Monday night on The ABC Television Network, "Dancing with Stars: Athletes" took to the ballroom stage for one last go-around. Olympic skater Adam Rippon and his partner, Jenna Johnson, had the highest combined scores (audience vote, judges) to take the Mirrorball Trophy.
Then, on the two-hour finale of "American Idol," Iowa college student Maddie Poppe upset frontrunner Gabby Barrett and her boyfriend, Caleb Lee Hutchinson, to win the show, a recording contract with Hollywood Records and a performance at the Radio Disney Awards.
Poppe's first single is "Going, Going, Gone."
Both Rippon and Poppe are making their TV rounds on Tuesday with appearances including "Good Morning America" and "Live with Kelly and Ryan."
"Dancing With The Stars: Athletes": After three weeks of competitive dancing, Adam Rippon and Jenna Johnson were victorious. (ABC photo by Byron Cohen)
"American Idol" champion Maddie Poppe is congratulated by second-place finisher Caleb Lee Hutchinson and host Ryan Seacrest. (ABC photo by Mitch Haaseth)Maddie Poppe performs. (ABC photo by Mitch Haaseth)
Preliminary Nielsen data indicates ABC, with 8.7 million viewers and a 1.5/6 in adults 18-49 (8-11 p.m.), took the night from first-place NBC.
Featuring the season finales of "DWTS: Athletes" and "American Idol," ABC upset "The Voice"-led Peacock on the final Monday of the season, winning by 25 percent in adults 18-49 (1.5/6 vs. 1.2/5). ABC was also Monday's most-watched network overall (8.7 million). "American Idol" ranked as Monday's No. 1 TV show in adults 18-49 (1.6/6), while "Idol" and "DWTS: Athletes" tied as the most-watched show overall (8.7 million).
ABC marked a 10-week Monday high in viewers and an eight-week high in young adults - since March 12 and 26, respectively.
From 8-9 p.m. opposite the first hour of NBC's "The Voice," a truncated one-hour finale of ABC's "DWTS: Athletes" grew by double digits week to week in total viewers (by 13 percent - 8.7 million vs. 7.6 million) and adults 18-49 (10 percent - 1.1/5 vs.1.0/4). "Dancing" closed out at a new season high in total viewers and a best-since-premiere adult 18-49 rating. The show's finale generated ABC's biggest audience in the time period since Nov. 20.
At 9 p.m., the "American Idol" season finale moved up to No. 1 to win its two-hour time slot with total viewers (8.7 million) and adults 18-49 (1.6/6). "American Idol" jumped from the prior night's penultimate episode on Sunday by 16 percent in total viewers (8.7 million vs. 7.5 million) and by 23 percent in adults 18-49 (1.6/6 vs. 1.3/5), pulling in its largest Monday audience.
"Idol" delivered a six-month high for ABC to the two-hour time slot in viewers and its best young adult number since the beginning of April - since Nov. 20, 2017, and April 9, respectively.
