Judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood put two young contestants on the spot Monday.

American Idol’s final 30 revealed after teen contestants face off in surprise battle and force ‘tough decisions’

Judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood put two young contestants on the spot Monday.

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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March 2, 2026 10:00 p.m. ET

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Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan on 'American Idol'. Credit:

Disney/Eric McCandless

*American Idol *is forging ahead, with Monday's episode seeing judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood whittling down the singers who passed the audition phase to 30.

Host Ryan Seacrest called it — cue the drama — "the biggest cut in *Idol* history."

And the competition was fierce, with impressive singers going home left and right. So in a couple of cases, the judges decided to have a sing-off. Contestants Jayson Garner and Michael Garner were selected for such a high-pressure situation purely due to bad luck.

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"The Battle of the Garners," Bryan announced as the two teenagers stood next to each other onstage. "That totally happened just by happenstance."

The young men — Jayson, 17, from Emory, Tex., and Michael, 16, from Forrest City, Ark. — had both performed a track from the Red Clay Strays during auditions. It was "On My Knees" by Jayson, while Michael selected "I'm Still Fine."

Both contestants had a happy end to the audition round. Underwood had hesitated to send Michael ahead, because he reminded her of her son and she "would not throw him in the middle of it," but she was persuaded.

Richie had told Jayson, meanwhile, that he needed to focus less on showmanship and take his vocals very seriously.

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In the sing-off, though, Jayson sang "That's All Right" by Elvis Presley, with a strong vocal and showmanship to boot. He repeated his trick of playing the guitar behind his head while rocking out.

Michael's powerful rendition of Dobie Gray's "Drift Away" was more somber, as the song calls for.

Both sound much older than their years, which was a good thing.

Jayson Garner performs on 'American Idol'.

Disney/Connie Chornuk

"I want to stress to you guys both," Bryan emphasized. "You are both very talented young men. We put you in a tough situation to duke it out like this."

The judges whispered to one another for a few minutes, as the contestants waited to hear their fates.

"One is the obvious showman," Richie said. "The other one is just the one that my heart is holding out for."

Underwood said she felt the same way.

Michael Garner on 'American Idol'.

Disney/Connie Chornuk

"We've been here a long time," Bryan told the contestants, "and you boys have us making decisions late into the night. Tough decisions."

It was Michael who was named the winner. But before Jayson left the stage, he patted Michael on the back and said, "Dude, you got this."

The batch of 30 contestants moving forward are now headed to ABC parent company Disney's Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii for the first 'Ohana Round. Singers will now also be evaluated by their fellow finalists, their families, and industry experts, who will narrow the ranks even further.

*American Idol *airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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Source: “EW Reality”