Jesse Frederick Takes ‘American Idol’ Viewers Back the ’90s Performances of TGIF Theme Songs

Jesse Frederick is throwing it way back. American Idol‘s second live show of the season was all about the ’90s. The show fully committed to the theme.

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The Top 12 contestants performed ’90s hits, which wudges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie or Carrie Underwood secretly picked. They were joined in the lounge by some special guests—the stars of ABC’s iconic TGIF ’90s lineup.

Among the actors present were Full House‘s Andrea Barber, Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper‘s Mark Curry and Holly Robinson Peete, Boy Meets World‘s Danielle Fishel, The Wonder Years‘ Danica McKellar, Sabrina the Teenage Witch‘s Caroline Rhea, and Family Matters‘ Reginald VelJohnson.

The contestants and the ’90s stars got a special surprise when Frederick took the stage to perform. The composer and the singer is perhaps the best representation of the ’90s. He’s the one wrote and performed the theme songs for many shows of the era.

Frederick showed off his skills on stage by performing snippets from some of his most iconic theme songs in between the artists’ time on stage.

Throughout the night, Frederick sang parts of “Everywhere You Look” from Full House, “Second Time Around” from Step by Step, and “As Days Go By” from Family Matters.

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What’s Ahead on American Idol

While viewers at home certainly enjoyed the performance, the contestants had other things to focus on.

That’s because, after their Judges’ Song Contest performances, they knew that one artist would be going home. That person wound up being Jesse Findling, whose performance of Oasis’ “Wonderwall” was not enough to get him to the next round.

Next week, the remaining 11 contestants will perform iconic hits from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. Meanwhile, America will vote live for the Top 9.

Viewers will definitely want to tune in. The inductees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2026 ceremony will be revealed during the episode.

If fans want even more Idol after the episode airs, they can tune into the show’s official podcast, which is hosted by Fishel. The podcast explores the performances everyone’s talking about and offers exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes insights, and expert analysis of the judges’ critiques.

American Idol airs Mondays on ABC.

Photo by Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images