‘American Idol’: Carrie Underwood makes history, replaces Katy Perry
Carrie Underwood, the season 4 winner of “American Idol,” is returning to the show. The Grammy winner will replace Katy Perry on the judges panel.
Even the “American Idol” judges are prone to mistakes.
No, that’s not just a reference to Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie’s choice of platinum ticket winner in this week’s episode of ABC’s singing competition (Sundays, 8 p.m. ET/PT), which was a bit of a head-scratcher. I’m talking about one 23-year-old contestant who delivered a father-daughter duet so impressive that it had Underwood changing her vote.
This time, the format of these audition rounds became clearer: It’s Underwood’s launching pad, shows off the straight-to-Hollywood Week singers, gives some airtime to those we’re supposed to pity for not making the cut, phones a celebrity friend to make a contestant star-struck and then pulls out all the stops for a platinum ticket winner.
The episode’s familiar beats, however, don’t detract from the stunning talent that came out of this audition round. These were the highlights from Episode 2.
Tennessee high school student duets with 2021 winner Chayce Beckham
Let’s circle back to “Idol” phoning a friend. Last week was Grammy winner Patti LaBelle. This week’s celebrity cameo was also a winner — in reality TV, anyway — Season 19’s Chayce Beckham.
Bryson Quick, a 17-year-old Tennessee high school student, put a unique country spin on Pink Floyd’s “Time” and delighted the trio of judges with the bold move: “Smart choice,” as Underwood put it. Bryan, who might’ve been biased (he knows Bryson’s fishing-guide dad), compared his talent to that of 2021 winner Beckham.
And what do you know? Soon Chayce is on FaceTime, readily agreeing to Bryan’s request to “send a kid your way for a little inspiration.” He’s coincidentally already in town to perform at a little-known venue called the Grand Ole Opry, and the alum is willing to share the stage with a newcomer. How’s that for serendipity? (Or production scheduling, take your pick.)
Thus, Bryson’s first ever visit to the Opry saw him duet with Beckham on the country chart-topping “23.”
Why Carrie Underwood changed her vote for his contestant
Mikaela Bautista, a 23-year-old behavioral tech from L.A.’s neighboring Rancho Cucamonga, sounded good. Her “Saving All My Love for You” audition didn’t do Whitney Houston a disservice by any stretch of the imagination.
But when she was singing with her dad, Vhen? She was a wonder.
Richie and Bryan’s votes had her squeaking through to Hollywood Week, while Underwood was the holdout who noted Mikaela had “potential” but lacked emotion in her performance. When the Bautista family filed in to congratulate Mikaela, the judges asked to hear from Vhen, who was a singer in the Philippines before the family moved to the U.S.
Mikaela came to life as she soulfully sang Andrea Bocelli and Céline Dion’s “The Prayer” alongside her dad. And somehow, the judges’ stunned faces somehow didn’t translate to a platinum-ticket offer. But it did have Underwood issuing a correction: She changed her vote and issued Mikaela her third “yes.”
This ‘sensational’ contestant is from a family of famous singers
Mky, a 25-year-old singer from East Los Angeles didn’t only inherit his name (Mike Jimenez III) from his family but also a singing talent that Richie called “sensational” talent.
Mky is the nephew of 1960’s Chicano rock and soul singer Little Ray (aka Ray Jimenez), the grandson of Mike Jimenez Sr. — lead singer of the band Tierra — and son of R&B and soul singer Myke Nez.
With a “song that’s been sung in my family for generations,” Mky delighted the Smokey Robinson fans among the judges. Mky hit every high and low note in “Ooo Baby Baby” by The Miracles. Richie, who let out enthusiastic exclamations throughout the performance, was transported right back to high school.
He’s got “all the pieces,” Underwood declared, before the trio issued three yes votes.
Who made it to Hollywood Week in Episode 2?
These golden ticket recipients were sent packing — for Hollywood, that is.
- Landry Chaplin
- Victor Solomon
- Isaiah Moore
- Grayson Torrence
- Brajawn Upshaw
- Mikaela Bautista
- Bryson Quick
- Carsen Webb
- Mky
- Josh King
- Filo
Who got a platinum ticket in Episode 2?
Onetime “Shrek the Musical” star Filo got quite the upgrade when he went from the swamp to Times Square, where he was surprised with a platinum ticket in front of millions of ABC’s “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” viewers.
The performance that landed the 23-year-old Egyptian musician on the exclusive platinum list, which fast tracks a few contestants through the first week in Hollywood, was an over-the-top, musical theater-style rendition of Otis Redding’s “Try A Little Tenderness” that sucked up all the oxygen in the room. Surprisingly, the judges were unanimously won over.
“We’ve been waiting for you. What took so long for you to get here?” Richie said. As the judges geared up to deliver a round of yeses, Bryan declared, “You’re going to go far in this. Definitely Top 20, maybe Top 10.”
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