WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 24!

For the first time in their over-two-decade history, American Idol and Dancing With The Stars are having a crossover episode on May 4, 2026, and the show has announced the professional dancers who’ll be appearing. The crossover episode will feature the Top 5 contestants performing in two rounds: the Dancing With The Stars crossover and duets with the stars of American Idol season 5 to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

During American Idol season 24 Taylor Swift/California Night, the Top 7 finalists were narrowed down to the Top 5. Brooks and Daniel Stallworth were sent home, which meant that Braden Rumfelt, Chris Tungseth, Hannah Harper, Jordan McCullough, and Keyla Richardson advanced to the Top 5. Now, Dancing With The Stars pro Jan Ravnik announced on the American Idol Official Podcast that the pros who’ll be dancing on the Dancing With The Stars crossover episode are Jan Ravnik, Gleb Savchenko, Rylee Arnold, and Witney Carson.

American Idol Season 24 Is Breaking New Ground With Its Dancing With The Stars Crossover

American Idol has been on the air since 2002, while Dancing With The Stars began in 2005, but they started out on different networks, with the former on FOX and the latter on ABC. However, in 2018, ABC revived American Idol after its 2016 FOX cancellation.

Despite the two reality TV juggernauts airing on the same network for the past eight years, they’ve never had a crossover until now.

However, there was some overlap through the years. American Idol season 5 finalist Kellie Pickler won Dancing With The Stars season 16 with her professional dance partner Derek Hough, while season 10 runner-up Lauren Alaina placed 4th with Gleb Savchenko, and season 6 winner Jordin Sparks placed 9th with Brandon Armstrong.

In addition, Dancing With The Stars professional dancer and judge Derek Hough was a guest mentor during American Idol season 20 Disney Night, while pro dancer Sasha Farber served as an industry expert during the current season’s new ‘Ohana Round. Also, Dancing With The Stars season 34 contestant Danielle Fishel, who placed 8th with her professional dance partner, Pasha Pashkov, is now the host of the American Idol Official Podcast.

This crossover will bring two of ABC’s biggest hit series together. It’s going to be so exciting to see Jan, Gleb, Rylee, and Witney bring the Dancing With The Stars ballroom to the American Idol stage as the contestants perform.

What To Expect From The American Idol/Dancing With The Stars Crossover Episode

Not only will American Idol be joining forces with Dancing With The Stars during the penultimate episode of the season, but it will also celebrate the 20th anniversary of season 5. American Idol season 5 gave rise to some of the most successful and popular alums in the show’s history, including winner Taylor Hicks, runner-up Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Paris Bennett, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young, Bucky Covington, Lisa Tucker, and the late Mandisa, who were in the Top 10.

During the episode, the American Idol season 24 Top 5 contestants will perform duets with season 5 stars Taylor, Elliott, Kellie, Paris, and Bucky, as announced on the American Idol Official Podcast. The competition will be fierce as Braden, Chris, Hannah, Jordan, and Keyla compete for the Top 3 spots in the finale, which will take place on May 11. Original judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will serve as their mentors, and Paula will join current judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan at the judges’ table during the live episode.

American Idol season 24 has been one of its best yet. As it heads towards its finale, it will have a thrilling Dancing With The Stars crossover which will break new ground, in addition to a nostalgic trip down memory lane with the season 5 finalists. Braden, Chris, Hannah, Jordan, and Keyla are all so talented, so it’s certain to be a night of spectacular entertainment, with both singing and dancing. American Idol just keeps getting better.