American Idol Season 24 Premiere Ends With Carrie Underwood In Tears — Vote For The Best Auditions

"American Idol" kicked off Season 24 on Monday with a school-themed premiere, and what an eclectic group the class of 2026 is already turning out to be.

Among the season's first Golden Ticket recipients was a "unicorn" who connects with dementia patients through music, a proud member of the Tennessee Tailgaters, a pickle enthusiast (to the point of genuine concern), and a social media mystery singer who finally revealed himself to the world on national television — and snuck in a marriage proposal for good measure. (Don't worry, she said yes.)

But in true "Idol" fashion, the premiere saved the most unforgettable audition for last. Fifteen-year-old Khloe Grace performed an original song inspired by Aubreigh Paige Wyatt, a 13-year-old girl who took her own life after being cyberbullied. Khloe didn't know Aubreigh, but she felt compelled to write the song — a scathing indictment of bullying with a powerful message about grief and growth — after hearing Aubreigh's story.

To make things even more emotional, Aubreigh's mother was there to surprise Khloe before her audition, thanking the singer-songwriter for keeping her daughter's memory alive. She then took a step back, giving the spotlight to Khloe, who left the judges in puddles with one of the most heartbreaking performances in "Idol" history. (We'd straight-up call it the most heartbreaking, but we're not about to sift through 23 seasons of auditions to fact-check that one.)

The judges were speechless. Besides being impressed with Khloe's voice and artistry, they were struck by the power of the song's message. Carrie Underwood appeared particularly moved, breaking down into a full sob as she struggled to finish speaking.

Read on for a breakdown of the 12 other contestants who were sent through to Hollywood Week during Monday's premiere, then vote for your favorites and drop a comment with your thought on Season 24 thus far.

The first yeses of Season 24 went to this unassuming fisherman from Gallatin, Tennessee, whom Luke Bryan immediately recognized... sort of. "You look like my child!" Luke told him, already basically welcoming him into the "Idol" family. Lucas Leon treated the judges to an original song, "Fall in Love Someday," immediately taking them by surprise with his sensitive, soulful voice, which took a hard right to growlsville when the moment called for it. There was something genuine about the whole thing, like he would have performed his heart out whether millions of people were watching him or not. Despite being "baby-faced and adorable" (Carrie Underwood's words!), there's a depth and maturity to Lucas that made him a shoe-in for Hollywood Week. Yes, we have a feeling that Lucas will finally put Gallatin on the map — with all due respect to that really tall guy Luke mentioned, of course.

The first of several music teachers to audition in the premiere, this single mother from Pensacola, Florida grew up singing in church, but she never believed in herself enough to pursue it as a career. Well, we're pretty sure all of America is believing in her now after hearing what she did to Pink's "Glitter in the Air." Singing as effortlessly as she breathed, she sliced and diced that thing to perfection, inserting some really exciting melodic changes that catered to her particular vocal skillset. The low notes on "coffee" tickled out soul, and the high notes on "sugar" restored our spirit. There's a heartbreaking quality to her voice, especially in her upper register, that had us entranced from start to finish. And the judges seemed to agree. All Carrie Underwood could say was "...dang."

The judges did have a few suggestions for Keyla Richardson, and she worked really well to "improve" the performance, but it all felt nitpicky to us. That was a slam-dunk, no-notes audition — easily the most impressive in recent memory. And we wouldn't be surprised to see her nine-year-old son Drew back on "Idol" in a few years. That kid is born to entertain.

Do you like professional baseball players? Well, this next singer is almost just that! Jayson Arendt is a member of the Texas Tailgaters, one of the newer teams in the *check notes* Banana Ball Championship League. It's kind of like regular baseball, only... sexier? Anyway, it seems like a good time. 

The Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina native chose "Fire Away" by Chris Stapleton for his audition, which was ultimately just fine. It wasn't nearly as outstanding as some of the night's other performances, but it was decent enough, and Jayson's fellow Tailgaters added a little ambience with the obligatory "American Idol" swaying arms. Lionel Richie says Jayson has a "distinguishable" voice, on which we do not agree, and Carrie Underwood says she needs to see him take himself more seriously as an artist, on which we do agree.

Overall, he seems like the kind of guy who takes his guitar out at parties, but he's nice enough. We look forward to seeing how much he's able to grow by Hollywood Week.

Not every audition require a lot of bells and whistles, and not every contestant requires an emotional backstory. Sometimes it's OK for the talent to speak for itself. Take Daniel Stallworth, for example. The elementary music school teacher from Moss Point, Mississippi sat down at the piano and knocked the judges' socks off with a soulful, jazzy rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," which happens to be Daniel's personal motto. Of course, it's easy to have a motto like that when you have a voice like Daniel's on which to hang that belief. Those vocals came through strong and clear, peppered with silky smooth runs. And he tickled those ivories like a pro — because he is one! He dedicated his performance to his students, who constantly inspire and teach him, and we'd say he did them proud. In case you couldn't tell, we're big fans of Daniel over here. Big fans.

