The March 10 episode of American Idol brings judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie around the country for even more auditions. First up is Ashton Gill, who is friends with season 16 contestant, Laine Hardy. Laine offers Ashton some valuable advice before the audition, and even joins her to play guitar as she performs. Ashton sings Chris Stapleton’s “Broken Halos,” and the judges admit that her nerves are pretty evident and it makes the performance a bit pitchy. However, they recognize her potential and give her three ‘yes’ votes to send her to Hollywood! Meanwhile, the judges urge Laine to sing them something, too, even though he didn’t plan to audition again. They’re blown away and offer him a golden ticket of his own, which he decides to accept.
Up next, a young country singer, Austin Michael Robinson, sings “Your Man” by Josh Turner. Katy cannot stop smiling as he performs, and Austin has all the judges cracking up with his dance moves. They’re worried he might need some maturing before he’s ready to take on the competition, and Katy votes no because she thinks it’s not the right time for Austin. However, he gets ‘yes’ votes from Lionel and Luke, so he’s off to Hollywood!
The next audition is from Jake Puliti, who sings his own unique rendition “This Is How We Do It.” The performance gets Katy up out of her chair and dancing. Aside from the whole thing being super entertaining, the judges also recognize that Luke has some great talent, and they send him onto Hollywood.
After a montage of failed auditions, we see Shawn Robinson get his time in front of the judges. He performs “Who We Are” by Jessie J, and leaves the judges with big smiles on their faces. They fall in love with Shawn, and it’s no surprise that he’s moving onto Hollywood. Next, Nate Walker gets his turn to audition. He used to sing with season 16 finalist, Gabby Barrett, in church, and was inspired to audition for the show because of her success. Nate sings “Say Something,” and immediately has the judges cheering. Obviously, he gets the golden ticket to Hollywood.
Wade Cota is up next to audition. Before his audition, Wade opens up about his history with an abusive father, and everyone is touched by his story. He sings “Blame It On Me,” and gets a unanimous ‘yes’ from all the judges. Up next is Riley Thompson, and the judges are certain she has the star quality to make it big. Of course, they give her the ‘yes’ to Hollywood!
The next audition is from Peter Lemongello Jr., whose father has already made history as a successful singer in the 1970s. He performs “I Can’t Help Myself,” and even throws in some dance moves. Katy votes yes on Peter, but Luke and Lionel just don’t think he’s the right fit for American Idol, so Peter doesn’t move on. Next up is Clay Page, who learned to play music from his uncle who recently passed away. His performance of “Die A Happy Man” totally impresses the judges, and Clay gets the ‘yes’ to Hollywood.
Drake McCain is up next. He has ten siblings, and they’re being raised by a single mother, so he has a lot riding on this audition. Drake gets the judges singing with his performance, and they give him some great advice about how to hone in on his talent. Regardless of what he needs to work on, though, Drake gets his ticket to Hollywood.
Up next, Madison Vandenburg gives a powerful performance of “Speechless” by Dan + Shay. The judges are enraptured by the performance, and Katy even gets goosebumps. Katy dubs Madison “the next Kelly Clarkson,” and there’s absolutely no surprise when Madison is off to Hollywood. To close out the night, Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon performs an emotional song that he wrote himself called “Almost Heaven.” It’s an absolutely beautiful performance and the judges are beyond impressed. Clearly, Jeremiah is heading to Hollywood!