'American Idol' frontrunner and fan favorite mysteriously drops out 'for personal reasons'

Yahoo Entertainment
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American Idol viewers were surprised to learn that frontrunner and fan favorite Kenedi Aderson mysteriously dropped out of the competition Monday night.

The 18-year-old singer was one of three contestants who had secured this season's special platinum ticket, given to the "best of the best," to fast-track themselves through the first round of Hollywood Week. In fact, Kenedi was so talented that even judge Katy Perry said she felt "threatened" by her during her initial audition. However, following her top 24 performance on Monday in Hawaii, we learned that Kenedi will no longer be a threat to anyone on Idol, when the screen cut abruptly from Hawaii to an indoor studio, where host Ryan Seacrest announced, "Well, you might have noticed that there was no voting information during Kenedi's performance just now. Since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons. We send her well wishes and, needless to say, we have incredible talent on this historic season with more iconic Idol performances coming up for you right now."

Immediately after the airing of her performance, Kenedi posted an update on her Instagram, writing: "For personal reasons, I'm unable to continue on American Idol. This has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I know it's necessary. I'm so grateful to American Idol, the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants, and all the fans who have supported me. Thank you for giving me such an amazing opportunity to share my voice, chase my dreams, feel so much joy and happiness doing what I love, and make lifelong friends along the way."

Kenedi's exit makes her the first female contestant in Idol history to drop out of the competition. And while she would have been hard to beat, she definitely made it easier for the remaining hopefuls.

Video Transcript

[MUSIC - "HUMAN"]

KENEDI ANDERSON: (SINGING) Your words in my head, knives in my heart. You build up and then I fall apart 'cause I'm only human.

KYLIE MAR: "American Idol" viewers were surprised to learn that front runner and fan favorite Kenedi Anderson mysteriously dropped out of the competition Monday night. The 18-year-old singer was one of three contestants who had secured this season's special platinum ticket given to the best of the best to fast track themselves through the first round of Hollywood Week. In fact, Kenedi was so talented that even judge Katy Perry said she felt "threatened" by her following her audition.

However, after her top 24 performance on Monday, we learned that Kenedi will no longer be a threat to anyone on "Idol."

RYAN SEACREST: Well, you might have noticed that there was no voting information during Kenedi's performance just now. Since we taped these shows in Hawaii earlier, Kenedi has decided to withdraw from our show for personal reasons.

KYLIE MAR: Immediately after the airing of her performance, Kenedi posted an update on her Instagram writing "For personal reasons, I'm unable to continue on 'American Idol.' This has been one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I know it's necessary. I'm so grateful to 'American Idol,' the judges, the producers, the amazing contestants, and all the fans who have supported me."

Kenedi's exit makes her the first female contestant in "Idol" history to drop out of the competition. And while she would have been hard to beat, she definitely made it easier for the remaining hopefuls.

RYAN SEACREST: We send her well-wishes. And needless to say, we have incredible talent on this historic season with more iconic "Idol" performances coming up for you right now.