American Idol Season 24 Finale: Voting Structure and Top 3 Predictions Explained

The American Idol season 24 finale brought three contestants to the stage on May 11, with host Ryan Seacrest laying out a voting structure that would see two eliminations unfold throughout the evening.

Voting opened at 8pm ET as the show began, allowing fans to cast their votes via text message, the American Idol website, or through pinned voting posts on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Seacrest announced that the first round of voting would close following the second performance of the night, triggering the first elimination and narrowing the field from three to two finalists.

The Top 2 would then be revealed midway through the broadcast, with voting continuing exclusively for the remaining contestants. The season champion was set to be crowned before 11pm ET.

The three finalists vying for the title were Keyla Richardson, Jordan McCullough, and Hannah Harper.

According to prediction markets, Harper held a commanding lead in winning odds. Both Kalshi and Polymarket pegged her chances at 82%, positioning her as the frontrunner. McCullough came in second with 14% odds on Kalshi and 13% on Polymarket, while Richardson rounded out the predictions with 6% on Kalshi and 5% on Polymarket.