The series finale of American Idol brought back literally everyone you can remember from the 14-year history of the show.

Randy, Paula, and Simon? Check. Kelly Clarkson? Check. Justin Guarini? Check. William Hung? Check. Freakin’ Brian Dunkleman? Check.

After a message from President Obama in which he asked citizens to vote this election year just like they vote for American Idols, the series finale began serving large platters of nostalgia. The first course was a performance of “One Voice” by many, many of the old Idol contestants, including Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Taylor Hicks, David Archuleta, and so many more:

Many of them returned later for additional performances. Colton Dixon, Justin Guarini, Jordin Sparks, Kimberley Locke, Tamyra Gray, Larry Platt, Bo Bice, Caleb Johnson, Chris Daughtry, Carrie Underwood, Diana DeGarmo, Katherine McPhee, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Amber Holcomb, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia Barrino were just a few of the Idols who sang for a minute or two.

American Idol season 1 co-host Brian Dunkleman appeared at the top of the show to rejoin Ryan Seacrest as co-host of the singing competition. He cracked a few jokes about the show struggling in his absence all these years. (Remember, he chose to leave the show after the first season — a career move that’s gone down as an epic mistake.)

Many old judges appeared, too. Kara DioGuardi performed a couple songs, while Ellen DeGeneres, Nicki Minaj, and Steven Tyler pre-taped quick goodbye messages.

Original Idol winner Kelly Clarkson couldn’t appear live due to the impending birth of her baby, but she pre-taped a medley consisting of “Miss Independence,” “Breakaway,” “Since U Been Gone,” “Because Of You,” “Walk Away,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” “Stronger,” “Invisible,” and of course “A Moment Like This.” That last song — her very first single — she performed a capella.

Toward the end of the finale, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson returned to the show to say farewell. They also congratulated Ryan Seacrest for sticking around longer than anyone else on the series. They presented him with a very large “American Idol” sign as a gift, which he joked he’d put by his bedside.

Just when you might’ve thought that Simon snubbed the finale, the toughest judge on television made a surprise appearance and thanked viewers for their support. He also scolded Paula for being so mean to the contestants over the years. And as if that weren’t enough of a surprise, another major shocker came right after Simon’s appearance: The least-forgettable contestant in Idol history, William Hung, came out for one last rousing performance of “She Bangs.”

Idol season 15’s final two contestants took a back seat for most of the night as the show bid itself farewell. At a little past 10 p.m. eastern we learned that Trent Harmon won the final season.

And in the final seconds of the show, a tearful and ominous message from Ryan Seacrest: “Goodnight, America…. for now.”

… Wait, what? “For now?”

A recent interview with Idol creator Simon Fuller may reveal what Ryan meant by that remark. Fuller suggested that the show will be back one day, but in a different format:

“… Now we can catch our breath. It allows me to rethink the show for the first time. When you’re a No. 1 show, it’s hard to be too bold and brazen about changing the format because it’s working and succeeding. Also, you’re always rushing to get the next season completed. Now we start with a clean sheet of paper.”

“…The next generation of Idol — and Idol will certainly be coming back for sure — will have a youthful glow and it will be pioneering again, just as it was when we first began.”