'American Idol' sends home a frontrunner, platinum ticket winner in shocking top 24 reveal

The "American Idol" judges have said multiple times that this season's contestants are the best yet.

That means narrowing them down to the top 24 has been an excruciating task.

Sunday's episode saw judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie deliver their final judgments to the contestants and begin revealing which of them made the top 24 to sing for America's vote.

Some great singers made it through, but there wasn't room for everyone.

Kaylin Hedges, a 15-year-old high school student and vocal wunderkind from New York, impressed the judges so much in her audition she scored a special platinum ticket, sending her not just to Hollywood but also past the first round of cuts. Her audition has garnered over one million views on YouTube since it aired on television.

Though her platinum ticket designated her one of the show's frontrunners, the judges ultimately decided Hedges wasn't quite ready for the top 24.

"I think it boils down to experience and timing," Richie told the teen. "Do you have a real shot at our business? Yeah. Is it gonna happen right now? No."

He added: "You didn’t make our top 24, but you wouldn’t have made it this far if you didn’t have promise.”

Though visibly bummed, Hedges held her head high as she walked out of the judges' room and expressed gratitude for her "Idol" experience.

"Even though I didn’t make top 24, I still think that my 'American Idol' journey has been amazing, and I wouldn’t take it back for anything," she said.

Did fan-favorite Fire make the top 24?

Another contestant who heard her fate during the episode was Fire, a 23-year-old single mother from Oklahoma who has been open on the show about being raised in foster care and working as a stripper.

The judges commended Fire on the growth she showed during her "Idol" journey, which has been fraught with challenges including an unsuccessful first audition and a duet partner who dropped out at the last minute.

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"You have grown faster maybe than we thought. You really fought tooth and nail," Perry said. "We have seen you this whole time. More than ever before, you are, and you have found, your fire."

Still, Fire didn't make the top 24. The singer held back tears as she left the room to greet host Ryan Seacrest.

"I’m not OK with going home," she said. "I just feel like I needed this more than a lot of people did, but that doesn’t matter."

Friends PJAE, Malik Heard pitted against each other for top 24 spot

In true "Idol" fashion, the results show was filled with drama and tension.

One of those nail-biter reveals came when PJAE and Malik Heard – two singers who became close friends on the show – were called into the judges' room to hear their fates at the same time.

The judges were torn between the sultry R&B singers – so they made them have a sing-off right then and there to Billie Eilish's "everything i wanted."

Both singers slayed, forcing Perry to declare, "I'm changing my mind," to her fellow judges.

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After announcing that PJAE had made the top 24, the judges also had good news for Heard.

"Malik, we’ve never done this," Perry said. "We’ve actually moved someone else out of the competition. You are going to the top 24 as well. If you believe in miracles, this is one of them."

Bryan added: "That’s called good old fashioned earning your way."

Other singers who earned spots in the top 24 were Tyson Venegas, Lucy Love, Zachariah Smith, Michael Williams, Nutsa, Warren Peay, Haven Madison, Kaeyra and Wé Ani.

"Idol" returns with more top 24 reveals Monday at 8 p.m. EST.

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Katy Perry continues tradition of faking out contestants

Perry also continued the tried-and-true "Idol" tradition of seeming to give contestants disappointing news, before telling them they made the top 24.

The fake-outs seemed to confuse the contestants, who looked like they didn't know whether to say goodbye or celebrate.

"We did not put you in the top 24," the judge told Nutsa, before adding, "You put yourself in that top 24."

Nutsa didn't seem to understand, so Perry clarified: "As confusing as it seems, you're going to the top 24."

Perry tried something similar with Williams, telling the contestant that, though the judges had love for him as a singer, the "challenging thing about love is, when you love something, you have to let it go."

"We have to let you go," she added, followed by a dramatic pause. "Into the top 24."

Perhaps the most roundabout reveal went to Smith. Perry told the fry cook, "You may not go home to flip burgers, but you will be going home... to pack your bags to come back to the top 24."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'American Idol': Kaylin Hedges sent home, Katy Perry fakes out singers