earn a ticket to next week’s episode with a standout performance. Host Ryan Seacrest said he had “raised his game at the perfect time. The judges concurred:
- Carrie Underwood: “You sang all the notes. Every one. Your voice is like butter on hot toast. It was great.”
- Nikki Glaser: “Such a versatile performance. You were so great. I could fully see a whole show from you. You’re such a pro. I’m so excited to see more from you.”
- Luke Bryan: TThe growth of this group from where y’all were until now is hard to wrap my brain around. I mean, Jordan comes out, and then you come out and you guys are sparring, it’s just amazing watching you guys get creative. Those notes at the end -- I hadn’t heard you do that all season. Amazing.”
- Lionel Richie: “It was amazing.”
8:13 p.m.: Stallworth, after an outfit change, is performing “Best Part” by Daniel Caesar feat. H. E. R.
8:09 p.m.: South Mississippi singer Daniel Stallworth’s second performance is coming after this commercial break.
8:05 p.m.: The judges heaped praise on McCullough’s performance. Lionel Richie said he was left crying over a song he has heard many times before.
8:03 p.m.: McCullough is performing “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt.
8:01 p.m.: Luke Bryan said the issues he had with Rosser’s first performance weren’t there in his second one. The other judges were equally complimentary.
7:59 p.m.: Rosser is the first of the 7 finalists to take the stage a second time. He is performing “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5.
7:58 p.m.: Seacrest indicated Round 2 is a “salute to the spirit of California.”
7:53 p.m.: Seacrest indicated that Brooks Rosser and Jordan McCullough would be the first two of the finalists in Round 2 of performances tonight, after a commercial break.
7:51 p.m.: Listening to the judges, it will be a tight race to see which five singers survive the eliminations at the end of the episode.
7:46 p.m.: Braden Rumfelt’s performance of “cardigan” will be the final song of the first half of the show, where each finalist performed a Taylor Swift. Each contestant will sing again in the second half of the show.
7:45 p.m.: Richardson followed Stallworth on stage, singing “Lover.” The judges were effusive in their praise.
7:43 p.m.: In his post-song interview with Seacrest, Stallworth gave thanks to fellow contestant Jordan McCullough. “Me and Jordan are really, really close. That’s my brother, and I’m going to stick beside him every time,” Stallworth said. “I was having trouble picking a song,and he was like ‘Hey, I’ve got one for you.’
7:40 p.m.: The South Mississippi singer has done it again, receiving a standing ovation from the judges, the crowd and his fellow contestants with his performance. The judges were again blown away, saying:
- Lionel Richie: “What I love about you is that you walk out on this stage, and you are fearless, man. You not only sing, but you perform so the crowd is right there with you.”
- Carrie Underwood: “I feel like this is another example of we’re throwing different themes at you guys, and (you’re thinking) ‘I’m going to pick a song, but how do I put my stamp on it, how do I make it something I would sing?’ You did a really great job of that. You made it a Daniel song.”
- Nikki Glaser: “That’s one of my favorite songs from the Eras tour, and you just brought something totally different to it. I just have the best time watching you. I forgot I was on TV. I was a part o the crowd. I wanted to touch you. I was so excited when you came over here. I was fangirling. I want to go to 22 of your shows.”
- Luke Bryan: “The entertainment quality of what you just did was at an extremely high level. You made the room comfortable. You high-fived me. I was like “Oh my God, he touched me,’ and that’s what it’s all about. You just entertained the heck out of me.”
7:32 p.m.: Stallworth, the Moss Point native, has taken the stage in a sharp purple suit, singing “Fearless.”
7:27 p.m.: Seacrest sent the show to commercial, saying Daniel Stallworth and Keyla Richardson would be next after the break.
7:25 p.m.: The judges were supportive of Rosser, though not as much as previous performers. Luke Bryan suggested he would have liked more energy. Lionel Richie also asked for more attitude.
7:23 p.m.: Rosser has taken the stage to perform “Love Story.” He is the fourth of seven singers to perform a Taylor Swift song. Earlier in the show, Seacrest indicated each singer would perform twice tonight.
7:22 p.m.: The judges continued to deliver roses to the contestants, each complimenting Harper.
7:18 p.m.: Harper, one of several prediction markets’ favorites to win the competition, is performing “Mean.”
7:13 p.m.: Ryan Seacrest suggested that Hannah Harper and Brooks Rosser would be next in line after a commercial break.
7:12 p.m.: Tungseth also was praised by each of the judges for his work.
7:08 p.m.: Chris Tungseth is next to the stage, performing “exile.”
7:06 p.m.: McCullough received praise from all the judges for his performance, including guest judge Nikki Glaser.
7:04 p.m.: With all the singers performing songs by Taylor Swift, Jordan McCullough is the first of the finalists to take the stage. He is performing “Tim McGraw.”
