Original subtitles

Audition day! Whoo!

"American Idol," here we come!

Hey, let's go!

Certainly intimidated because I know

there's gonna be tons of people

with a lot more experience than me.

And we're scared and excited.

Um...mostly scared.

♪ Oh, I'm brave ♪

Have fun singing!

You're not wearing that to "American Idol."

You got to look like a star.

Goodbye.

Bye, Teeny.

Bye, Bartholomew. Hello.

Have a nice swim.

Alright, sit, sit.

You can't go with us!

We're going to "American Idol"!

"Idol"!

Whoo! We're here!

We got pulled over on the way here,

but they let us go because I said I was coming here.

♪ So brave ♪

I've been wanting to do this for years,

and so I'm finally gonna make the jump.

♪ Oh, I'm brave ♪

♪ So brave ♪

Hi! Welcome to "American Idol."

♪ I'm brave ♪

♪ I'm brave ♪

♪ People ♪

♪ People ♪

Savannah.

Let's get this party started.

I'm not dancing anywhere.

No dancing is taking place. You can't dance! You can't...

♪ Dancin', dancin' on me ♪ My name is Kimmy Gabriela.

I'm 17 years old, and I'm from Lakeland, Florida.

♪ ...en esta historia algo que confesar ♪

From a very young age,

I knew that I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps.

♪ No me coniciste nunca de verdad ♪

I grew up listening to him tell all these incredible stories

about when he was famous,

and he got to live out his dream,

and it just inspired me from such a young age.

I knew that that's exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

Growing up Hispanic,

music has always been the center of this family.

Hey! Hey!

Okay! Okay!

It's like blood in our veins, like I literally inherited it.

♪ ...y dejarlo así ♪

My dad taught me everything I know,

and I think it's our biggest source of bonding.

♪ Digo que no ♪

A superstar.

I really want to make him proud.

I just don't want to let the nerves get to me.

♪ échame la culpa ♪

♪ Solamente te falta un beso ♪

Oh. Door's heavy.

Hi.

Hey.

♪ échame la culpa ♪ Hey!

Hi! What's your name?

My name's Kimmy Gabriela.

Awesome. And where are you from?

I'm from Lakeland, Florida.

How young are you?

I'm 17. Nice.

Who's your biggest inspiration in music?

Uh, my dad.

Oh, cool. Very good.

He was a musician when he was young, and he toured,

and he did music videos, and he w‐‐

Really? Yeah.

So, why is music important to you?

Why "American Idol"?

Well, it connects me to my culture,

considering that I've never actually been

to my origin countries.

Where is your culture?

Um, Dominican and Venezuelan.

Wow. Yeah.

What are you gonna sing for us?

I'm gonna sing "Let's Hurt Tonight" by OneRepublic.

Ah.

♪ When ♪

♪ We came home ♪

♪ Worn to the bones ♪

♪ I told myself, "This can get rough" ♪

♪ And, oh, I know you feel insane ♪

♪ Tell me something that I can expla‐a‐a‐in ♪

♪ I'll hit the lights, and you lock the door ♪

♪ Tell me all the things that you couldn't before ♪

♪ Don't walk away, don't roll your eyes ♪

♪ You say love is pain, then, darlin' ♪

♪ Let's hurt toni‐i‐ght ♪

Oh, my God.

Alright. Do you want to critique, or you want to just judge?

No, no, no, let well, uh, let's j‐‐

I just want her to stand here for a minute

because I can't believe she walked into

That was so great.

That was so beautiful. That was fabulous, okay?

I'm telling you.

Do you speak Spanish? Fluently.

Fluent? Yes.

Do you sing in Spanish? Yes.

What?

Yeah.

Can you give us a little taste, please?

Ay. Um...

♪ Alguien sin vida, alguien ♪

♪ Hecho pedazos alguien ♪

♪ Alguien que amó ♪

♪ Como te amaba yo ♪

Sure.

Hey, hey, listen.

Top 10? Oh, my God.

Yeah, she doesn't really miss notes.

No.

No.

You decided to come for "American Idol" real hard,

didn't you?

I really want this.

You think so?

That was great. That was fabulous.

Thank you so much.

I mean, her first note, I was like, "Ye‐e‐p!"

Oh, my God.

You guys...

Yeah.

Just... You've had a really good day.

Yeah, right!

No, no, I, uh... Just take it.

No, no. Just take it!

I‐I want to tell you something. Ooh!

Y'all gonna make me cry.

She was not joking around.

This is some top‐10 material here, okay? Yeah.

Congratulations. Thank you so much.

You're on your way to...

Hollywood! Hollywood! Hollywood!

Oh, you guys, thank you so much!

Wow! Thank God for you.

I just wrote down "star," okay?

Please, remember that.

I love you guys. Enjoy that ride.

Thank you so much.

Amazing. Congratulations. I look forward to seeing you guys!

You will.

This way to straight to Hollywood.

This is everything I've dreamt of since I was like 5.

Killer.

They said that I'm top 10.

Ah!

Material top‐10 material.

Top‐10 material, and those words are just gonna ring in my head

for literally the rest of my life.

Hey! We got it!

Boy, she's a big singer.

‐Ha ha! ‐We got it.

Yes! ♪ To heaven ♪

Tonight...

...our search for a superstar...

I'm gonna play y'all a song that I wrote

hopefully gonna be on the next Luke Bryan album.

...pulls out all the stops...

We need talent! It's an emergency!

No more yodeling!

No. No way.

Aah! Aah! No!

Is your toupee still on? Wow, wow.

...and uncovers unbelievable voices.

I love it!

We gettin' some talent up in here, huh?

This room is blessed!

Alright, well, this is a first.

Are we being punked? We being punked?

Don't go away. More "Idol" in 60.

Welcome back to Los Angeles,

a city that has a special place in one of our judges' hearts.

Look! You can even see the Hollywood sign over there!

Wow.

This is a view! That's a good omen!

♪ It's a beautiful night ♪

This actual rooftop... Yeah?

This is where Orlando and I got engaged.

Ah! No!

Yes. No!

He asked me to marry him in a helicopter.

And we landed the helicopter actually on this rooftop.

♪ Or is it this dancing juice? ♪

And can you believe that "American Idol"

decided to pick this building?

I just am feeling all the feelings.

I like that.

♪ Just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪

Oh, my God!

I remember this awning.

We were all out here, my whole family and friends.

He had surprised me.

Everyone was wearing, like, matching, like, sweaters.

It was really sweet. It was so beautiful.

All in this room.

Really? This room? This room?

It's here! I'm happy to celebrate it again.

Wow. Here we go.

As auditions continue, our next contestants are hoping

to take advantage of Katy's good mood

and give her something else to remember.

♪ Yesterday ♪

♪ Love was such an easy game to play ♪

Thank you.

There you go. Thank you.

There you go.

♪ Now I need a place to hide away ♪

♪ Oh, I believe ♪

♪ In yesterday ♪

You're a dream. Yeah.

Oh, my God. It's a yes from me.

You're giddy today, Katy. I...

Me? I'm not giddy!

Oh! I mean, I'm happy.

This is like sweet memories here in this room.

♪ Tears don't mean you're losing ♪

♪ Everybody's bruising ♪

♪ Just be true to who you are ♪

I don't like it.

I love it!

Oh, my God!

Y'all had me freaked out for a minute.

You're going to Hollywood!

Whoo! Come on down.

Whoo! Thank you so much.

♪ However far away ♪

♪ I will always love you ♪

Do you mind if I bring Leaira in here?

♪ However long I stay ♪

She's probably the greatest person that has ever been made.

Oh. ♪ I will always love you ♪

♪ Whatever words I say ♪

♪ I will always love you ♪

We want you both to celebrate together.

You're going to Hollywood! You're going to Hollywood! You're going to Hollywood!

Oh, my gosh!

Actually, I have one more thing, too.

What? What?

Um, you know I love you, right?

Oh, my God.

Ha ha!

No. No way. Oh.

Will you marry me? Yes!

Are you kidding me?

Oh, my God! Yes!

Jordan, you old dog. Baby.

I love it!

Wait. What?

Are you kidding me?

Oh, my God! Wait. I know!

Let me see this. Oh, my God.

Wait. This is a This is a big deal, babe. Oh, my God!

It's the hugest ring I've ever seen!

Come on. I love this.

Congratulations.

Oh, congratulations.

Thank you! I mean... here's this.

Thank you so much.

Oh, my gosh.

Killed it, man. Enjoy the ride out here, okay?

White house, picket fence.

Buy a picket fence.

This room is blessed!

This is a union! This room is love!

I'm gonna be pretty lovey‐dovey for the next couple days.

Yeah, right.

Back to reality. Let's go.

