WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 24!American Idol season 24 Hollywood Week took place in Nashville with some major changes, and the usual brutal cuts led to some shocking eliminations. Judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan awarded golden tickets to 127 contestants, but, they had to narrow down that group to just the Top 30, in the biggest cut in Hollywood Week history. They found this to be a nearly impossible task, considering the high level of talent in American Idol season 24.

If contestants made it through the first round of Hollywood Week, they were not necessarily in the Top 30. They were sent to the new Golden Room to await their fate. In the preview for the second episode of Hollywood Week, Luke was shown telling the contestants that there would be sing-offs, which indicated that some of them would have to sing another song in order to advance.

During American Idol season 24 Hollywood Week, some fan-favorite contestants were shown to have made it through to the next round, including Bryant Thomas, Keyla Richardson, Makiyah, Jordan McCullough, Madison Moon, Roelle, Trace Casanova, Hannah Harper, Philmon Lee, Lucas Leon, Kiera Howell, Abayomi, and Michael Garner. Meanwhile, the fates of Jake Thistle, Chris Tungseth, Chloe Lauren, and Braden Rumfelt hung in the balance until the next episode. Many talented singers were sent home, but here are the five most shocking eliminations from the first part of American Idol season 24 Hollywood Week Music City Take-over.

Khloe Grace

At 15 years old, Khloe, a high school student from Jacksonville, Florida, was one of the youngest American Idol season 24 Hollywood Week contestants. During her audition, Khloe had everyone in tears with her original song, “Forever 13,” which paid tribute to 13-year-old Aubreigh Wyatt, who took her own life in 2023 after being bullied. Although Khloe had never met Aubreigh, she was so moved by her story that she wrote the song for her. Aubreigh’s mother was present at Khloe’s audition.

After Khloe’s performance, Lionel told her that he was so moved. Carrie said that the maturity that she possessed was quite incredible, and she cried as she talked about the positive impact of Khloe’s song. Luke thought that she had potential as a singer and a songwriter and that she was someone who could really do a lot of good in this world. Khloe received three votes of yes from the judges, and a golden ticket to Hollywood Week.

During American Idol season 24 Hollywood Week, Khloe sang “Stay” by Sugarland. Before her performance, she stated in her confessional that she wasn’t nervous because she’d been performing on stage since she was ten years old. On stage, Khloe said that she wanted to be the youngest competitor to ever win the show.

After Khloe’s performance, Luke told her that it was a tough song to sing and that she sounded her age. He pointed out that, although she was nervous at the beginning of the song, towards the end, she hit her stride, and she should be very proud of herself. However, Khloe unexpectedly didn’t advance to the next round. She handled her elimination with dignity and grace, saying that she would’ve loved to have moved on, but she’ll go home and work hard and maybe come back in the future.

It was shocking to see Khloe, who has so much potential as a singer and songwriter, go home so early. However, the judges felt that, at age 15, she wasn’t ready yet. Khloe has her whole life ahead of her, and with her amazing talents, she’ll surely have a bright future in music.

Brett Carlisle

During his American Idol season 24 audition, Brett, a 28-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, blew away everyone with his electrifying version of “House of Broken Love” by Great White, the legendary hard rock band for which Brett sings. His audition aired as part of a segment about rock musicians on the show, something which Carrie was very excited about because she loves the genre.

With his long hair, leather jacket, and big voice, Brett was every bit the rocker that American Idol has been searching for. As a 28 year old who performs professionally, he seemed to have so much potential to go far in the competition.

However, during Hollywood Week, Brett shockingly struggled during his performance of “Still of the Night” by Whitesnake. After he sang, Carrie told him that she was in his corner, but she felt that he had a few hiccups. Luke was surprised that he missed timing, but it felt like he shouldn’t have missed anything on that song. In his confessional, Brett explained that when the crowd started cheering, he completely lost his spot a couple of times. Even though he was eliminated, he said that it was awesome to be a part of American Idol.

Carrie stated that she was sad that she was losing her rockers. It definitely was a shock to see Brett go home so early, especially because he seemed to be one of the more polished performers because of his experience singing with Great White. Hopefully, Brett will turn up in the future because he had a lot of potential to bring rock back to American Idol.

Livy

American Idol season 24 contestant Livy, a 22-year-old server from Shinnston, West Virginia, stole hearts with her incredible voice and bubbly personality. During her audition, she brought the judges food from Texas Roadhouse, the restaurant where she works. She also told Luke that her mother, Maria, thought that he was the sexiest man alive.

Livy auditioned with Carrie’s song, “Love Wins,” which was a huge risk considering that Carrie was judging her. When she finished singing, Luke asked Carrie if she thought that she was pushing too hard with the song, and Carrie said that she might’ve been. Carrie told Livy that she had such a big instrument, and sometimes, if a person starts off out of the gate going 100 miles an hour, then there’s nowhere left to go.

Luke then asked Livy to sing the chorus of the song again, but softly, and Carrie said that it was so much more emotional. Livy received votes of yes from all three judges, and she told them that she was excited to grow. Lionel said that she was a sweetheart, and, if she just calmed down and put that voice out there, she had something magical. Livy left with a golden ticket to Hollywood Week.

During Hollywood Week, Livy sang “Versace on the Floor” by Bruno Mars. Before her performance, she told host Ryan Seacrest that she was going to use the judges’ advice and take it slow and be sexy about it. When Livy began doing sensual dance moves during her performance, Luke nearly rolled his chair off of the podium. After her song, Lionel told her that she was so entertaining that Luke almost fell. However, he added that song choice would be very important for her in the future. In the end, Livy was cut during the round. She said that she’d be going back to serving tables. She added that she didn’t get what she wanted, but it was okay.