7 p.m.: Host Ryan Seacrest announced that voting is open for tonight’s episode. It will remain open until the final commercial break.
6:45 p.m.: Tonight’s episode of “American Idol” will begin in 15 minutes on ABC.
How to vote
Fans can cast a total of 50 votes for Stallworth per show. Voting starts at the beginning of the episode and ends in the show’s final commercial break. The voting methods are:
- Text message: Text the number 4 to 21523. There is a 10-vote limit on the number of texts that will be counted.
- Facebook: Once the official voting post for the night goes up, each comment of Daniel will be worth one vote. There is a 10-vote limit.
- Instagram: Once the official voting post for the night goes up, each comment of Daniel will be worth one vote. There is a 10-vote limit.
- TikTok: Once the official voting post for the night goes up, each comment of Daniel will be worth one vote. There is a 10-vote limit.
- “American Idol” website: Once voting opens, each comment of Daniel will be worth one vote. There is a 10-vote limit.
The 7 remaining singers
- Hannah Harper
- Jordan McCullough
- Keyla Richardson
- Brooks Rosser
- Braden Rumfelt
- Daniel Stallworth
- Chris Tungseth
Prediction markets forecast trouble
The Kalshi and Polymarket prediction markets offer betting on the results of Season 24. Stallworth is not among the top five singers with the best odds on either site:
- Kalshi: Hannah Harper is the predicted winner (47%), with Brooks Rosser, Keyla Richardson and Jordan McCullough having better than 14% odds of winning.
- Polymarket: Harper is also the predicted winner here (49%), with Rosser, Richardson and McCullough having 12% odds or better.
Stallworth’s previous performances
INITIAL AUDITION: Stallworth was introduced to the judges and America as a music teacher from Moss Point. For his audition, he performed “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey and received nothing but praise from the judges. Needing just two “yes” votes to advance, he received three.
Music icon Lionel Richie was the first with praise, saying “Your students are going to hail you as the greatest thing that has ever shown up in their lives.” Carrie Underwood, a previous American Idol winner, said “my teeth hurt because I am smiling so much.” Country superstar Luke Bryan was the last to judge Stallworth, saying he was just “thinking about how lucky the kids are to have you.”
HOLLYWOOD WEEK: Again facing elimination, Stallworth sang “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King. Hollywood Week was a series of two shows where the talent pool was cut from 127 to 30 singers. The show’s three judges, who all had glowing reviews of Stallworth’s audition, each stood and applauded after he finished.
“To take a song that we’ve heard so many times and just take it to the rafters of this place, you are a truly special person,” Bryan said.
OHANA ROUND: On a night where the number of singers would be cut from 30 to 20, Stallworth sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. The episode was filmed at Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai’i. Stallworth again received a standing ovation from all three judges.
TOP 20 AT DISNEY: The Moss Point native sang “All Night Long” by Idol judge Richie in an episode that aired last week, taking a big chance and getting raves from the judges, including the song’s original singer. The song choice was “the riskiest thing anyone is doing,” said country music superstar and guest judge Brad Paisley.
Richie was wowed, saying “I’m going to give a compliment that I’ve never given before. You took that song and made it yours. If you put that out tomorrow, I’ll split (the profits) with you.”
Bryan delivered a powerful compliment, adding “You might be the best singer in this competition.”
SONGS OF FAITH NIGHT: The show began with the elimination of 6 singers: Kutter Bradley, Genevieve Heyward, Aboyami Lewis, Madison Moon, Makiyah Mustiful, Ruby Rae.
Stallworth was one of the first of the remaining 14 singers to perform, delivering a powerful rendition of “Brighter Days” by Blessing Offor.
Stallworth again received nothing but praise from the American Idol judges in his bid to survive the planned cut from 14 to 12.
‘90s NIGHT: Needing to survive the elimination of two singers at the top of the show and a second elimination of a singer at the end, Stallworth breezed to the next round.
Eliminated on Monday were Julian Kalel, Jake Thistle and Jesse Findling.
Stallworth was again one of the first contestants to take the stage, and the “Idol” judges were again wowed by his performance. The music teacher was given three songs to choose from: “Can We Talk” by Tevin Campbell, “I Want You Back” by *NSYNC, and “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz. He chose the Kravitz song.
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME: Stallworth’s song choice was a surprising one, as the elementary school teacher said during a recorded clip on the show that it was the first time he had performed a rock song. Mentoring from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame couple Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo helped the Moss Point native craft what proved to be a winning performance.
DISNEY NIGHT: He was the first to sing on Monday’s episode of “American Idol” and the first to be announced as having advanced to next week’s episode. It truly is “A Whole New World” for Stallworth.
The Moss Point native brought the judges, the crowd and his fellow contestants to their feet with his performance of the hit from the movie Aladdin. The judges had nothing but praise for the 27-year-old singer, who has been singing in church for more than 20 years and ministering for more than 15.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 5:00 AM.