Bring 'em in.

Alright. Here we go.

How are you? Hi!

Doing well. How are you?

We're good, we're good.

I know your partner there.

Yeah.

Howdy, howdy. How you doing?

How you doing, Shawn?

No way! Really, huh?

Doing all right.

Is he a big deal?

He's a badass.

Really, huh? I concur with that.

There we go.

Yeah, so, uh

I'm just a guitar picker, man.

Oh! Please.

Uh, my name's Lauren Mascitti,

and, uh, I brought my fiancé here, Shawn Camp, with me.

Alright.

Whoo! Your fiancé!

I got one, too! We fancy and fresh!

I know you do. I know.

I heard. Congratulations, by the way.

Thank you. Now we just have to make it down the aisle.

Ah. Yes.

Oh, that's easy. Absolutely.

Get to the aisle. Just get to it.

Get to Just get to the Any aisle, get to it.

Yeah.

Very true. Y'all know Shawn.

He's He's an incredible songwriter.

He's written a lot of great stuff

"Two Piña Coladas" for Garth Brooks,

"How Long Gone" for Brooks & Dunn...

That's exactly right.

..."Would You Go With Me" for Josh Turner and...

Okay, but what about you?

Well, I grew up singing gospel music in church,

and, uh, I was, uh, raised and adopted by my grandparents.

Nana and Papaw were really encouraging

of my my desire to do music.

I grew up in Lewisville, Ohio.

It was a very small, little farm community.

Whenever I was little, I knew I wanted to be a songwriter.

Oh, Nana!

There you go! There, you got it!

My nana and papaw knew that I wanted to move to Nashville

to do music and be a songwriter.

♪ Call it dumb luck ♪

They said, "Well, we'll move to Nashville with you,

but you got to get a degree first."

I went to nursing school in Ohio and and I got

my first nursing job when we moved to Nashville.

Discharging tomorrow, maybe? Hopefully.

I love my work as a nurse, and everything I do,

I want it to help people and inspire people,

and and I've gotten a lot of inspiration

from my nursing career for my music,

so it's taught me a lot.

My biggest fan when it comes to my music is definitely Nana.

Um, but maybe closely ties with Shawn.

They're both, like, my number‐one fans.

♪ When the bones are good, the rest don't matter ♪

How you feeling? I'm feeling alright.

Well, you're the best I ever heard,

so I believe you're gonna knock it out of the park.

He's such an incredible musician,

and Shawn is very much Nana‐approved.

I told Shawn

my maid of honor is gonna have to be Nana.

Just go out there and be yourself.

Thank you, baby.

Having Shawn in the room with me

I know will ease the tension a little bit.

The mission is to make it to Hollywood

and Nana's gonna go to Hollywood.

Very good. Well, good deal. Let's hear it.

Let's hear it. Uh, this is a song I wrote

with a friend of mine, Renée Martin.

It's called "If I Can Lose You."

♪ I love you so much ♪

♪ But I'm so afraid ♪

♪ Lately, I feel like you're pullin' away ♪

♪ I give and I give, but all you ever do ♪

♪ Is take ♪

♪ And if you can leave me ♪

♪ That's how it should be ♪

♪ If you can stand to let go of my hand ♪

♪ Then just walk away ♪

♪ I want to love you ♪

♪ Like nobody's loved you ♪

♪ But if I can lose you ♪

♪ I think I need to ♪

Wow.

Great song. Great song, you guys.

Thank you.

That was very moving.

I love the feeling and emotion in your voice.

Thank you. Mm.

I'm a sucker for a good songwriter.

I think what I love the most

is that you have this silky quality of a storyteller,

and that's the part I‐I really fell in love with.

Thank you.

You know, we had Laci Kaye Booth last year... Right, right, right.

...who was kind of smoky and... Right.

But she even had a little bit lower voice than you did. Yeah.

But she did so well because it was so...

her thing.

Authentic. Yeah.

Like I said, are you gonna go stand beside

some Kelly Clarkson belter?

No, but are you gonna be able to walk out there

and really hold a room with your style?

Potentially yes.

Best storyteller wins.

Yes.

That's true. So...

Bang. Right there.

...if you tell a story and we believe you through and through,

we're gonna subscribe.

Yeah, we will be butter. Thank you.

We will melt. You know?

Yes. Make us melt. Let's take a vote.

Let's take a vote. I'm a big‐time yes.

Aww.

I'm a yes.

And And I've melted already.

And I'm a yes for sure so...

Yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. You going to Hollywood, sweetheart. Come on.

Thank you so much! Alright!

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Aww! Thank you so much.

Congrats. God bless you.

Hollywood! It's gonna be really real.

You got it. We're gonna put her through it, so keep the line open.

That's okay.

I'm country. I'm tough. I can take it.

You can. I see those boots.

Thank y'all. Take care.

There's some good news.

Congratulations!

Thank you so much!

It means everything to be able to go home

and bring back this golden ticket to my nana and my papaw.

They have sacrificed so much for me to be able to do music.

I know they're gonna be super excited,

and, uh, I‐I'm just I can't wait to tell them.

♪ Thank God that my life's already good ♪

Hello, and welcome to

another episode of "Country Fried,"

bringing you the best country‐music conversations.

My name's Ryan Harmon, and it is my pleasure

to be able to bring arguably the king of Nashville

to the show, Mr. Bobby Bones.

And very arguably.

Very, very arguably.

I‐I know we have a limited time here,

but I really want to get into

where you are and how you got there.

I grew up in a small town called Mountain Pine, Arkansas.

At 5 years old, they asked us

what we wanted to be when we grew up

and my grandmother saved it

and I said I wanted to be a comedian, a radio host,

and I wanted to be in a band.

Um, from an early age, I'd kind of set my goals

to get out of the situation that I grew up in.

And it wasn't the best home situation,

so that was kind of the path out.

Kind of changing subjects here.

This is all hypothetical. Okay, go ahead.

So, say that I knew somebody

who was auditioning for "American Idol"? Mm‐hmm.

Hypothetical, what would they need to know

before they go in there?

Before you walk in the room, you know,

you got to come to the realization that you deserve to be here.

Maybe you get the golden ticket, maybe you don't.

Maybe you learn something from the experience

that takes you down a different path.

But before you walk in, you got to know

that you have earned your spot to be here today.

I appreciate that. That's why I'll say hypothetically.

Hypo‐‐ I know we got a little specifically hypothetical.

Hypothetically. But hypothetically.

Welcome to "American Idol." Hey.

On a scale of 9 to 10, how do I look?

My name's Ryan Harmon. I'm 24 years old.

Come from a little town called Lamar, Arkansas.

♪ Nobody knows I'm Elvis ♪

♪ Nobody knows this is me ♪

We've got a big ol' power plant in Russellville, Arkansas.

My dad works there, my brother works there,

my sister‐in‐law works there, my aunt works there,

my uncle works there.

I didn't quite make the cut.

♪ Nobody knows I'm Elvis ♪

You press one wrong button,

and the whole thing just goes away,

so I better just stick with the guitar.

We're either getting golden ticket or Golden Corral tonight.

I don't care which one it is.

♪ I want to show you Graceland, baby ♪

You know, I'm one of those guys

that's been in country music all my put‐together,

so let's get it done.

Howdy. How y'all doing?

What's up? Hey, now.

You have been waiting a very long time.

I sure have, but, dadgummit, it's worth it.

Oh! Great.

Dadgummit.

He He does a better "dadgummit" than me.

I was gonna say.

That's how we do it in Arkansas. What can I say?

Aw, I love it.

Oh, my gosh. You have a little whistle, too.

Perfection takes time. I just...

Can you say "shooey"?

Shooey! That is like...

There you go. That needs to be a ringtone.

Now, if my voice gets blown out after that,

can I blame it on you or...?

You were born to say "shooey."

I'm sure you got a million "shooeys" in you there.

I got plenty.

Well, tell us who you are, where you're from.

I'm Ryan Harmon, 24 years old,

from Lamar by golly Arkansas,

and just tickled to be here.

"Back alley" Arkansas?

"By golly, Arkansas."

"By golly, Arkansas."

Oh, "by golly"? "By golly."

No, it's Golly, Arkansas.

You understand where I'm going?

He just lives right by Golly, Ar‐‐ Never mind.

Oh, is it by Golly? No.

Oh, so, what do you do for a living?

Come on, help me out here a little bit, Ryan.

Well, I work at the local PBS station there

in Conway, Arkansas,

and just started a new podcast called "Country Fried"...

What? ...all about country music.

So we're gonna get you on there.

There you go. Don't fry me too bad, baby.

Who do you listen to?

I mean, who are your

who are your people that you follow?

Sure. Musically? Musically.

