American Idol delays an elimination for the 1st time due to an influx of live...

[TMC]

...social voting

https://deadline.com/2026/01/abc-ame...ew-1236692118/

Host Ryan Seacrest revealed in the closing moments on Monday’s show that no one would leave because the new live social voting system saw an unprecedented amount of voting. “We have had five ways to vote tonight. Tens of millions of votes coming in at a rate we have never seen before. Truly unprecedented,” Seacrest said on the live broadcast. “And to ensure complete accuracy with the numbers, I was literally just told we are not going to announce eliminations tonight.” Seacrest added: “This is the first time it’s ever happened. Believe me, I’ve been here every night. We want to make sure we get every vote counted, and every vote right. We’ll carry forward those votes, get everything verified. At the top of next week’s show, your results will be revealed live on this stage. There you have it, America, tens of millions of votes, your top 12 will sing for your votes live all over again.” According to Deadline, “the 12 contestants will now find out at the top of next week’s show who has been eliminated with the ten remaining going through to the 90s Judge’s Song contest.”