Thursday night’s episode of Fox’s American Idol wasn’t your typical episode of the long-running singing competition.

Idol host Ryan Seacrest told the final five contestants that they had a choice: “We’ve got a dramatic proposal for you. Tonight, the power is in your hands. You’ve got two options.”

Seacrest told the contestants they could either vote to keep the results the same and eliminate someone, or they could vote not eliminate anyone and, instead, face a double elimination the following week.

The catch, however, was that the decision had to be unanimous. Unfortunately, two of the contestants wanted to keep the results the same and Sam Woolf was eliminated. It was later revealed that Alex Preston and Jena Irene voted to keep the results the same, while everyone else was willing to see two people leave next week.

After Seacrest revealed the results of the vote, one of the Idol judges seemed genuinely surprised.

‘I’m shocked,’ said Jennifer Lopez.

“American Idol fans: Caleb, Sam & Jess voted YES, keep everyone together (2 home next week). Jena & Alex voted NO, send someone home tonight,” tweeted Chris Trondsen, who interviewed the final four contestants following Thursday’s show.

What did you think of the show’s twist? Should Idol give that kind of power to the contestants again? Start a conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments section.