Well one of the guys you just saw, Shawn Camp.

How 'bout that? Right? Pass him in the hallway?

One of my favorites. Yeah.

Well, what are you gonna do for us today?

I'm gonna play y'all a song that I wrote,

uh, that's, uh, hopefully gonna be on the next Luke Bryan album.

Sell that stuff!

Hey, I hope it is.

I hope it is.

Name it and claim it. Ah!

Let us hear it, man.

It's called "I Knew This Would Happen."

♪ Here we sit ♪

♪ All alone ♪

♪ Without a single word to say ♪

♪ There was a time when that's how we'd want to be ♪

♪ Slow‐dancin' while the music played ♪

♪ Darlin', won't you tell me ♪

♪ What could it be ♪

♪ Yours must be too hard to find ♪

♪ Everybody goes through this ♪

♪ Something you just can't fix ♪

♪ We're just a‐wasting precious time ♪

♪ So if you're gonna leave me now ♪

♪ Tell me, is it worth the pain ♪

♪ Tell me, do your tears fall like rain ♪

♪ If we're goin' through with this ♪

♪ Can we settle for one last kiss? ♪

♪ Well, honey, I saw it comin', but that don't make it right ♪

♪ I knew this would happen ♪

♪ Just didn't know it'd be tonight ♪

Alright, alright.

Nice.

Are you writing these in Arkansas by yourself?

Yes, sir.

You got a band? Are you gigging some?

I just play solo every chance I get.

I love it. You're 24?

Yes, sir. Have you ever considered moving to Nashville?

Yes, sir, I sure have considered it.

What's holding you up?

I put the dream aside. Mm‐hmm.

And I focused on a real job

and didn't really give myself a chance.

Mm‐hmm. Mm‐hmm.

Whether I fell flat on my face or not,

just to at least not go out of this world wondering,

"Well, what if?"

Yeah.

Well, you're 24,

and when I was 24, I had a real job.

Right. And then, when I turned 25,

I got tired of having a real job

and moved to Nashville.

To be writing good‐quality songs by yourself

down in Arkansas is a tough thing to do.

In Nashville, the competition will up your game.

I think you ought to really consider that one day.

Your voice is pretty dang good.

Thank you.

I‐I just trying to wrap my head around,

"Is it 'American Idol' stuff?"

Right.

Ryan, I think you have something to build on.

You have a great voice.

Well, thank you.

And I think you got so much personality.

I just think you need to keep carving it out.

I think you're a couple years away

from really being able to work that magic dust, you know?

Right. Let me just say this to you.

Trust yourself to go to Nashville

and get in the business.

You can circle the pond.

One day, you got to jump in the water.

Yeah.

You want to take a vote, guys?

I'm gonna say no for this trip,

but an optimistic no... Yep.

...because you got it.

Thank you.

I'm an optimistic no, as well.

Luke?

Nashville needs good, ol' country guys like you.

I think that you got a little place there.

Yeah, play the game.

Well, thank you. Very good.

Yeah, but, uh, I'm a very optimistic no, too,

but I want to encourage you to, man

you know, don't let people tell you stuff

and let time pass you by. Right.

Man, that's that that's the best no I've ever heard.

It really is a pleasure to meet y'all.

No, man, you No, we mean that, though.

We mean it, though. Seriously. Thank you so much.

Nice to meet you, Ryan. Alright?

Good to meet you. Thank y'all. You take care.

Well, a lot of times, we just go, "No."

Ryan? They hated me!

No. No! That's impossible.

No, it was You know what?

That was the best

probably the best thing I've ever heard.

He's a Grand Ole Opry host. Yeah?

He could sit there and host the Grand Ole Opry right now.

Oh, absolutely.

They said it was an optimistic no

because they want me to go to Nashville.

Really? Yeah.

They said, "That's where you belong."

That's awesome. Yay!

All three of them. So not Hollywood?

No, not not Hollywood.

But to Nashville? But to Nashville.

♪ Count your blessings and your stars ♪

I certainly hope it's not the last that you see of me.

I‐If it is, it's been fun.

But I certainly hope it isn't.

I think this is just the beginning.

♪ While you still can ♪

Shooey!

Are you ready? Yeah.

Okay, Courtney. Do we have a number?

You don't have a number.

Oh. It's okay.

I'm number one.

Number one?

Alright. Well, this is a first.

So, let me introduce you to the judges.

Judges, this is Courtney.

Hi, Courtney. Hi, Courtney. How are you?

Hi. I was walking down the street,

and Courtney was at the corner,

and she was sitting there, and she looked very sad,

and I said, "What's going on?"

She said, "Well, I showed up to audition,

but I think I missed the deadline.

But this is my dream,

and I've wanted to do this all my life."

And so I grabbed her and brought her up the elevator.

I've been sitting out here since, uh, 8:00 this morning.

8:00 this morning?

Mm‐hmm. Just sitting all day. Really?

Yeah. I was gonna wait for, like, however long it took.

Like, I do not care.

Oh, so you're literally just waiting for everybody to leave?

Yeah. I was over there, and then I was over there.

Then I was over here.

The problem is,

the producers have started the auditions with the judges...

Right.

...and I don't know if they're signing anybody else up.

Right. That's the problem.

Mm. Okay.

But the solution to that problem is me just taking you up there

and seeing if they let you go.

Okay. I can't I can't promise you,

'cause I haven't asked them, but... Sure.

At least if we get up there,

they have to say no to your face,

which is probably harder.

Right?

Okay. So you want to go up?

Definitely.

No one has heard her.

We don't have any idea what she sounds like.

Are you kidding me?

This is a This is a first.

Okay, you're on. Go ahead.

It's all you.

Hi!

Welcome to the big show!

Ah. You really skipped the steps.

I definitely did.

So, what's your name? Courtney Timmons.

Where are you from?

It's called Harris Neck, Georgia.

Harrison Ache, Georgia?

It's in the woods. Hair Snake?

Harris Neck, like neck. Harris Neck.

And how young are you?

I'm 22 years old.

What do you do for work?

Uh, I'm a security guard.

So, because of your security‐guard background,

were you able to manipulate our security guards?

Seems so. Ah!

Well, there's several of them locked in a closet.

But, um...

So, did you hear that "American Idol" was filming?

Actually, I didn't hear about it until last minute.

Yeah? Right.

So I was like,

"Well, I'll just sit outside until I can't anymore."

You mean to tell me you were there

because you wanted just to be heard?

That's all. That's all.

That is all. Alright, well, you know what?

We love curveballs at "American Idol."

Sometimes they turn into American Idols.

So, Courtney...

Yes, ma'am.

Now's your chance.

Now's your time. That's so great.

♪ You're broken down and tired ♪

♪ Of living life on a merry‐go‐round ♪

♪ And you can't find the fighter ♪

♪ But I see it in you, so we're gonna walk it out ♪

♪ And mo‐o‐o‐ve ♪

♪ Mountains ♪

♪ We gonna walk it out ♪

♪ And mo‐o‐o‐o‐ve ♪

♪ Mountains ♪

♪ And we'll rise up ♪

♪ We'll rise like the day ♪

♪ We'll rise up ♪

♪ Rise unafraid ♪

♪ Arise up ♪

♪ And I'll do it a thousand times again ♪

♪ For you ♪

♪ For you ♪

♪ For you ♪

♪ For you ♪

Hold on.

Are we being...

Yeah, are we being punked? We being punked?

Yeah. Hold on.

Before this show started,

I saw her sitting outside on the sidewalk.

I thought you were just kind of a fan of the show.

You can sing.

No, no, no, you can "sang."

Really?

It's a difference between singin' and sangin'.

You are a bird, girl.

Yeah, I did not think I would get the chance

to come up here in front of you guys.

Do you want to be a star?

Do you want to be an American Idol?

I do. I want to be a singer more than anything.

And then, when they said this wasn't an open call,

I was a little discouraged.

But I'm gonna tell y'all, I was gonna sit all day.

She was just by herself like

No, I saw her outside.

She said, "Hey, Katy." I was like, "Hey, girl."

At least I saw you, so that was enough.

Uh, n‐‐ Hold on.

At least you saw us? Yeah.

You're one of the best singers we've had today. Exactly.

Really? Oh, my gosh!

You're probably the best singer we've seen today.

Absolutely correct.

Thank you.

Courtney Timmons.

Yes. Security guard from Georgia.

This is really magical.

This is a magical moment.

We're gonna send you to Hollywood.

♪ I will never stop marching ♪ Oh, my God!

You've got to be kidding me!

I came for you.

Would you do me a favor, Ryan?

Would you do me a favor? I know!

Go over there where she is.

Yes, sir.

Sorry, I'm like a parent.

