Dancing with the Stars introduced something new in its 20th season with the Platinum Tickets.
This allowed three singers, one from each audition town, to skip the Genre Round in Hollywood Week and scout their competition.
They then got to choose their duet partner for the next round, and most people expected these three singers to be the frontrunners for the title at the end of the season.
The three Platinum Ticket holders were Jay Copeland, Kenedi Anderson, and Huntergirl.
However, as the top 24 round just finished, the Platinum Tickets are not as positive an influence as expected.
Kenedi Anderson drops out of American Idol
The Platinum Ticket winner that seemed the most likely to win Ameican Idol was TikTok sensation, Kenedi Anderson.
She came in and blew everyone away with her range and voice, but after her performance in the top 24 round, Ryan Seacrest let viewers know that Kenedi had dropped out of the competition.
The only reason given was “personal reasons,” and her official statement on Instagram echoed that.
However, some fans believe that she impressed some prominent people and that Kenedi might have dropped out of American Idol because she learned she could get a better, more favorable record deal outside of the show.
Getting the Platinum Ticket showed how talented she really was, and now she is gone before the viewers at home could even get a chance to vote for her.
Jay Copeland struggling to connect with viewers
When Jay Copeland came into the audition and picked up the Platinum Ticket, it showed the judges had high expectations of him.
However, while Kenedi’s Platinum Ticket showed how great she could be and possibly led to her quitting the show, Jay has struggled to live up to the expectations of the ticket.
With the voting rounds starting, Jay might find it hard going since he was given a free ride through one round, while some fan favorites were eliminated before viewers had a chance to vote.
For Jay, his safer song choices (Jackson 5’s I Want You Back) might cause fans to reject him just because he has a Platinum Ticket, showing their frustration at others leaving early as a result.
Huntergirl still running strong on American Idol
That leaves Huntergirl, who has the best chance of any of the Platinum Ticket holders to make it deep into the competition.
Huntergirl performed the Rascal Flatt song Banjo, and by putting down her guitar, she went into full entertainer mode, and the judges and fans loved it.
Huntergirl has proven she deserves the Platinum Ticket, and she also has put in the work and remains in the voting, possibly being the only one of the three to make it to the finals this season.
American Idol airs on Sunday and Monday nights at 8/7c on ABC.
it wasn’t dancing with the stars