American Idol 2020 Top 20 Contestants: Who Is Performing Live Tonight?

Season 18 of American Idol continues tonight, April 26, 2020, with the first of at least four shows that will be filmed in the homes of contestants, judges, mentor and host. The two-hour show airs at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Television history is being made as Idol will be the first U.S. competition series broadcast entirely from home. Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will all be commenting on performances, and in-house mentor Bobby Bones and long-time host Ryan Seacrest will be hosting from his home.

The remaining Idol hopefuls continue pursuing their goal as they film their performances on iPhones. Voting for American Idol begins tonight, Sunday, April 26 around the end of the episode.

Which Contestants Are Performing Tonight?

All of the top 20 season 18 contestants will have their performances aired tonight, April 26, 2020. Some will be performing with their own instruments and others will be performing to pre-recorded tracks, but all performances will take place inside the contestants’ homes.

Here are all the contestants who will be performing tonight on American Idol:

Aliana Jester, 19, from Tampa, Florida
Arthur Gunn, 22, from Wichita, Kansas
Cyniah Elise, 18, from Atlanta, Georgia
DeWayne Crocker Jr., 23, from Pensacola, Florida
Dillon James, 26, from Bakersfield, California
Faith Becnel, 20, from Desterhan, Louisiana
Francisco Martin, 19, from San Francisco, California
Franklin Boone, 28, from Durham, North Carolina
Grace Leer, 28, from Nashville, Tennessee
Jonny West, 23, from Murietta, California
Jovin Webb, 29, from Gonzales, Louisiana
Julia Gargano, 22, from Staten Island, New York
Just Sam, 21, from Harlem, New York
Kimmy Gabriela, 17, from Lakeland, Florida
Lauren Spencer-Smith, 16, from Vancouver Island, Canada
Louis Knight, 19, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Makayla Phillips, 17, from Temecula, California
Nick Merico, 24, from Woodland Hills, California
Olivia Ximines, 17, from Menifee, California
Sophia Wackerman, 20, from Long Beach, California

Live Voting Will Open Near the End of the East Coast Airing

There are three separate ways to vote for your favorite contestants. First, you can vote at AmericanIdol.com/vote or download the American Idol text. The other convenient way to vote is via text message. For texting, you simply text the number of the contestant you would like to vote for to “21523.”

The numbers for the contestants tonight are:

Kimmy Gabriela: text “1” to 21523
Jovin Webb: text “2” to 21523
Franklin Boone: text “3” to 21523
Olivia Ximines: text “4” to 21523
Louis Knight: text “5” to 21523
Makayla Phillips: text “6” to 21523
Aliana Jester: text “7” to 21523
Faith Becnel: text “8” to 21523
Nick Merico: text “9” to 21523
Lauren Spencer-Smith: text “10” to 21523
Cyniah Elise: text “11” to 21523
Francisco Martin: text “12” to 21523
Sophia James: text “13” to 21523
DeWayne Crocker Jr.: text “14” to 21523
Dillon James: text “15” to 21523
Arthur Gunn: text “16” to 21523
Julia Gargano: text “17” to 21523
Grace Leer: text “18” to 21523
Just Sam: text “19” to 21523
Jonny West: text “20” to 21523

The American Idol Instagram shared updates on the show, writing “Sunday’s ALL-NEW #AmericanIdol will be the FIRST U.S. competition series broadcast entirely from home! It takes a round-the-clock digital village to make TV history — and it’s going to be so, so worth it.” They have also been sharing updates from each contestant as they prepare to film their performances from the comfort of their own homes and encourage their fans to watch and vote for them.

Tune in to American Idol as TV history is made on Sunday, April 26 at 8 p.m. on ABC.

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