I'm crying. You're crying?

Yeah.

Gang, come right here.

Here goes Katy!

Come right here.

Here, Katy.

Alright. Drip on this.

Stand right here. Stand right here.

I literally saw her sitting on the sidewalk. I know, I know.

Alright, now... That was Oof!

...would you take the golden walk, please?

Yes, yes, yes, yes!

♪ I'mma take the walk ♪

♪ I'mma take the walk ♪

Congratulations.

Thank you so much!

Hey, we didn't we didn't seal the deal for you.

You ready? Oh, my God!

1, 2, 3...

You're going to Hollywood!

Oh, my God!

That is what you call determination.

Unbelievable. I was. I was determined.

You came in here so confident.

Yeah.

And two of us have emotion and hearts. Ah!

Oh, well, actually, us two,

we probably don't have any emotion,

but when you get us, you really get us. But I‐I...

Yeah.

Hold on, Courtney. You know what?

You are what "American Idol" is.

Thank you. Aww.

You're the new definition. So amazing.

Alright, well, let's go get everything sorted. Okay.

Okay, thanks guys. Appreciate it. Thank you!

Thank you! Thank you!

Congratulations, Courtney. Thank you.

Great story.

What a great...

Katy needs attention!

Makeup, please.

And here's your official "American Idol" number.

Something like this, it's a miracle.

It doesn't happen just for anybody,

and it means everything to me.

Daddy. Oh, my gosh.

I sung for them, and they told me, like,

I'm one of the best people they'd seen all day.

What?! Yes!

And guess who's going to Hollywood!

Are you serious?

I'm so serious right now!

I can't breathe. I might pass out.

Hallelujah!

I need makeup!

♪ Oh, I will rescue you ♪

You're looking great.

♪ What about us? ♪

♪ What about all the times you said you had the answers? ♪

My name is Lauren.

I am 16 years old, and I'm from Vancouver Island, Canada.

♪ What about all the broken happy‐ever‐afters? ♪

Vancouver Island is not too big of an island,

not that many people.

♪ Sticks and stones, they may break these bones ♪

I feel like I'm a very little girl with, like, a huge dream

and that, like, "American Idol" will help me, like,

achieve that dream in so many different ways.

♪ It's the start of us waking up, come on ♪

♪ I'll be ready ♪

♪ Are you ready? ♪

♪ I don't want control ♪

♪ I want to let go‐o‐o ♪

♪ But now it's time to let them know ♪

♪ So what about us? ♪

♪ What about all the plans that ended in disaster? ♪

♪ Said what about love ♪

♪ What about trust? ♪

♪ What about us? ♪

Wow. Wow.

Very good. Very good.

Very good.

That was...

Pbht!

Wow, I'm kind of I can't talk.

Uh, Lionel, what you got?

Yeah, I'm sitting over here thinking we're under full attack.

15‐, 16‐year‐olds are coming strong this trip, boy.

You are wise

and and gifted well beyond your age, okay?

I had to close my eyes for a minute and go,

"Who am I listening to?"

Amazing control.

Thank you.

And as much as I want to critique,

I just think you just did a great job.

Thank you.

Uh, honest to goodness,

you just continue going down that road,

and you could make something happen on this show.

I really must tell you, I‐I really love what you just did.

Thank you. Thank you.

I think your voice is super interesting.

You have this tone

that is making us very intrigued by you. Intrigued.

Thank you. Thank you.

Lauren, I think you have such a God‐given gift.

You may be 16, but that voice is a thousand years old.

Exactly.

You have a little bit of, like, a Leona Lewis vibe...

Yeah.

...to your voice, but it is very much you.

Mm‐hmm.

I think you have so much to work with,

and I think we can help you

carve out who you want to be as an artist,

what kind of music you want to do if you want.

Yes, I do want.

Alright. Let's vote. You sing circles around me.

I'm a big, big yes.

I'm a yes.

♪ And run ♪

I am a yes.

You are going to Hollywood, my dear.

Are you serious? Oh, please.

Are you kidding me? ♪ Only the young ♪

Set that island... Thank you.

Set that island on its on its end.

Congratulations. Okay? Thank you.

♪ Only the young ♪

I'm going to Hollywood!

♪ Only the young ♪

I am so excited.

Like, surreal moment.

Like, did I just sing for those three amazing, famous people?

Young'un. Young'un.

Just their mentoring and their wisdom is gonna help me, like,

shape the artist that I want to be

and help me become something

that I've been dreaming of my whole life.

Whoo! Whoo!

While 16‐year‐old Lauren may seem like an old soul,

it was our next Oregon hopeful who helped remind us

how important it is to be young at heart.

Yeah! Oh, yeah!

Lionel Richie?

Boo‐yah.

Only thing he need right now is The Commodores.

And that'd make my night!

My name is DeWayne Crocker Jr.

I'm 23, and I'm from Pensacola, Florida.

♪ Ow, she's a brick ♪

I'm here with my great‐grandmother.

♪ House ♪

She's 78 years old.

She has on 6‐inch heels, a bad dress,

and I'm so excited that she's here 'cause she's so lit.

♪ House ♪

♪ House ♪

I'm hoping that Lionel Richie will like me, period.

Mr. Richie! Wow!

I just want to touch him like when we're teenagers.

If I got a ticket to Hollywood,

I would be so happy, man.

I've practiced a lot, and I believe I'm ready.

What's up? Hey, now.

What's up, what's up, what's up?

Who are you? Where are you from?

How young are you?

I'm DeWayne Crocker Jr. from Pensacola, Florida,

and I'm 23 years old.

DeWayne Crocker Jr. Crocker Jr.

Alright, tell me a little bit about your life singing,

growing up, and...

Well, I think we have a lot in common.

I grew up as a PK, so, um, I'm a worship leader now.

Yep.

And I just I love God, I love what I do at my church,

and I love singing,

so I'm excited to showcase that today.

Awesome. Alright. Well, what are you gonna share with us?

Bobby McFerrin, "Don't Worry Be Happy."

Interesting. Yeah. Cool choice.

Alright, DeWayne. Let's do it.

♪ Here's a little song Bob wrote ♪

♪ You might want to sing it note for note ♪

♪ Don't worry ♪

♪ But be happy ♪

♪ In every life, we have some trouble ♪

♪ When you worry, you make it double ♪

♪ Don't worry ♪

♪ But be happy ♪

♪ Eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh‐eeh ♪

♪ Eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh ♪

♪ Eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh ♪

♪ Eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh ♪

♪ Eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh‐eeh ♪

♪ Eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh, eeh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Oh, oh ♪

♪ Be happy‐y‐y ♪

Nice one.

I've never heard that rendition.

Thank you.

I think that I like the timbre of your voice.

Yes, sir.

You really just have to think emotional.

Yes, sir.

But at the same time, your presentation,

you've got to think show business.

I think you've got the goods.

Yeah, DeWayne, you know, if this is your range,

you got the lows, the highs

when you get to that 3/4 range,

you're really, really great.

Thank you.

But you're a little unsure

when you get in the lower registers.

Yes, sir.

It was an interesting take on "Don't Worry Be Happy."

I think that you were showing off your range,

especially with turning that whistle part into your falsetto,

and that was ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

That was smart. That was very smart. Uh...

I can't whistle, y'all.

I've tried since I was a kid.

It's okay, but I really want to tear down that wall

and really emotionally connect.

You know? Yeah. Yeah.

Less tricksy and more connected.

Yes, yes. Thank you.

Alright. Let's take a vote.

Let's see. I'll start first.

It's gonna be a yes for me.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Yes! Yes!

Wow, wow. Wow, wow!

It's a "roll the dice" for me.

Wow.

I hope to connect with you more.

It looks like you're going to Hollywood, though.

Wow! Congratulations, man.

Wow! Wow, wow.

♪ Go ahead and tell everybody ♪

Thank you so much. Thank you.

Thank you. Man. I'll see y'all in Hollywood.

I'll see you in Hollywood. Alright, yeah.

I'll see you. I have a great‐grandmother.

She's 78, and she loves you.

Oh, goodness! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Oh...my...goddess.

Wait. Give me that dress!

He tells me...

What was that number? 78?

Whoo! Wait, no.

You just calm yourself down now.

Security.

I need security over here.

You just stay there.

Hey, darling.

How are you?

Ooh! I'm so blessed.

Oh, my God! Ah!

Mr. Richie. Let me tell you something.

Wait, wait, now. You don't even know this.

What?

My husband and I met on "Lady."

No way! Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

We would dance to "Lady."

And when we got married, we walked down the aisle...

With "Lady." ...with "Lady."

Ah.

I had to see you.

Oh, I had to see you!

Aw, wait. Because if it hadn't have been for you,

they wouldn't have been here.

