Brake Bleed Fail

After a successful bleed of my rear caliper yesterday, I decided to do the front today. I went through the process, got all the air and old fluid out, sealed up the system, and when giving it the initial squeeze to check for firmness, the caliper popped. Oil spewed out, and now I can hear air coming in and of the system when I pull and release the lever. I’m so sad.

This is Deore XT, the M-8000 lever and caliper.

Questions that knowledgeable people will want to know the answers to…

Did I use DOT fluid instead of mineral oil? No, most definitely not. I used Finish Line brand mineral oil.

Did I pull the pads out? Yes, there was a bleed block in there when the caliper popped.

Did I squeeze super hard on the lever? Not really, I didn’t really think about it. I’ve successfully bled brakes before and it was that that "initial squeeze" to see whether or not I need to continue trying to get air bubbles out.

Was the funnel still in the lever? No. I’d pulled it out and put the nut washer thingy back in.

Is there any chance the bleed nipple is still open a little bit? No…I checked it. It is firm.

So now I ask you, my trusted community?
Did I do something wrong?
Is this something that can be fixed? or am I looking at a new set of brakes?
If it is fixable, how do I go about finding where it is leaking?
Any other suggestions?

Best,
Ben