'So much talent.' Plot twist sends Buffalo singer through to next round of ‘American Idol’

For a minute there, it looked like “American Idol” contestant Matt Wilson would be sent home Monday night.

The 21-year-old Buffalo resident and competitors Colin Stough and Iam Tongi were called in by judges Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan to learn their “Idol” fate together during the finale of the showstopper round Monday night.

Wilson dazzled with his performance of “Forever,” by Chris Brown, but so did Stough with “Cold,” by Chris Stapleton, and Tongi with “The Sound of Silence,” by Simon & Garfunkel.

Tongi's haunting rendition of the folk-rock classic actually brought Perry to tears. “Your show-stopping song was a brilliant pick. It made the room go silent,” she said. “It gave more depth, more color, more layers to who you are.”

And it helped him clinch the final spot in the top 24. Or so it appeared.

Before Wilson and Stough could bid the judges farewell, Perry told them they would be joining Tongi in the newly expanded top 26.

“Plot twist,” Perry said. “We like to change it up every season. We have so much talent this season, we don’t think there’s a top 24. We think there’s a top 26.”

So, Wilson and the others will move on to compete at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii on Sunday, April 16. The show will air at 8 p.m. on ABC (Channel 13).

Wilson posted a photo to Instagram of the three and wrote, “If there’s anyone I’d want to lose the LAST spot in the top 24 to, it’s one of my brothers right here. TOP 26 does sound a lot cooler though! Love you guys”

His “Idol” audition, which brought Richie, Perry and Bryan to their feet, was featured on the Feb. 26 episode.

A graduate of the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, Wilson works in a preschool classroom at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo.

In a pre-taped segment, he said he loves his job.

“Every time I walk in these doors, I know I’m doing something special, something really important. I grew up having a big appreciation for teachers. I know they play a really large role in how the kids develop and become little humans.”

Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Matt Wilson advances to Top 26 on American Idol after plot twist