Has anyone excelled in a televised contest so well that others have dropped out?

Shows about talent. singing, dancing etc. are all over the place, but has anyone on these shows done so exceedingly well that other contestants have just conceded, saying basically “I just can’t top that, sorry.”?

I remember people dropping out of AGT. There’s was always some kind of reason stated, not as described in your OP, but just like in other areas the reason given isn’t always the real one.