Who Received American Idol Season 24 Platinum Tickets & How Are They Different This Year? (SPOILERS)

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 24!In the American Idol season 24 'Ohana round, the show completely changed the process for awarding platinum tickets, and three talented contestants received the coveted prizes. American Idol season 24 welcomed back host Ryan Seacrest, along with judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood, and Luke Bryan. The show has had many changes so far in season 24, including relocating the auditions and Hollywood Week to Nashville, and adding the new 'Ohana round in Hawaii for the Top 30.

The American Idol season 24 'Ohana round is a brand-new part of the competition, which compiled the ultimate focus group of industry tastemakers, the 'Ohana (families and friends of the contestants), and the Top 30 contestants themselves. The industry tastemakers included Kaniyia Brown & Terry McCaskill (social media personality duo), Sasha Farber (dancer and choreographer), Anthony Gargiula (artist and music creator), Loren Gray (singer and actress), Shirley Halperin (co-editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone), Cheryl Porter (singer and vocal coach phenomenon), and Kelly Sutton (country music personality and Grand Ole Opry announcer).

How Are The Platinum Tickets Different In American Idol Season 24?

American Idol platinum tickets were introduced in season 20. They were awarded during the auditions by the judges, replacing the golden ticket for the three best contestants in their opinion. In the past, platinum tickets allowed the recipients to bypass the first round of Hollywood Week, and to choose their Duet partners in seasons that included that round.

Past recipients of platinum tickets include HunterGirl, Kenedi Anderson, and Jay (season 20); Cam Amen, Kaylin Hedges, Tyson Venegas, and Elijah McCormick, who received America's Platinum Ticket (season 21); Odell Bunton Jr., Abi Carter, and Julia Gagnon (season 22); and Kolbi Jordan, Filo and Canaan James Hill (season 23). Abi is the only platinum ticket recipient to win the competition.

In American Idol season 24, the platinum tickets weren't given out during the auditions, but instead during the 'Ohana round. The industry tastemakers, the 'Ohana (families and friends of the contestants), and the contestants themselves each gave out one ticket from the group, after a vote. The 'Ohana couldn't vote for their own family members and the contestants couldn't vote for themselves. Those three platinum ticket winners advanced directly to the Top 20.

Who Received American Idol Season 24 Platinum Tickets?

Three American Idol season 24 contestants received platinum tickets during the 'Ohana round. The contestants chose Jordan McCullough, a 27-year-old worship director from Murfreesboro, TN, who sang "Grandma's Hands" by Bill Withers during the 'Ohana round. The 'Ohana chose Brooks Rosser, a 22-year-old dementia care medication tech from Bel Air, MD, who sang "Everywhere Everything" by Noah Kahan. The industry tastemakers chose Kyndal, a 29-year-old singer-songwriter from Fishers, INn, who sang her original song, "Woman Of Me."

Who Else Advanced To The American Idol Season 24 Top 20?

After Jordan, Brooks, and Kyndal advanced directly to the American Idol season 24 Top 20, Lionel, Carrie, and Luke chose the other 17 contestants. They are Abayomi, Braden Rumfelt, Chris Tungseth, Daniel Stallworth, Genevieve Heyward, Hannah Harper, Jake Thistle, Jesse Findling, Julián Kalel, Keyla Richardson, Kutter Bradley, Lucas Leon, Madison Moon, Makiyah, Philmon Lee, Rae, and Ruby Rae. They'll now compete for America's Vote in the next Hawaii round after being mentored by either Keke Palmer or Brad Paisley.

American Idol season 24 Top 30 contestants Bella Emry, Brenna Brigman, Brianna Yancey, Bryant Thomas, Chloe Lauren, Jacquie Lee, Kiera Howell, Michael Garner, Sheldon Riley, and Tianna didn't make it into the Top 20.

The American Idol season 24 'Ohana round was a welcome change because it gave other people besides Lionel, Carrie, and Luke the opportunity to have a say in who advanced to the Top 20. Having other perspectives is very important on a show such as American Idol, and it was refreshing to see different people giving out the platinum tickets. The three platinum ticket recipients were so deserving, but the season is jam-packed with extraordinary talent, so every week is going to be very competitive. American Idol season 24 has the potential to be its best yet.