‘American Idol’ Faces Heat From Fans for Shocking Eliminations During Showstoppers

American Idol is under fire from fans who think the show has already cut some of its best performers early in this season. Season 19 of the acclaimed singing competition show kicked off just over a month ago and has now narrowed its contenders down to the Top 24. On social media, many fans say that their favorites have already been cut.

Warning, spoilers for American Idol lie ahead! Sunday night’s episode was the beginning of “Showstoppers,” a two-part event to whittle the top 64 down to the top 24. Naturally, fans knew there would be losses, but some were simply shocking. That included Philip Murphy — one of the dismissals that fans most disagreed with, judging by social media. Others included Amanda Mena, Alex Miller and Anthony Guzman.

American Idol fans are used to heartbreak. Since there can be only one winner, typically a handful of great singers are cut throughout the season. Contestants do not need to win to secure a place in the music industry, though the more episodes they can appear on, the more exposure they can get.

There is hope for the contestants who were cut this week to make a career in music, but it has shaken some fans’ faith in the show’s decision-making itself. Scroll down for a look at how fans are reacting to American Idol‘s major cuts on Sunday night.

Judges

Many fans took their complaints straight to the judges, either tagging them or leaving replies and quote-tweets on their previous posts.

Campaigns

Others tried to launch hashtags and social media campaigns to change the results of the show. Since American Idol is filmed in advance, this strategy is unlikely to work out.

Consoling

Many fans reached out to their favorite performer who had been cut, consoling them that they now had a fanbase that would stick with them, even beyond the show.

Live-Tweeting

Since many fans live-tweet American Idol as it airs, you could trace the audience’s reaction to the cuts in real-time.

Support

Many fans tweeted that they were ready to pay for music from their favorite artist right now, looking for ways to support them.

Contenders

In addition to mourning those who were cut, fans side-eyed the contenders that made it through instead. Many had a clear idea of who should have been cut, they thought.

Wild Card

Finally, many fans said that Murphy or some other contestant should be brought back as a wild card later in the season. Some even suggested cynically that this was planned all along. The rest of American Idol Season 19 “Showstoppers” airs on Monday, March 29 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.