'American Idol' Top 24 Spots Start Being Rewarded; J.Lo Breaks Down (VIDEO)

It was a joyous night for five 'American Idol' contestants last night -- and a very difficult night for one 'American Idol' judge.

The show handed out the first five of its top 24 slots on Wednesday, giving singers Naima Adedapo, Ashthon Jones, Haley Reinhart, Clint Jun Gamboa and Paul McDonald a pass into the big next round. Unfortunately, they were unable to send along Chris Medina, the singer from Illinois who melted hearts when he brought his brain-injured girlfriend to meet judges Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez.

That's what made it so hard for Lopez to tell Medina the news.

Slow and deliberate in her speech, Lopez praised Medina but told him that, in the singing competition, his performance just wasn't strong enough. When he left the room, Lopez broke down into tears and sobs, worried that she hadn't told him in the right way and afraid that she had broken his heart.

For his part, Medina seemed disappointed but fine -- but leave it to Ryan Seacrest to bring the man out in you. And maybe he already knew that he'd be performing on "The Tonight Show" on Friday -- not a bad consolation prize.