American Idol 2026 – Jordan McCullough and Season 5 alum Elliott Yamin stun with ‘A Song for You’
The American Idol Season 24 Top 5 night was full of nostalgia and also randomness with an unexpected Dancing With The Stars collab. The nostalgia started with OG judges Paula Abdul returning to the judges table and Randy Jackson mentoring the contestants. While the first round consisted of songs that had been performed on DWTS alongside some of the pros, their second song was a duet with one of the Season 5 American Idol finalists who are celebrating their 20 year anniversary. The finalists included winner Taylor Hicks in addition to Paris Bennett, Elliott Yamin, Kellie Pickler, and Bucky Covington. (Read our Recap)
The vocal highlight of the night featured Jordan McCullough and top 3 finisher Elliott Yamin joining forces on “A Song For You” by Donny Hathaway. The tune served as one of the highlight songs of Elliott’s Idol journey. Jordan is in awe of the singer as he joins him in rehearsal with Randy. Elliott calls Jordan “effortless” and becomes emotional listening to him.
Jordan opened the song with his stunning, rich sounding tone. He may be the most consistent singer of the season. After a couple of lines, he introduced Elliott, who sounded stellar as ever. His control over runs and the amount of soul in his voice is impressive. Meanwhile, Jordan held his own. They came together on various adlibs and harmonies. The duet is world class. This vocal alone solidified Jordan’s spot in the Top 3. It was one of the best of the entire season.
“I do not have enough words in my vocabulary to give you the praise you both deserve right now”
A teary-eyed Paula, loved both singers, “There is something that I always told Elliott, that he got into my heart, so deeply, but you have that same gift Jordan.” She even called it a “Grammys duet performance.” Carrie Underwood praised them saying, “I do not have enough words in my vocabulary to give you the praise you both deserve right now.” Luke Bryan compared them to a “lamborghini and ferrari.” Lionel Richie felt they “turned American Idol into the church of American Idol.”
Jordan was the final person named to The top 3 along with Hannah Harper and Keyla Richardson, and with the night he had, Jordan could end up in the Top 2. Of course, Hannah is still the front runner to win, being a viral sensation and fan favorite throughout the season. She also had a very good night with an unexpected take on “Fever” and a beautifully composed duet of “A Broken Wing” with Kellie Pickler. Keyla and Taylor’s duet on “Living For The City” was a ton of fun. Braden and Paris’s powerhouse vocals on “The Show Must Go On” allowed them to pull off a very challenging song.
It will be interesting to see if the finale goes as expected with Hannah winning and Keyla who has been the other front runner much of the season getting 2nd. Will Jordan who has been steady, but with fewer viral moments stun and slip and into 2nd place? Or maybe even end up winning.
Fans will find out at the end of the three hour American Idol finale airing on ABC and Disney plus, May 11 at 8 pm ET/PT. Streams on Hulu next day.
