American Idol Ends Hollywood Week Part 1 On Bizarre Cliffhanger — Are Your Favorite Singers Safe?

Now that Season 24 auditions are finally behind us, Monday's "American Idol" kicked off a Hollywood Week unlike viewers have ever seen before — and not just because it's being held in Nashville this time around. (Hey, it's the Hollywood of Tennessee! ... Right?)

The February 23 episode introduced several new elements to the competition, including a "Gold Room" where safe contestants are sent until it's time for their next turn at the mic. It's a little bit like "Untucked" on "RuPaul's Drag Race," only with less fighting. And a lot less untucking.

With "the biggest cut in 'Idol' history" on the line, we don't blame judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood for feeling the pressure — but that doesn't mean we agree with every decision they made this week. Without giving too much away, let's say there's one contestant we really, really think the judges need to get serious about. (Fine, we'll say it. It's Trace Casanova. Are we losing our minds, or do we have another Sanjaya on our hands here?)

Read on for a breakdown of the 13 singers confirmed to be safe, the handful of hopefuls whose "Idol" journeys ended this week, and the question marks who are still waiting to learn their fates after a truly mind-boggling cliffhanger:

BRYANT THOMAS | Considering this is only the second time Thomas has performed with his face revealed, it was anyone's guess what he was going to bring to the table — and we never would have guessed Taylor Swift's "Champagne Problems." Soulful and sweet, it was not the performance we thought we'd be getting from the dude with the mullet in the cut-off Army vest. So imagine our surprise as Thomas breezed through the song, handling the emotions nicely. The choreography was unnecessary, and the whole thing got way too theatrical by the end, but we liked everything that came before. TVLine's grade: "B+"

KEYLA RICHARDSON | Richardson's precocious son gave her a boost when she first auditioned, and he was back for Hollywood Week, this time seated at the judges' panel for his mom's follow-up performance of Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up." Singing directly to her son, Richardson started off intentionally sleepy, but she was fully in her element by the time the chorus kicked in, fully embodying the song's message of hope and perseverance. If the judges weren't already sold by the end of her performance, those final high notes and runs definitely sealed the deal. TVLine's grade: "A-"

MAKIYAH | The first truly genuinely sexy performance of the night, Makiyah did with Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here" what Livy thought she was doing with that uncomfortably sexual take on Bruno Mars' "Versace on the Floor." Anyway, Makiyah owned every inch of the stage with her rendition of Deborah Cox's "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here." You could feel the power emanating from her throughout — and that was through the TV. We're frankly surprised Lionel Richie wasn't blown clean off his chair. TVLine's grade: "A-"

There were several notable eliminations that we saw from Group 1: As we mentioned earlier, the judges weren't vibing with Livy's too-sexual approach to Bruno Mars' "Versace on the Floor" (and we don't disagree), so it's back to Texas Road House for her. And despite Vika believing that she killed Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good," the judges had trouble understanding her lyrics, due to Vika getting a little too lost in the sauce. Neither elimination felt unfair to us, but we were a little surprised by the poor response to Vika, who seemed pretty good.

JORDAN MCCULLOUGH | This was a heck of a way to kick off Group 2. McCullough had everyone in the audience (and the judges' panel, more importantly) grooving from his first note, and they remained in his pocket for the duration of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground." It was a smart song choice, one that gave McCullough plenty of opportunities to show off his impressive range, ending the whole shebang with a killer high note and a perfect little growl. TVLine's grade: "A"

MADISON MOON | Hoping to follow in Carrie Underwood's successful footsteps, Moon chose to sing Heart's "Alone," a song famously covered by Underwood when she won her season of "American Idol." In the end, she didn't just follow Underwood's lead — she blazed her own trail, boldly raising the key on the iconic '80s ballad, blowing the roof off the building in the process. Luke Bryan's eyes were popping out of his head when she hit that chorus, and rightfully so. Those high notes were so strong, clear, and precise. Moon just became the one to watch. TVLine grade: "A+"

It was less good news for two of Underwood's rock 'n' roll finds: Brett Carlisle fumbled the lyrics to Whitesnake's "Still of the Night," even though we thought he still gave a solid performance, and Noah Orion's take on ZZ Top's "Sharped Dressed Man" felt like too much of a novelty for the judges. (And yet they continue to send Trace Casanova through? These guys are both better than him!)

