This Underrated American Idol Season 24 Finalist Emerged As Frontrunner To Win During Judges' Song Contest

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Lorianne Palinkas has been a reality television writer for Screen Rant for four years. After teaching middle school English for twenty years, she knows a thing or two about high drama, complicated alliances, and even singing competitions. Growing up in New York City gave her a solid foundation in the arts and culture.

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 24!American Idol season 24 is jam-packed with incredibly talented singers, but, during the Judges' Song Contest, one underrated finalist emerged as the clear frontrunner to win the competition. For the first time ever, the Judges' Song Contest had a theme: the '90s. The episode began with the elimination from Songs of Faith Night, which was delayed due to social media voting making an accurate vote count by the end of the show impossible. American Idol said goodbye to Julián Kalel and Jake Thistle, and the Top 12 competed in the Judges' Song Contest.

The American Idol season 24 Top 12 contestants included Braden Rumfelt, Brooks, Chris Tungseth, Daniel Stallworth, Hannah Harper, Jesse Findling, Jordan McCullough, Keyla Richardson, Kyndal, Lucas Leon, Philmon Lee, and Rae. After judge Lionel Richie won the Judges' Song Contest, he earned the privilege of saving one of the bottom two contestants, Rae and Jesse, from elimination. He saved Rae, which meant that Jesse went home.

A few of the American Idol season 24 contestants have had a lot of buzz surrounding them, including Hannah, whose song, "String Cheese," went viral after she auditioned with it, and the three platinum ticket recipients, Brooks, Jordan, and Kyndal. However, during the Judges' Song Contest, one under-the-radar contestant emerged as the dark horse to win the whole competition: Philmon Lee.

Philmon Lee's Judges' Song Contest Performance Proves He Deserves To Win American Idol Season 24

Philmon, a 25-year-old insurance agent from LaGrange, Georgia, had the best performance of the night during the American Idol season 24 Judges' Song Contest. He sang Luke's choice for him, which was "Hard to Handle" by The Black Crowes. Philmon started off the song with a slowed-down, bluesy introduction and then rocked out in its traditional style. During his performance, he showcased his extraordinary vocal range, and commanded the stage.

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The judges were blown away by Philmon's performance, giving him a standing ovation and raving about the way that he changed the song. Luke Bryan told him that he was a great singer and that he should continue to lean into what he was doing. Carrie Underwood told him that "Hard to Handle" was a breakout, standout moment for him. She gushed that it was incredible, and she'd never heard the song performed with an arrangement like that. Lionel Richie agreed, and told him that he had it under control, and it said a lot about his vocal ability.

While some of Philmon's fellow American Idol season 24 contestants struggled during the '90s-themed Judges' Song Contest because they didn't know the songs that the judges chose for them and delivered shaky or low-energy performances because of it, Philmon thrived during the episode. He made the song his own, and it didn't feel like a karaoke performance. He breathed some much-needed life into the episode, and delivered the best performance of the night. "Hard to Handle" proved that Philmon deserves to win American Idol season 24.

Philmon Lee's American Idol Season 24 Journey So Far

Throughout American Idol season 24 so far, Philmon has had several phenomenal performances. He received three votes of yes from the judges at his audition when he sang Michael Bolton's "When a Man Loves a Woman." He followed that with "Lose Control" by Teddy Swims during Hollywood Week, and "All I Want" by Kodaline during the 'Ohana Round in Hawaii.

In the Top 20 round in Hawaii, Philmon sang "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey, followed by his Top 14 performance of "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd during Songs of Faith Night. Philmon has not only been consistent with his performances, but he's continued to grow throughout the competition. He's shown versatility with his song choices as well. This is the mark of a true artist, who pushes himself and transforms from a great singer to a legend.

During his audition, Philmon shared that he grew up on tour buses with his father, who was in a gospel quartet group, and he wanted to follow in his footsteps and become a singer himself. He even signed with a major label and recorded a lot, but his dream ended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Philmon is currently an insurance agent, but that's not his end goal: he wants to sing every single night if he can. American Idol is another chance for him to do what he loves.

Philmon's performance of "Hard to Handle" during the American Idol season 24 Judges' Song Contest proved that he could win. He made the most of his song, and rose to the occasion. While some of his fellow contestants faltered, Philmon rose to the top of the group. It's going to be thrilling to see him take to the stage on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Night next week. It's easy to imagine host Ryan Seacrest announcing Philmon's name on finale night, as the next American Idol.

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

Sources: American Idol/YouTube, American Idol/YouTube