‘American Idol’ Hollywood Week Kicks Off with Brutal Eliminations

American Idol Season 23 returned on Monday night for the first round of Hollywood Week, as the singers who earned Golden Tickets in their auditions fought to stay in the competition. Out of 144 contestants who made it through their auditions, over half were cut by the judges.

Baylee Littrell Performs Original Song for American Idol Hollywood Week

During the “Idol Arena” portion of Hollywood Week, contestants were called onto the stage to deliver a follow-up performance to their audition, in the hope of impressing the judges enough to continue. One of the contestants to perform was Baylee Littrell, the 22-year-old son of Backstreet Boys star Brian Littrell.

Baylee performed an original song called “Hey Jesus,” which he wrote after his grandmother (whom he described as his “best friend”) passed away. He strummed the guitar as he sang the tender ballad. Baylee’s parents could be seen in the audience, tearing up and mouthing along to the song’s lyrics.

Judge Carrie Underwood told Baylee that she could feel “your heart and your genuineness just coming through” as he performed the song. Baylee was among the contestants who made it through the first elimination. He’ll be back in the next round of Hollywood Week, which airs this Sunday night on ABC.

SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ AUDITIONS WRAP UP AS JUDGES HAND OUT FINAL PLATINUM TICKET

Who Else Made It Through This Round?

This season’s three Platinum Ticket recipients (Filo, Kolbi Jordan, and Canaan James Hill) got to skip the first round of Hollywood Week, so they automatically moved on to next week’s show. Other notable contestants who made it through this round included The Voice alum Thunderstorm Artis.

For his “Idol Arena” performance, Thunderstorm performed an original song called “My Last Dying Breath,” which he wrote for his wife. The 29-year-old played guitar as he delivered the intimate song, which built from quiet to soaring. The judges gave Thunderstorm a standing ovation, with Underwood calling him “an artist.”

Another The Voice alum, Victor Solomon, also made it through this round, along with X Factor alum Drew Ryn, and social media stars MKY and Gabby Samone. Unfortunately, we also had to say goodbye to a number of other contestants during Monday’s show.

Notable eliminations included Freddie McClendon (who sang an original song for his late father in his audition), Sophia Humbert (who smashed up a truck with the judges after auditioning with Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”), and Mikaela Bautista (who was joined by her talented dad for a duet in the audition room).