AMERICAN Idol will return next week after this week’s round of auditions in Nashville.
Judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry, along with host Ryan Seacrest will continue the third week of auditions for the Season 20 competition.
Next week’s episode comes after a platinum ticket was given in the second episode to 17-year-old Kenedi Anderson, who blew the judges away with a Lady Gaga cover.
The platinum ticket is a new addition this season, and it’s a game-changer for competitors.
The platinum tickets allow one talented recipient in each auditioning city to immediately advance to the second Hollywood round, meaning Kenedi Anderson will skip the first round of cuts.
This week’s episode also kicked off a golden ticket for Miss America 2016 Betty Maxwell, whose maiden name was Cantrell.
Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter, Grace, was featured on the premiere, though she did not make it through to the next round.
Katy, 37, disagreed with the other judges, and tried to convince Lionel to send the 15-year-old to Hollywood.
“Trust me,” Lionel said to Grace. “Come back and see us okay?”
Read our American Idol live blog for the latest news and updates…
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Platinum tickets
The platinum ticket is a new addition this season, and it’s a game-changer for competitors.
The platinum tickets allow one talented recipient in each auditioning city to immediately advance to the second Hollywood round.
This gives the platinum ticket recipient a day of rest and strategy, as they’re still allowed to watch the first Hollywood round.
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Next week
American Idol will return for another round of auditions next week on ABC at 8pm EST.
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Fireworks
The judges watch fireworks outside of the audition venue in Nashville as the episode comes to a close.
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Straight to the source
Lady K from Alabama chose to sing Wide Awake by Katy Perry, even though Katy Perry is right in front of her as a judge.
The bold risk paid off, as Lady K got a golden ticket to Hollywood.
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Standing ovation
“We found him,” Lionel Richie said about 21-year-old Christian Guardino.
The three judges brought Christian’s mother into the room so she could watch him make it to the next round in Hollywood.
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‘Heartbreak tone’
Aaron Westberry auditioned with a song on the piano and impressed the judges with his “heartbreak tone.”
“Your voice makes us melt,” Katy Perry said.
The crooning singer is going to Hollywood, despite not knowing who James Taylor is.
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‘Fun’ auditions
The judges go through many “fun” auditions that aren’t very strong vocally, but strong in other areas.
Some auditions have featured dancers, piano players, and even a choreographed routine with an ensemble.
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Platinum ticket
There are three platinum tickets that judges can hand out this season.
Platinum ticket recipients not only go to Hollywood, but they get to skip the first Hollywood round.
17-year-old Kenedi Anderson won a platinum ticket this episode.
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Biggest star
“You might be the biggest star we’ve ever seen,” Luke Bryan said to Kenedi Anderson.
The judges predicted that Kenedi will be in the top 10.
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Applause
17-year-old Kenedi Anderson is singing Applause by Lady Gaga for her audition.
Katy Perry looks stunned throughout the whole audition, and Kenedi even got a standing ovation from all three of the judges.
“I’m feeling threatened!” Katy Perry wailed jokingly.
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Voiceover talent
20-year-old Luke Taylor has a deep voice and started off his audition by joking around about voicing over narration for a movie.
He is singing Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash for his audition song.
“He’s lower than Cash,” Lionel Richie joked.
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Skylie Thompson
Skylie Thompson came with her father, who played guitar for her audition.
Katy Perry said no to Skylie because she said it felt “undercooked.”
Skylie did not make it to Hollywood because she “wasn’t ready.”
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Kelsie’s ticket
Kelsie Dolin is going to Hollywood after bringing Lionel Richie to tears with her sweet personality and powerful voice.
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From farm to stage
18-year-old Kelsie Dolin is from a rural area in West Virginia. She came to audition after her grandmother passed away last fall.
After singing a song by Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry urged Kelsie to “step on the gas” and put more gas in her cover of Adele.
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Top 24
“If I said top 24, would you prove me right?” Katy asked Mike.
“Yeah,” he responded with tears in his eyes.
Mike ended his audition with a hug from Lionel, and a golden ticket in his hand.
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Virginia carpenter
Virginia carpenter Mike Parker is singing Strawberry Wine for his audition.
Mike’s mother has recently come down with a serious illness, and Mike expressed his emotions about being at the audition without his family.
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Musical families
Many Nashville auditioners come from musical families, with some singers even bringing in family members to accompany them.
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Just a ‘normal’ girl
Singer-songwriter Leah Marlene, 20, is auditioning next with a song by One Direction.
Leah is from Normal, Illinois, and she plays guitar as she sings.
After wowing the judges with an original song, the judges send Leah to Hollywood.
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‘Miss American Idol’
Miss Georgia becomes “Miss American Idol” as all of the judges send her to the next round after they asked her to sing a country song, which they thought better suited her voice.
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Former Miss America
Pageant winner Betty Maxwell is the first audition of tonight’s episode and she even brought her crown to the audition.
Betty, whose maiden name was Cantrell, was briefly Miss Georgia in 2015 before she won the 2016 Miss America competition.
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Nashville’s time to shine
The judges are taking to Nashville tonight for the continued first round of Season 20’s auditions.
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AMERICAN IDOL IS LIVE NOW
The hit show is live now on ABC with host Ryan Seacrest and judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.
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How can I watch American Idol?
The 20th season of American Idol airs each Sunday night at 8pm ET.
Fans are able to watch the show on ABC, and they can also stream the iconic show on the ABC app or on Hulu.
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The audition process, continued
There are both open auditions and, according to that performer, invite-only auditions.
According to Cinema Blend, open audition contestants are asked to prepare a few songs, and when they arrive, they sing either alone or with one to two other possible contestants for a few “rounds.”
Potential contestants perform for all sorts of people involved with the show during this process.
Barnum said his first audition was with a casting team member.
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The audition process
According to a singer/songwriter who auditioned for the show in 2017, Michael Barnum, there is a long process to the American Idol auditions before the taped “first” audition that viewers are familiar with.
“They didn’t just show up that day and immediately sang for the judges,” the performer wrote in a Medium blog post.
“It’s a process and there are many hoops you have to go through before any of that happens, including a 500 questionnaire psych evaluation.”
