The American Idol dreams of numerous contestants were crushed last night, as the show settled in Hollywood and got began whittling down its 327 golden ticket recipients.

Brett Loewenstern was not among the hopefuls sent back home, however. The 16-year old admitted to "shaking in his pants" prior to belting out a version of "Let It Be" that earned him yet another audition. Said the Florida native soon after advancing:

"I would like to say to the people that tried to bring me down: Bully me, backstab me, whatever. No negativity anymore. I'm done with being a victim."

Among others who will live to sing another day are Rachel Zevita, Thia Megia, Paris Tassin, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Chris Medina, Jackie Wilson, Jerome Bell, Julie Zorrilla, Emily Anne Reed, Stefano Langone, Molly DeWolf, Scotty McCreery, Mark Gutierrez and Aaron Gutierrez.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.