During the Thursday episode of the reality talent search “American Idol,” one unfortunate contender has been voted out – and it was none other than Erika Van Pelt.

Van Pelt, who transformed herself by cutting off her blonde locks and dying them dark, was the first one of the Top 10 hopefuls to be voted out and sent home from the contest. Erika found herself in the bottom three with fellow “American Idol” contestants DeAndre Brackensick and Heejun Han. She appeared emotional as she was shown a montage of her AI journey.

The 26-year-old Erika Van Pelt, who has been praised by judges for her voice, has experienced a number of close calls during her time on “American Idol.” Although mentor Jimmy Iovine said that Van Pelt “deserves to be in the top of the batch,” she was criticized by judges for “oversinging” Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” on Wednesday’s performance night of Billy Joel songs.

Judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson refused to use their once per season “save” to keep Erika Van Pelt in the competition. With Erika out of AI, nine aspiring singers are still in the running towards becoming the next “Idol.”

“American Idol,” which first aired on Fox back in 2002, has been the stepping stone for the careers of pop superstars Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and Jennifer Hudson.