You understand!

That's a great way to go into Hollywood!

You understand I take I take credit here.

Alright, Lionel. I take credit.

What a sweetheart of a great‐grandmother. Oh, my goodness!

Mr. Richie! Oh, my God.

♪ Lady ♪

Oh, yes. May I?

♪ I'm your knight in shining armor ♪

♪ And I love you ♪

♪ You have made me what I am ♪

♪ And I am yours ♪

Ahh!

Mm!

You are a treasure.

Thank you.

Thank you for coming to us. And thank you very much.

She called me Mr. Richie. Mr. Richie and The Commodores...

Call me Call me Lionel for God's sake.

...at The California Club. What?!

What do you know about The Cal‐‐

What?

No way! Way!

No.

This is my club days.

Love you, my dear. Thank you very much.

Love you, love you.

And thank you, Ms. Perry. Love you.

Ms. Perry!

Whoo!

Whoo!

♪ Oh, what a feelin' ♪

Whoo!

♪ When we're dancin' on the ceiling ♪

I'm starting to believe all the things you say now.

The California Club? The Commodores?

The California C‐‐

I mean, these stories are all real!

By the way, The California Club is this big.

I mean, we did five shows a night.

Well, she obviously came to some of them. And she was right there.

I am so proud of you! Yes.

Whoo! I want to cry, babe.

♪ When you're dancin'... ♪

I'm going to Hollywood! Hollywood!

Six or seven years ago,

I started sliding off the deep end,

found myself on the street.

I remember that face!

I had no motivation to sing whatsoever.

My passion was gone for a while,

and my voice was gone for a while.

♪ I‐I'm... ♪

You're a preacher, for sure. I‐I'll go to the church.

I just felt that song through and through.

I just couldn't stop watching you.

We're getting some talent up in here.

I ain't letting any more people go through

unless they're as good as that.

♪ There's a place in the world for the angry young man ♪

♪ With his working‐class ties and his radical plans ♪

♪ He refuses to bend, he refuses to crawl ♪

♪ He's always at home with his back to the wall ♪

♪ And he's proud of the scars and the battles he's lost ♪

♪ And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on the cross ♪

♪ And he likes to be known as the angry young man ♪

♪ Whoa, whoa ♪

That's what I came for.

How do you do that?!

Oh, one hand behind your back!

You think you're cool!

This is Katy Perry with the moves, y'all.

Little Billy Joel for you all.

You're extremely talented,

but you're still not singing really, really believable.

Yeah. I'm trying to discover you.

Think you need to hone in on your skills just a bit more.

It's gonna be a no this time.

Yeah, it's a no for me for this time.

Man, it's a no for me.

Thank you. Thank y'all so much.

Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Thank you. Thank you. That really sounds great.

Thank you.

Hey! No.

No? No.

Aww! It's all good.

That song wasn't necessarily great,

but I appreciated what he was trying to do.

Mm‐hmm. Yeah, I did, yeah.

Same here.

Hey, hey.

Hey, how you guys doing?

What's your name?

My name is Dillon James.

How young are you?

I'm 26 years old, actually.

And you have a massive chest tattoo.

Yes, I do have my full torso tattooed, yeah.

I mean...show us a little bit more if you want.

Is that a dragon?

No, it's it's actually Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ? Really, huh?

Yeah, let me see if I can lift this up.

Wow!

Wow! Ooh!

Oh, my gosh!

Yeah. A lot of tattoos.

They're just, uh, things that I've picked up over the years.

Very cool.

Tell us about your life growing up.

Uh, it was pretty good.

I had a good home life, and, uh, kind of, as I got older,

I met my trials and tribulations through drugs and alcohol,

and just a lot of things happened to me

that made me turn into the man I am today,

trying to do better than what I was doing before, and so...

Growing up in Bakersfield, I mean,

it was a lot of industrial work and a lot of agricultural work.

Okay, we're good to go.

Currently, I'm working with my dad.

Can I put these on there?

Yep. Hook up the chains.

He owns an asphalt company,

and we're out there paving roads and stuff.

I've been lucky enough to be able to do that with my dad

and be able to still play music.

♪ I'm just a man, but I'm know that I'm damned ♪

I fell in love with music at a young age,

and I never fell out of love with it.

It just kind of became like a friend you never lose.

It's kind of helped me through a lot so...

Six or seven years ago,

I started sliding off the the deep end.

Just started using drugs and drinking all the time.

When I was at my worst, I lost pretty much everything

and found myself on the streets no money.

I found like a like a big old parking structure,

and so I'm like, "I might as well sleep up there."

I would put my arm and my leg

off the edge of the parking structure,

and so I said, "I'm gonna sleep like this.

If I fall off, I fall off.

I mean, at least I won't have to think about it

'cause I'll be asleep.

♪ I'm goin' away for a long time ♪

I was so fed up with life.

Everything I thought that I was was nothing of what I could be,

'cause it was nothing I that I could be proud of.

Did you guys already get the job done today? Yeah.

My family, as soon as I told them,

"This is what I'm dealing with

and if you can accept me, you know...

I want to be your son.

I want to be your brother.

I don't want to just give up on you guys."

So that's what I did.

♪ Die if I must, let my bones turn to dust ♪

Sorry.

♪ I'm the lord of the lake, and I don't want to leave ♪

Yeah. I don't talk about this a lot.

Every day was a battle, and he wanted to do better.

My family gave me all that unconditional love.

Now that I‐I realize what I was getting at the time,

all I have now is the rest of my life to pay them back.

I love him like I almost lost him, and I have him back.

And I'm not letting go.

♪ Die if I must, let my bones turn to dust ♪

Now it's been two years,

and no drips of alcohol and no drugs.

With all that I've gone through,

with everything that I've learned,

that way that I feel when I play and I can connect and feel it,

is true to me, is true to my story.

And so if I feel it, hopefully these people could feel it, too.

Wow.

Yeah.

Dillon, what are you gonna sing for us today?

I have, uh, "Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan.

Sure.

Interesting choice.

♪ When the rain is blowing in your face ♪

♪ And the whole world is on your case ♪

♪ I could offer you a warm embrace ♪

♪ To make you feel my love ♪

♪ When the evening shadows and the stars appear ♪

♪ And there is no one there to dry your tears ♪

♪ Oh, I could hold you for a million years ♪

♪ To make you feel my love ♪

Nice.

♪ I know you haven't made your mind up yet ♪

♪ But I could never do you wrong ♪

♪ I've known it from the moment that we met ♪

♪ No doubt in my mind where you belong ♪

♪ Well, I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue ♪

♪ Well, I'd go crawling down the avenue ♪

♪ Oh, there ain't nothing that I wouldn't do ♪

♪ To make you feel my love ♪

Alright, man. That was awesome.

Thank you.

You know, it's really hard for some people to come in

and just do

Oh, man. I'm so nervous.

You seem so cool!

Seemed so calm. I'm trying.

Uh, you know, I'm I‐I think, um,

it was really just done with feeling and and honesty.

Thank you. You know what?

And your voice is a little not what I expect.

Yeah. Yeah, it's unusual.

Yeah.

It's almost, like, got this Chris Isaak thing going on.

Yeah. Mm.

Mm‐hmm. Yeah, yeah.

Um, I'm I'm a I'm in all the way.

Wow, okay. Okay.

Well, I'm gonna throw my Valentino

in the in the pot, too.

I can't think of...

Don't have a cowboy hat.

You know, you gave us this story of surrender.

Whatever you were doing was the wrong direction,

and you stopped and turned around.

For you to interpret a song like that

and make us feel like that's your song is everything.

Thank you. You're a preacher, for sure.

I‐I'll go to the church. No doubt about it.

Thank you.

Um, Dillon, you are mysterious.

Thank you. I'm intrigued.

I mean, you have this kind of, like,

you know, interesting presence.

It's a bit like country Post Malone.

But what happens if you come to the City of Lost Angels?

What are you gonna do to give yourself some help

so that you don't spiral?

Well, I‐I think, uh, it would be almost an impossibility to me

to try and go back, and I think I need to lead by exam‐‐

The devil works harder. I know, I know,

but I have a loving family that keeps me grounded,

and, uh, I have meditation to help me out

when I think I'm getting a little blurry.

Yes. I love a spiritual cowboy.

Let's take a vote. Yes.

Yes.

No‐brainer. Yes.

You're going to Hollywood. You're going to Hollywood.

♪ Whoa, shine a light on ♪

Come up here and pick this thing up, my brother.

Here's your second chance. Alright?

Thank you very much. Hey, thank you very much.

Thank you so much. I appreciate you guys.

Oh, you shaking? You're shaking? Thank you.

I'm shaking.

Alright. You guys have a good one.

