'American Idol' Hollywood Week features 100% less Liliana Tovar Dalton. Why did the '5%' frontrunner drop out?

The 17-year-old standout was nowhere to be seen Sunday, and her audition has also been yanked from the show's YouTube and Facebook pages.

American Idol felt more like American Gladiators this week, as Season 22's Hollywood Week commenced in some sort of in-the-round terrordome called the Idol Arena. On Sunday, 143 hunger-gaming hopefuls entered that arena, and by the evening's end, only 56 remained. It was the biggest single cut in Idol history.

"It's pretty wild," judge Katy Perry gasped, in one of the biggest understatements in Idol history.

So, here's how it all went down. Those 143 contestants (except for Platinum Ticket recipients Abi Carter, Julia Gagnon, and Odell Bunton Jr., who opened the show with a spectacular trio performance of "California Dreamin'" and then got relax for the rest of this round) were called — without any warning, and in random order to "keep them on the edge of their seats" and make them "stay ready" — to the stage. And then, each singer gave "the most important performance of their life," on the spot.

However, one presumed frontrunner never showed up to the Idol Arena. In the week leading up to Sunday's Hollywood Week kickoff — and a mere two days after her audition aired and received a ton of hype and screentime — Liliana Tovar Dalton took to Instagram to shockingly reveal that she had quit the competition. The 17-year-old former standout gave no reason for her seemingly sudden decision, but teased that she had "lots of exciting news coming up for those who continue to follow my journey."