TRACE CASANOVA | We know we've complained a lot about this guy already, but we really have to ask — what dirt does he have on the judges?! We would have eliminated Casanova based on his terrible "mic check" dad joke alone, and that was before he delivered a truly cringey performance of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train." We can get past the naughty lounge singer shtick, but we can't get past the pitchy singing. This joke has gone on long enough, it's time to let it go. TVLine's grade: "C"

ROELLE | Sometimes less really is more, and that was definitely true for Roelle's sweet, simple take on Chappell Roan's "California." It's a story she can relate to, and you could hear that in her raspy, emotional performance. TVLine's grade: "B+"

HANNAH HARPER | Luke Bryan couldn't resist singing along with Harper's gorgeous, interesting performance of Lee Ann Womack's "A Little Past Little Rock." You can't not love Harper, with her pure country sound, Alison Krauss vibes, and overall songbird aura. Country music is in her bones, and we're big fans. TVLine's grade: "A-"

PHILMON LEE | Two things are true in this case: First, we never want to hear Teddy Swims' "Lose Control" on any singing competition show ever again. It's overplayed, and it usually just sounds like the contestant is trying to do a Swims impression as opposed to putting their own spin on it. The other true thing is that Lee did exactly what needed to be done with it. It sounded exactly like the artist's track, which is impressive but also boring for the reasons mentioned above. At least he gave us a strong finish to remember. TVLine grade: "B+"

LUCAS LEON | Charming as ever in his little Canadian tuxedo, this young contestant surprised the judges with a decidedly mature song choice: Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind." There were moments of cheese, but Leon is endearing enough to pull it off. Also, it's kind of a thrill just to watch Leon perform. He's so locked in, you can tell he's a genuine musician. We're also fans of that little growl — the baby growl, if you will. TVLine's grade: "B+"

KIERA HOWELL | We didn't get to see Howell perform this week, but was saw her make it through to the Gold Room, so... congrats, girl!

The big elimination from this round was Carmen Lorell Martin, the niece of Britani Bateman from "The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City." We sympathize with Martin, because it was clear that her nerves got the best of her, resulting in lots of cracks during her performance of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." It was so awkward watching Carrie Underwood ask, "Are you OK?" only for Martin to try and play it off like nothing was wrong. To be fair, though, delusion can take you far in life. She can ask her aunt all about that!

ABAYOMI | This 16-year-old phenom had everyone eating out of the palm of her hand from the jump, and they remained mesmerized until she finished Foy Vance's "Make It Rain." We thought she got a little lose in some of her more overzealous runs, but we might be judging too harshly, because Lionel Richie seemed to love it. TVLine's grade: "B+"

MICHAEL GARNER | Another 16-year-old with talent beyond his years, Garner felt right at home on stage for his performance of The Red Clay Strays' "Wanna Be Loved." It wasn't as vocally impressive as his slam-dunk audition, but his presence was solid, which was part of what Carrie Underwood was worried about sending him to Hollywood Week. It wasn't perfect, but Garner definitely proved Underwood wrong, and that's a win of its own. TVLine's grade: "B-"

Sadly, it was the end of the road for Khloe Grace, whose original song about a young girl's suicide created a stand-out moment during this season's auditions. Her performance of Sugarland's "Stay" was pretty good, and she became more comfortable on stage as the song progressed, but it was apparently too little too late for the fickle judges.

JAKE THISTLE | Are we crazy for saying we got young Bruce Springsteen vibes from Thistle's performance of Sam Fender's "Seventeen Going Under"? There's something so authentic about his delivery, singing his heart out with his guitar in hand. The guy's got good energy. You can hear it and you can feel it. We're big fans. TVLine grade: "B+"

CHRIS TUNGSETH | It took him a minute to get into gear, but once Tungseth locked into his performance of Labrinth's "Jealous," it was smooth sailing. We saw a more sensitive side of him this week, and it was nice. Just a guy singing from his heart, no bells and/or whistles necessary. TVLine's grade: "B+"

CHLOE LAUREN | Lauren's glorious rasp had us in a chokehold for the duration of her slowed-down take on Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," which was a highlight of the night for us. Lauren is a little rough around the edges, but her voice is undeniable. She'll refine her technique with experience, but for now, the gift is there. TVLine's grade: B+

BRADEN RUMFELT | The judges were excited for Rumfelt's return, and they were not disappointed. He came out strong and confident, with the vocal chops to back it up on Sam Smith's "I'm Not the Only One." He also felt totally in his element on that stage, without a hint of nerves. It was a perfect way to end the night. TVLine's grade: "A"

OK, here's where things get a little wacky. Monday's episode ended with this final group standing in front of the judges, who asked three people to step forward: Thistle, Rumfelt, and Brianna Yancey, the last of whom we didn't see perform this week. Lionel Richie told the three singers, "You should be very proud of how far you've come, but for now, your journey..." and that's where it ended.

We're assuming that this is a total fake-out, and that everyone from this group is being sent to the Gold Room. Thistle and Rumfelt (and we assume Yancey) were too good to get eliminated, which is also how we feel about Lauren. This whole group seemed pretty strong to us, and we've seen "American Idol" do this before. If this doesn't end up being an everyone-goes-through thing, we'll be shocked.

How do you think this cliffhanger will play out? Vote for the five (5) singers you're most excited to see in the Gold Room next week, then drop a comment with your thoughts on this new version of "American Idol" Hollywood Week.