Oh, you want to be inspired? Look no further than Jesse Findling, a teenager from Massapequa Park, New York who has wrestled with a stutter since he was in elementary school. His struggle always made him feel alone, but he doesn't stutter when he sings, making music something of a safe haven for Jesse. He and his sibling, who also stutters, grew up singing karaoke, but now was the time for Jesse to step up to a much more important stage. With his brother in mind, Jesse dazzled the judges with a beautiful performance of Benson Boone's "In the Stars," showing off an incredible range as well as an emotional depth that you don't find in most "Idol" auditions. Carrie Underwood stared at him with stars (and maybe a few tears) in her eyes as he finished his song, which ended with a well-deserved standing ovation from all three judges.

We've now reached the "hot chicken!" portion of the premiere, in which the judges would yell just that after every successful audition. It was a brief montage with shortened performances, and it left us hungry for more... and also hungry for chicken.

Ricky Boyce grabbed the judges' attention with a classic southern rock vibe, sounding very comfortable rocking out to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man." It showed us exactly who the Goldsboro, North Carolina native is, and he's someone we'd like to see more of.

Up next was Brianna Yacey, a singer-songwriter from Alpharetta, Georgia. Her audition was so short, we don't even know what song sang — we just know she sang the heck out of it, blowing the roof off the Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams-Paisley Ballroom. (Sorry, we had to put that in there somewhere. It was too specific not to bring up.)

And Jacquie Lee of Colts Neck, N.J. gave a wild, Mimi-from-"Rent"-approved performance of "I Put A Spell On You," originally released by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins. That woman can belt.

If you weren't craving pickles before you watched this episode, you probably were by the time Genevieve Heyward show up. It's not even an obsession at this point — it's a sickness. But her entire family was there to support her, including some guy named Kyle, who accidentally broke some furniture. (Nice going, Kyle!)

As is often the case, however, Genevieve showed a much more mature side of herself when it came time to sing. Dressed in her finest Wednesday Addams, the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin native sang the heck out of Heart's "Magic Man," showing off the kind of genuine rock voice some bands would kill for. There was also a uniqueness to her sound, slathering some of her own signature sauce on top.

The judges encouraged her to move away from the gimmicks, instead allowing her natural talents guide her. That said, they couldn't resist making a few pickle puns: "She's the real... dill," Carrie Underwood said, to which Luke Bryan replied, "That was pretty... kosher." (Look, we didn't say they were good puns, OK?)

The judges met a real-life "unicorn" in the form of Brooks Rosser (or just "Brooks"), who works as a medication technician at a dementia facility in Bel Air, Maryland. He connected with his grandmother through music during her own struggle with dementia, and the experience helped Brooks find his passion for service. He prepared the judges, telling them that he has a "unique" voice, and he wasn't kidding. It's much higher than we expected, but it's also so, so good. It's sort of indie rock-esque, but also very pretty and mature, making Joshua Sloane's "Your Place At My Place" the perfect song choice. The judges were basically speechless when he finished, simply telling Brooks that they want to hear more.

(Side note: When the judges asked Brooks what his favorite song is to sing to his patients, and he said "Knocking On Heaven's Door," did anyone else need a minute? Don't get us wrong, it's a great song, and the work that Brooks does is beautiful. It was just... a choice.)

OK, this one was a roller coaster. It all began with 16-year-old Lainey Grace, a Chick-fil-A employee who auditioned with "Honest" by a little-known artist named Kyndal Inskeep. Plot twist: not only was Kyndal there to hear Lainey audition, but she was also auditioning for the show herself! It felt like the moment was being set up for both singers to go through to Hollywood Week together, inspired by each other all the way. Unfortunately, that's not quite how things turned out.

Despite a really impressive audition, which only sounded better once she stepped away from the piano, Lainey was denied access to Hollywood Week. It was a baffling decision on the judges' parts, quite frankly.

But the show must go on, so Kyndal took her own shot — and scored! There's a powerful cry in her voice, and you could feel that the emotions in her original song, "Prayer of a Trying Daughter," were coming from a place of experience. She almost has a Belinda Carlisle quality to her, she's that good. We'll be keeping an eye on this potential frontrunner as the season continues.

This next audition gave us one surprise after another. For starters, Bryant Thomas apparently sing in the shower for more than 100,000 followers on social media... none of whom have ever seen him, as he's always off-camera. And what better way for the Mobile, Alabama resident to reveal himself than on national TV? Beginning behind a pillar, he delivered a face-melting performance of Phil Collins' "Against All Odds," stepping out just in time for the lyrics "take a good look at me now." It was super cheesy, as are Bryant's mullet/aviators combo, but there's absolutely no denying the power of that voice.

Of course, there was nothing cheesy about what came next: after receiving his Golden Ticket, Bryant got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. "My journey started with you, and it's going to end with you, I promise that," he told her as he placed the engagement ring on her finger. And that, friends, is a win for us all.

OK, let's talk: Which of these contestants are you already rooting for? Had you heard of Bryant before? And if so, were you satisfied by the big unveiling? And did you disagree with any of the judges' no's this week? Vote for your five (5) favorite singers below, then drop a comment with your full review of the premiere.