Elliott Yamin is reliving his days on American Idol. Two decades after he competed on the show, Yamin returned to perform a duet with season 24 finalist Jordan McCullough.
The pair delivered an unforgettable rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You,” surely securing more votes for McCullough as he vies to make the season’s Top 3.
Yamin wasn’t the only familiar face to pop up on the latest Idol episode. The latest installment was dubbed the Class of 2006: Reunion, and welcomed back four other past contestants. In addition to Yamin, former winner Taylor Hicks returned alongs Paris Bennett, Bucky Covington, and Kellie Pickler.
During season 5 of American Idol, Yamin was the second runner-up, behind Hicks and Katharine McPhee. Chris Daughtry came in fourth place, while Bennett went home in the fifth position. Pickler was eliminated after making the Top 6, while Covington was sent home on the Top 8 episode.
Just like Yamin did, the remaining former contestants are set to team up with a current hopeful to perform a duet. The season 24 field has been narrowed down to just five people: McCullough, Hannah Harper, Keyla Richardson, Braden Rumfelt, and Chris Tungseth.
Original Idol judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul are also back for the show’s big reunion. Both returning superstars will mentor the contestants in the Top 5, and the latter one will join the judges’ panel alongside Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood.
At the end of the episode, America’s votes will be tallied to determine the Top 3 contestants of season 24.
What Elliott Yamin Has Been Up to Since American Idol
One year after his Idol success, Yamin released his self-titled debut album. He continued to steadily release albums over the years, most recently As Time Goes By in 2015.
In terms of singles, Yamin released “Broken World” in 2020 and his own version of “This Christmas” the following year.
He made no secret of his excitement for his Idol return. In an Instagram post, Yamin smiled as he posed alongside McCullough.
“I’m doin a thing and I couldn’t be more honored AND excited!” he captioned the pic. “Tune in Monday night on ABC & Disney+.”
