American Idol 2026 Top 12: Jordan McCullough’s Surprising Mariah Carey Cover Pays Off
American Idol Season 24 returned after a cliffhanger of a week last week when results were delayed due to the new social voting. At the top of Monday night’s show, Jake Thistle and Julian Kalel were eliminated. Then the top 12 took the stage, and I wonder if the cliffhanger did a bit of a number on them or if it was the unfamiliarity of the ‘90s songs the judges chose for them in the judges song contest because Monday’s show (April 6) was the weakest night to date. There were still a few singers who pulled off their songs, including Jordan McCullough. (Read our Recap)
Jordan, a 27-year-old worship leader from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, chose “Always Be My Baby” by Mariah Carey over his other choices “I Swear” and “Go Rest High On That Mountain.” The big diva number may have been the riskiest because an “I Swear” R&B version exists, and “Go Rest High On That Mountain” could have easily been made into a Gospel version. He too even seemed shocked at the song suggestion.
Jordan started the performance displaying smooth R&B vocals with some flutters into his head voice. For me, the performance started slightly sleepy and the arrangement was a bit all over the place, but I can see why as he hit an incredibly difficult key change, and then adlibbed his way through most of the rest. The ending made it one of the best vocals of the night as he hit a big soaring note transitioning into his upper register. It was flawless, making it a performance to remember.
Lionel Richie’s overwhelming win
Ryan surprisingly recalls Mariah’s short-lived time on the show. I say surprisingly as if you watched that season, the feud between Nicki Minaj and the big voiced singer was difficult to watch. Jordan incorrectly guessed Carrie Underwood as the judge who chose the song, calling the judge s a “girl’s girl.” It turned out that Lionel Richie chose the song. In the end, Lionel chose a whopping seven out of the 12 songs to win the song contest.
Lionel called it a “left-of-center” choice and told Jordan that he did a “masterful job of turning it into [his] song.” Carrie said, “You definitely took it and did your thing with it.” Luke Bryan explained that he picked “Go Rest High On That Mountain” to fit Jordan as a church singer. However, the judge felt that Jordan stepping out of his comfort zone was “totally the right move for [him].”
Jordan has become one of the more consistent vocalists on the show this season. Keyla Richardson had another great moment of the night choosing a left field song choice, “Zombie,” and making it her own. Shockingly, two of my other favorites of the night ended up in the bottom two. Rae took on “Love Will Lead You Back” and illustrated why she may be the season’s best vocalist from a sheer technical stand point. Ultimately, Lionel found her worthy of his save. The eliminated singer, Jesse Findling also did a fantastic job of making “Wonderwall” his own with vocal flourishes that aren’t in the original. It was truly a disappointing result, so I’m hoping America redeems itself on the next episode as the top 11 take on songs from the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame.