Take care. Dillon James.

Sounds like he was named for it.

Aah! Whoo!

The last few years for me have been pretty rough.

So it feels very good to have this golden ticket.

I almost had a heart attack in there. Oh, my God!

It means everything to me.

It means, uh, maybe the start

of something more than what I am right now, so...

Congratulations. Give me another hug.

I'm just so proud of him.

And he's been through so much,

and he's overcome so much.

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Shine a light on ♪

♪ Shine a light on me ♪

Unh‐unh! You give me some of that before you make it gross.

Are you, like, so excited to meet Katy Perry?

Yeah, it's like weird, but, like, she's weird,

so, like, maybe we'll both be quirky.

You're wearing an iridescent bucket hat so...

I'm Geena Fontanella.

I'm 27 years old, from Los Angeles, California.

♪ You make me feel like I'm living a ♪

I have loved Katy Perry since, like, the beginning.

Like, I've been to all of her shows.

And she was one of, like, my major influences as a kid.

And I started, like,

watching all of her videos on YouTube and being like,

"How is she playing them?"

Now I'm at "American Idol," and I'm just really excited

to just play a song in front of her

and and see what she, you know, thinks.

♪ Don't ever look back ♪

♪ Don't ever look back ♪

Love the look!

Thanks!

It's a little loud,

but, you know, draw attention to yourself.

Aw, no such thing as too loud in this company.

Right, that's true.

I'm following after Katy, for sure. There you go.

There we go. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The ch‐‐ The chandelier, the hamburger, the

I put the "T" back in sub‐tle.

There you go.

That's how loud I am.

Right. Exactly.

So, uh, tell us who you are and where you're from.

Yeah, so my name's Geena Fontanella.

I'm from here originally,

and I started music in the church,

very again, very similar to you.

Actually, I saw you at Spirit West Coast.

Whoa! Whoa!

Whoa! Throwback, right? Yeah. No way!

"Faith Won't Fail" all day.

Well, we're excited to hear what you got.

Uh, what are you gonna sing today? Yeah.

I'm gonna sing an original called "Don't Want You Back."

Ooh. Very good. Yeah.

♪ You broke it off, and I'll admit how much I hated it ♪

♪ Tried to make it my fault ♪

♪ I convinced myself I'd never get over it ♪

♪ Well, I guess I was wrong ♪

♪ When I was yours, I didn't care one bit ♪

♪ Now that I'm gone, it's like you won't admit ♪

♪ Unh, that you regretted every day that you ended it ♪

♪ But now I moved on ♪

♪ You hate I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

♪ Unh ♪

♪ Hey, I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

♪ You don't need to call or tell me your case ♪

♪ I've been doing just fine since you left me ♪

♪ You hate I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

Okay, so are you guys willing to help me on a part?

It's pretty simple.

Alright.

Yeah. Alright.

♪ Hey, I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

Okay, here we go.

♪ Hey, I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

Whoo! Okay. Hey, one more time.

♪ Hey, I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

Yeah!

♪ Hey, I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

Whoo!

♪ You hate I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hey, I don't want you back ♪

♪ Hate that I don't want you back ♪

Very good. Very good, very good.

Wow. Thank you.

Very good.

Very good.

Can I see what you look like?

Just 'cause I like What, without the hat?

I don't know if you want to see that.

Let me see it. I like literally The hat hair?

I don't care. I literally can't tell your fa‐‐

Okay, cool. Awesome.

Thank you, thank you. No, you're great.

Thanks.

I think you're very personable. Thanks.

Um, I think you have a good voice.

I think that, when you go

♪ You don't need to ♪

You know, and you go into that part? Yeah.

It's really appealing,

and I like what your voice sounds like

when it's in that register.

Yeah. I just want it to get a little bit more interesting

before it goes there. You know?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

I think, in the verses,

you had a really, really cool sound.

Um, some of the stuff in the chorus was a little safe,

in my opinion.

Maybe just... dig in a little more.

Yeah.

I love the character.

Thanks. You walk out onstage,

and we want to know you immediately.

Thank you.

And then you open your mouth, and you have a hook.

Yeah. And we know it.

When you say, "Come on, sing along,"

we can sing it back to you.

That's the test of a song.

Yeah. Good. Okay?

Awesome. Let's vote.

Katy?

I'm gonna put this back on.

Yeah.

Geena, it's a yes.

Okay, cool. Lionel?

I like what I saw.

You got a yes from me.

Sweet. Yes from me.

You're going to Hollywood. Ah.

♪ California girls ♪ Whoo!

Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

Thank you. Appreciate it.

Good luck! So nice to meet you.

Opens the door with force!

It went so good!

I mean, those people have sold out stadiums,

and then they're singing my song.

That's so weird! Aah! That's so crazy.

Whoo! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

I think Katy was, like, a little bit on the fence.

But I got three yeses.

That's all that matters.

Whoo!

Hollywood, let's go!

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪

Hollywood, which is basically right next door

to us here in Los Angeles,

where celebrity sightings of movie stars and rock stars

are almost a daily occurrence.

So it was no surprise

when the next contestant walked in the room.

♪ Lost in the City of Angels ♪

Oh! Hey, guys.

How's it going?

What's up?

We're here. Good to see you!

Hey, tell us who you are and where you're from.

So my name is Jared Lettow the other Jared Lettow...

...and I'm from Santa Barbara, California,

originally from Des Moines, Iowa.

Do you get annoyed explaining your Jared Leto‐ness?

I mean, I kind of like the attention, and it's a good icebreaker.

So people are like, "Oh, my gosh, you're Jared Leto?" Exactly.

I'm like, "Yeah, I'm Jared Leto."

Ha ha! So ha ha.

Do you think you'll have to change your name?

I don't know. I thought about that.

It's like, "Hmm, I don't know if I should."

What's your middle name?

Nels. Jared N‐‐ Jared Nels.

No, you're Jared "Nails"!

I guess I'm Jared "Nails" because I'm gonna nail the audition.

Oh! I like him.

Do you have any special singing talents?

I do. I'm a yodeler. Ooh!

Okay. Oh, yeah. Let's hear it.

Here we go. Yeah.

Sing Sing

You got this.

You're You're the

You're Jared Lettow the yodeler.

Jared Lettow the yodeler. I like it.

There's only one of you.

Alright.

♪ Rollin' down the highway ♪

♪ California sun ♪

♪ Takin' in the air on the 101 ♪

♪ Moved here from the heartland ♪

♪ And lovin' every day ♪

♪ I'm a California yodeler, and I think I'm here to stay ♪

♪ I'm a California yodeler ♪

♪ And I think I'm here to stay ♪

♪ Hey ♪

Stop!

No more yodeling!

♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ I hit That is

Yep, I've hit my yodeling quota for the for the year.

That is That's ama‐‐ That's

Thank you.

Um, who who taught you who taught you how to do that?

Self‐taught.

Do girls walk up to you and they're like...

"I saw you yodel"?

Maybe after this they will.

I would love to kn‐‐ be able to yodel.

You want to give it a shot?

Sure.

Alright, alright. So repeat after me.

Whoa! That's pretty good! That's really

Hey, you got you got the tongue going, man.

We'll do the second part.

That was good, though. Was close, was close.

It's that look on her face that I'm loving most.

You get a cramp in the neck muscle?

I'm fine. I don't need to yodel.

My business manager. Alright.

Jared Lettow.

I think you definitely have

one of the coolest party tricks I've ever heard.

But I just don't think it's right for "American Idol."

Jared Lettow... it's a "no‐del."

Aw.

No. It's gonna have to be a no for me.

Okay. Thank you.

Jared, thank you, man. It's a no from me, bud.

Thank you, guys. But I will see you at the bar in Santa Barbara,

and we will yodel together.

Oh, yeah! Yes, you will. Thank you, man.

Wednesday nights.

See you, man.

Thank you, guys. Appreciate it.

They gave me a no‐del... 'cause I yodeled.

Here's the thing I might have gotten a no,

but I'm not gonna stop yodeling.

I've seen a lot of episodes of "American Idol,"

and I'm gonna show them something that is special.

You have an amazing delivery package, okay?

This is why I keep coming back to this show.

Boy, that is a hell of a workout.

It is probably the greatest yes of the day.

Welcome back to "Idol" in Savannah,

where contestants hope they have all the right tools

for the biggest audition of their lives.

Hello, hello!

Hello. How are you?

‐But some... ‐Hi.

...weren't exactly... Okay.

...tapping in to their potential.

Oh, Nelly!

Aah! Aah! Aah!

Ah. Ah.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

♪ Every night in my dreams ♪

♪ I see you, I feel you ♪

♪ It must have been cold there in my ♪

♪ Sha‐a‐a‐a‐a‐a‐a‐a‐a‐dow ♪

Oh, my God.