Livy’s elimination was surprising because, not only does she have a phenomenal voice, but she also has the personality to captivate an audience. She commanded the stage while still being sincere. It was also refreshing to see Livy taking the judges’ advice seriously, and trying to improve. Livy will be missed on American Idol season 24, but the good news is that she can come back next year and audition again.

Carmen Lorell Martin

Carmen’s American Idol season 24 audition was centered around her aunt, Britani Bateman, who’s one of the stars of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Carmen, a 20-year-old nanny from El Dorado Hills, California, played the piano and sang “Thought It Was Love” by Ty Myers. Carrie told her that she had a really pretty voice with a great range. However, she also stated that it would be great if Carmen could put some oomph into her performances.

Carmen and Britani then sang “Let Me Be Your Star” from the TV show Smash together, and Carmen played the piano again. After that performance, Luke said that they had to get Carmen to cut loose a little bit because the piano was forcing her to be very proper. Carmen replied that he should see her with a band.

Lionel and Carrie gave Carmen votes of yes for a golden ticket to Hollywood Week, and Luke seemed to give his approval as well, but Carrie also told her that she wanted to see some fire from her. Carmen said that she could show it, and Carrie responded that she believed that she could.

However, during American Idol season 24 Hollywood Week, Carmen’s confidence took a sharp nosedive. When she heard the rest of the singers in her group, she said that it was intimidating. Rehearsal had been stressful because she couldn’t hear herself. Her vocal coach, Shelby Rollins, tried to reassure her that she wasn’t off-pitch, but Carmen sobbed that she’d never sounded that horrible.

In order to show the judges that she took their advice, Carmen decided to sing “Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar. She stated that she wanted to show the judges something that was out of her comfort zone, but she began to wonder if she took it too far and chose a song that was too hard. Carmen cried that she wanted to be good enough for American Idol, but it was starting to feel as though she couldn’t do it.

However, Carmen remembered her mentor, Aunt Britani, who encouraged her to believe in herself and have confidence. This helped remind her that she was good enough to be there in Hollywood Week.

During Carmen’s performance, she struggled with the song. While she sang, Luke asked Carrie if she thought that Carmen was giving up, and Carrie replied that she seemed as though she was about to pass out. Lionel added that she ran out of gas.

After the performance, Carrie asked Carmen if she was okay because she seemed like she was going to pass out. Carmen replied that she had fun, but it was a fast song, and she was trying to keep up. Carrie told her that she felt like she was running behind the song the whole time, but she had a huge range in her voice to work with.

In her confessional, Carmen cried and said that she thought that she was putting a lot into her performance, so to hear that broke her. After she was eliminated, she said that it was the end of the road for American Idol, but not for Carmen. She continued to cry as she said that she had to still be her ambitious self and just try to reach for the stars.

While it wasn’t shocking to see Carmen get sent home during Hollywood Week after she struggled through her performance, it was unexpected that she didn’t do well because she seemed so full of potential at her audition. She was ready to prove that she was more than just the gimmick of her famous aunt performing with her at her audition, and she had the talent to do it. However, her attempt to apply the judges’ advice to bring more energy to her performances backfired. Perhaps Carmen can return to American Idol in a future season.

Vincent Fondale

When Vincent, a 26-year-old concrete laborer from Cleveland, Ohio, auditioned for American Idol season 24, he brought his band, Recess, who’ve been together for 18 years. He sang an original song called, “The Sound of Giving Up,” which the band wrote in 2019 when they felt as though they might break up. However, they stayed together.

After Vincent’s performance, Carrie gave him a standing ovation, gushing that she was really excited about him. She said that he had a beautiful voice, and she had no words. However, Luke wasn’t as impressed, which shocked Carrie. Luke explained that while Vincent had big notes, his more tender moments didn’t connect with him all the way. He didn’t feel that it reached in and pulled emotions out of him. On the other hand, Lionel told Vincent that he sounded like a seasoned singer.

Vincent received two votes of yes from Carrie and Lionel, but Luke told him no. Although he didn’t have a unanimous vote, it was still very surprising that Vincent didn’t make it through the first round of Hollywood Week. He was shown in a segment about people in the auditions who were confident, but then lost their self-assurance after they overthought the judges’ feedback.

Luke was shown telling Vincent after his performance that he thought that the nerves might’ve compromised how good of a singer he was a little bit. Carrie privately asked Lionel and Luke if they scared him, and Lionel said that he thought that they did.

However, viewers will never know exactly what happened because Vincent’s full performance wasn’t shown. All they saw was him singing one long note, and then crying as he told the cameras that he really hoped that he did enough to make it. Later, Vincent was shown walking away after being eliminated, which was very disappointing. Vincent deserved more.

American Idol season 24 is jam-packed with so much talent that Hollywood Week was certain to be extremely competitive. The cuts have proven to be brutal, especially because Lionel, Carrie, and Luke have to narrow down 127 fantastic singers to just 30. It’s going to be thrilling to watch the contestants who made it through to the next round perform again, but Khloe, Brett, Livy, Carmen, and Vincent will be missed. Hopefully, they’ll return to American Idol in a future season.

Sources: American Idol/YouTube, TALENTKINGHD/YouTube, American Idol/YouTube, American Idol/YouTube, American Idol/YouTube

Release Date

2002 – 2016-00-00

Showrunner

Nigel Lythgoe

Franchise(s)

American Idol