♪ I feel ali‐i‐i‐i‐ive ♪

♪ I feel ali‐i‐i‐i‐ive ♪

♪ And you're here in my heart ♪

♪ My heart will go on ♪

♪ And o‐o‐o‐n ♪

Wow. Is your toupee still on?

Wow, wow.

Your notes were sour.

You're kind of out there on your own planet.

I‐I just know where it fits into the "American Idol" mold.

You're not what we're looking for.

Thank you, it's a no for me.

I'm saying no.

This is just not your...stage.

♪ In the end, we shall achieve in time ♪ Thank you.

♪ The thing they call divine ♪ I don't know. I'm giving up hope, America.

♪ And all the stars will shine for me ♪ It's been a little slow today.

They are over there.

We could go tell them to get better.

Between there and here, get a lot more talented?

♪ Living in the meantime, wait and see ♪ Does anyone have a megaphone?

♪ Yeah ♪

♪ We love the all, the all of you ♪

♪ Where lands are green and the skies are blue ♪

We need talent! It's an emergency!

♪ When all in all, we're just like you ♪

We don't have a whole lot of time left in the day,

so you better give it all you got in the first one, please.

Love y'all. Peace.

Lionel's stuck in the bathroom.

Ohh!

With Katy and Luke off to find Lionel,

I'm sitting down with our next contestant.

My name's Shannon Gibbons.

I'm 20 years old, and I'm from Bellport, New York.

Great to have you. You're from New York? Yeah.

What do you do in New York?

I'm the lead singer in a band now,

and we gig a lot in the summer out east, on Long Island.

And do you think that by by gigging

and playing in front of people, that kind of puts you at ease

for standing in front of the judges in this room?

Absolutely. Um, I think

I'm actually ready to be in that room now.

When did you start singing?

4 or 5 years old.

Growing up, my whole family would watch "American Idol,"

and we would sit around the TV and, like,

you know, have dinner or whatever.

And I would get up on the coffee table

and, like, start performing, like, for my family.

I'm happy. I'm so thankful for you guys.

Thanks for coming.

Don't cry, don't cry.

I get so emotional. Good job.

You did a great job. Thanks.

It's clear to me now that, when I was younger,

I dealt with a lot of mental‐health issues.

♪ Eyes burn like a torch in the winter ♪

Not to be too candid here,

but I remember being 4 years old,

before going to kindergarten,

and literally having suicidal thoughts every single morning.

♪ All the days of the danger, believer ♪ And...

I'm sorry.

Um...

♪ You're my safe and sound ♪

Depression has been something

that's been in my life for a long time,

and I've tried my best to,

you know, always handle it myself.

Music got my mind off it.

♪ Sunrise by your side ♪

I was chasing a dream, but, also, every single day,

I was having thoughts about

not even being there tomorrow.

♪ We'll find our own heights ♪

My family helped me so much.

They were the ones who pushed me to actually go get help

and see somebody and go to a therapist

and go to a psychiatrist.

Once I did that, my world opened up.

♪ I'm singing for my age ♪

Everything that I've worked hard for,

it's all coming together, and I feel great now,

and I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪

And it's just because I didn't give up.

Love you, guys.

I want the judges to see my soul

and how much I really do feel what I'm singing.

I've been through 20 years of craziness,

and I feel like now I've actually found my way.

♪ Ooh ooh ooh ♪

Hello. How are you?

Ah!

How are you? I'm good. How are you?

Well, I can recognize you by the colors, alright?

Yeah. Tell us who you are, where you're from.

My name is Shannon Gibbons.

I'm from Long Island, New York,

and I'm 20 years old.

How long you been singing?

I've been singing since I was 4 years old.

Do you gig out? Have you performed before?

Yeah, I, uh, joined a band of, like, middle‐aged men

about two and a half years ago, met them at church,

and took off from there. Of course.

I love the guys I play with, and we're called The Omen.

So we're all pretty spiritual, and it's just fun.

So, what are you gonna do for us?

I'm gonna sing "I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James.

Oh, my God.

Alright. That's a tall order.

♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ohh ♪

♪ Something told me it was over ♪

♪ Mm ♪

♪ When I saw you and her talking ♪

♪ Something deep down in my soul said, "Cry, girl" ♪

♪ When I saw you and her walking 'round ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

♪ I would rather, I would rather go blind, boy ♪

♪ Than to see you walk away from me, child, and all ♪

♪ And baby, baby, baby ♪

♪ I'd rather go blind, boy ♪

♪ Than to see you walk away from me ♪

Okay. This is why I keep coming back to this show, Shannon.

Wow.

What we have now is a‐‐ an opportunity

to step on your confidence...

and go up.

Mm‐hmm. Okay?

That's where you have to think of yourself.

Yes. Now, if you came in this calm,

obviously someone possessed your body.

Okay, but I don't know who you are inside,

but just take this to the next level, okay?

Yeah, I got you. I ain't letting any more people go through

unless they're as good as Shannon.

I think... I'm sorry, I'm just not gonna do it.

it's our new barometer.

It's... Standard.

♪ My salvation ♪ You're the standard.

Shannon Standard.

Thank you. Alright?

♪ My, my ♪ I say we just do it.

I just say we do it.

You're going to Hollywood!

♪ Ohh whoa ♪

Oh, my God.

Hollywood. Pick this up right now

before before it Oh, my God. I can't I can't

It's about to fall, it's about to fall.

I can't even walk forward right now.

Watch out. Come on, come on. Right here.

Oh, my God. You got it here.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Good job.

I From the bottom of my heart. Thank you, yeah.

Really, really, I've been dreaming about this forever. We're watching you.

We're watching you. Thank you so much.

‐It's real. ‐Yeah!

Look at my big ol' family!

Oh, my God! Tears everywhere!

What in the world is this?

‐Yes! ‐Whoo!

‐Whoo!

Getting this golden ticket today,

like, I feel like there's a weight lifted off my chest.

♪ My salvation ♪ Going to Hollywood!

I never thought I'd see this in real life.

♪ My, my ♪

I'm just so happy.

♪ My salvation ♪

♪ My, my ♪

Oh, that's fun.

♪ It's like a bolt of lightnin' hits me in my chest ♪

♪ Right outta the blue ♪

♪ Every time I see you ♪

You guys got some energy.

♪ Every time I see you ♪

♪ This is what we do when we wait on Katy ♪

You on vinyl, too, baby. You started out on it.

Vinyl Lionel.

♪ Spent a night in L. A. ♪

♪ Just another chance to see you ♪

♪ Lord, I know she's waiting ♪

♪ Just anticipating ♪

♪ All my love ♪

Katy, thank you for being late.

As Katy finished putting her face on,

we found someone with a face that was ready to go.

My name is Isaiah Grass.

I'm 29 years old.

like off record real quick?

So, if I'm speaking right now, the takes that are not good,

are they the ones that are used, or do you guys, like,

do the ones that are like like, right now,

when I'm talking, would this be considered a take?

Oh, okay.

I would consider myself a performer.

I do modeling and acting,

and I'm also a social‐media influencer.

♪ I'm the man ♪

I like your efficiency because you're already

traveling with your representation... Thank you.

...your your agent. I am, yeah. Yeah.

You've got the package already sorted out here. Yes.

♪ I'm the man ♪

I feel like, in the modeling industry, the way

that I'm portrayed on camera

sometimes makes me come across a little uneasy,

like, "He looks really serious."

Which is my better side?

This side? Right? This side?

♪ I'm the man ♪

I want to show people I'm more than just a s‐‐ a photo.

I'm the type of person where, if you want to go to, like,

TGI Fridays together or even, like, go on the beach

and throw a Frisbee, I'm that type of person.

♪ I got news for you, baby ♪ Your Your clothing line

is really good, by the way. Thank you.

Yeah. I appreciate it. Now, I didn't make that but...

♪ Who's the man? ♪ I've seen a lot of episodes

of "American Idol," and I've seen

how people audition for the show.

And I'm confident that when I go in there,

I'm gonna show them something that is special.

Oh, yes. Okay, here we go.

Hello, Katy. Hello, Lionel.

Hello, Luke. How are you?

Hello. My name is Isaiah Grass.

It is wonderful to meet you guys.

How have you kept that outfit white all day?

Actually, fun fact.

I have never worn this jacket before.

When I first auditioned, this black material right here,

it actually all ripped off,

so my manager actually sewed everything back on.

Manager? You're kidding.

You have a manager?

Well, actually manager/agent/best friend.

The "best friend" thing will fade.

When there's money involved...

Aw, you know, I just love this wonderful

optimistic group I'm with.

First of all, where you are from?

Tell us the whole thing, your story.

Sure. Absolutely. So I was born in North Carolina,

raised in South Carolina,

and I've been living in Chicago now for about seven years.

Ah. I sang in a church choir.

I graduated from a performing‐arts high school. Ahh.

And I'm also a model, a singer, and a social‐media influencer.

Wow. Very good. What do you influence on social media?

Well, I have different brands that reach out to me, so

Really? I have companies that provide me shoes.

I have people that send me jackets and necklaces,

and I've actually been paid actually to endorse drinks.

You have a full life, my friend.

Let us hear what you're gonna do.

So the song that I'm gonna be singing for you today

is "Take on Me" by a‐ha.

Aha! Aha! It is an acoustic version.

Yes. Very good. Aha.

Would you guys like me to do it?

Yeah, absolutely.

♪ Talkin' away ♪

♪ I don't know what I'm to say ♪

♪ I'll say it anyway ♪

♪ Today's another day to find you ♪

♪ Shying away ♪

♪ I'll be coming for your love, okay? ♪

♪ Take on me ♪

♪ Take on me ♪

♪ Take on me ♪

♪ Take on me ♪

♪ Take me on ♪

♪ Take me on ♪

♪ I'll be gone ♪

♪ In a da‐a‐a‐a‐a‐y ♪

♪ Take on me ♪

♪ Take on me ♪

♪ Take me o‐o‐o‐n ♪

That...

Was something. ...was a journey.

That was It was a journey.

Did you see Luke Bryan flying away?

Boy, that is a hell of a workout. He just...

Okay. Isaiah, listen.

You have a lot of range.

It's true, you can sing.

I think that you are more of a musical‐theater star

than possibly an "American Idol" star.

I think you've got the goods

to be on Broadway and musical theater.

May I interject for a second? Go ahead.

So I do Jimi Hendrix, Animals' "House of the Rising Sun."

Do you want me to do that? 30 seconds, a cappella.

Be serious.

♪ There is a house in New Orleans ♪

♪ They call the ri... ♪

Alright.

Man, I just think you're theater all the way through.

You have a big, big voice.

You can sing from

♪ Down there ♪

To Show him.

To

Don't try

You're gonna blow your head off. Anyway...

The second song just kiboshed it completely.

I, um Oh, God.

What is it that you guys are looking for? No, no, no. No, no.

You have an amazing delivery package, okay?

Thank you. I think you just need an arena

that capitalizes on your talents of all of your range,

because this is "American Idol,"

the pop version of the world of music.

Sure, of course. And so it's it's going to have to stay in that region.

Let's vote, guys.

I'm sorry. It's a no for me.

I think your stage is a theatrical stage,

so it's a no for me, Isaiah.

Okay. You mesmerized me.

You brought me right into your story. It's

That's what being an artist is all about. I understand.

When you guys perform, you know that's what it's about.

I agree with you, and I'm probably gonna regret this

in times going on, but, for now, it's gonna be a no for me.

Okay. Thank you, Isaiah.

Thank you so much for your time. Thank you very, very much.

I hope if I ever get the opportunity

again to meet you guys... Yeah.

...that I get to sing for you again.

Thank you so much. Very good.

Thank you.

The judges told me that I was not right for Hollywood.

That's totally okay, though.

Have a great day. Thank you. You too. You too.

I already have other photo shoots being booked right now.

I've just gotten booked for other TV performances.

I have other brands that reached out to me,

so I'm not worried about it.

It was just another opportunity to be on camera,

to meet more producers.

Maybe I'm gonna get scouted by a record label!

You never know!

♪ I'm the man ♪

♪ Ah ♪

Where are we? We're at "American Idol"!

Welcome back.

As the sun shines its spotlight

on the Milwaukee auditions...

‐Everybody, you there? ‐You're so grown up.

This is just such a great opportunity,

and I'm so glad that every single one of you are here.

Alright. Okay. I'm a little nervous.

...it's our familiar faces that help give life its glimmer.

I remember that face!

Oh, you do?!

I remember you. You auditioned in Nashville.

Yes, I did. You remember me!

Really? Huh? Good.

Steel trap. Yay!

Good memory. Didn't score good on the SAT, though,

but can remember...

So, tell us who you are.

My name is Genavieve Linkowski. I am 20 years old,

and I'm from Goodrich, Michigan. Oh, I remember, yes.

And you made it through to Hollywood week, right? Yes, yeah.

But we love when you go back and you still do your music

and you get better and better and come back. Right.

Look what happened to Laine

I mean Laine Hardy. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Seriously! Yeah. She took a year off.

She's even two years better! I did.

I did.

And what have you been doing since you last auditioned?

A lot has been going on in my life.

‐Oh, really? ‐Yes.

Actually, it's not

It's not very happy news, but, um...

What happened?

My sister, um...

yeah, she was 18 years old.

She ended up passing away in a car accident.

Ohh, baby! Ohh!

Ugh.

What to say?

I'm just gonna start talking.

My sister, Corinn, got in a bad car accident last month.

♪ I find shelter ♪

She went home to be with God.

And so I just wanted to come here

and and tell you guys that.

♪ Under cover, hide away ♪

I should be at home,

but for me to just be here supporting you,

it means a lot.

Big announcement! "Gen" is gonna be on "American Idol"!

Yay!

My sister, Corinn, we were like two peas in a pod.

We just did everything together like everything.

We loved to sing together.

I don't know how we learned how to harmonize,

but we knew how to harmonize.

♪ My baby's already got all my love ♪

♪ Can I be ♪ Hey!

Those moments singing with her

is something I miss the most.

I just wish she could be here.

I miss her so much.

I know Corinn's just watching over you,

and she's singing with angels.

♪ Ooh ♪

After she passed, I really didn't know

what I was gonna do.

I felt really lost.

I had no motivation to sing whatsoever.

My passion was gone for a while,

and my voice was gone for a while.

I just I just didn't know how to do life without her,

because I always did life with her.

But I know that Corinn would still want me to push forward

with this, and, um, definitely when I sit down at that piano,

she will be in my mind the whole entire time.

♪ Tell me how am I supposed to live without you ♪

♪ Now that I've been lovin' you so long ♪

♪ And how am I supposed to live without you? ♪

♪ And how am I supposed to carry on? ♪

♪ No, no ♪

♪ How am I supposed to live without you? ♪

♪ Now that I've been loving so long ♪

♪ No, no ♪

♪ How am I supposed to live without you? ♪

♪ And how am I supposed to carry on? ♪

♪ When all that I've been living for is ♪

♪ Go‐o‐o‐o‐ne ♪

♪ Whoa, whoa ♪

Wow. Mm.

Whoo!

Thank you, guys.

Wow. That was good.

That was good. Great job.

Thank you.

Great job. Genavieve...

I just felt that song through and through.

Phew! I mean, you were singing that song

from your pain that you've been through.

Tragedy can either destroy you...

or make you stronger.

You have actually grown.

You're no longer singing.

You're performing...

to the point where I just couldn't stop watching you.

Took a lot of guts to come back and stand up,

but I really must tell you I loved that performance.

Thank you so much.

And I look for you to go much further

than last time.

So, I think we can vote.

It is probably the greatest yes of the day.

Good to see you back.

Thank you so much.

What's her name?

Corinn Linkowski.

‐Corinn? ‐Corinn.

‐This one's for Corinn. ‐Yes!

It's a yes.

To Corinn, yes.

My gosh, you guys. I literally...

Can we say it?

You're going to Hollywood.

♪ Somebody to heal, somebody to know ♪ Thank you guys so much!

Thank you! You guys have no idea.

♪ Somebody to have, somebody to hold ♪ Thank you so much.

No, thank you. So good to see you guys again.

Good to see you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much.

♪ It's easy to say, but it's never the same ♪ Love you guys. Bye.

♪ I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain ♪

Yo, we gettin' some talent up in here, huh?

♪ Now the days bleeds into nightfall ♪

♪ And you're not here to get me through it all ♪

Doing "Idol" again without my sister,

I think she would be super proud of me.

♪ I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved ♪

It's just nice to see something

so beautiful happen today because

it's been a very, very hard year.

♪ I was getting kind of used to being someone you loved ♪

Next time... ♪ Hey ♪

Wow! ...they are breaking legs...

Uh‐oh. ...and breaking hearts.

We may have to break up the love fest.

Can you stop holding hands?!

Forget everything you know about "Idol."

You have no idea who we are?

I'm...stumped.

Because the unbelievable talent we uncover...

You're the most original person this season so far.

‐Thank you. ‐What's happening?

...will surprise you. Ooh.

Boo! Aah!

♪ Whoa, oh ♪ You could be sitting around top 10.