The American Idol 2016 team is back for one last go as we head in to Denver and Atlanta with a stack of Golden Tickets and a whole lot of talent.
Hopefuls knows this is their last shot at becoming the next American Idol and it could be their name on the list as the final Idol winner in the history books. Time to see if that singer comes to us from Atlanta, Georgia or Denver, Colorado. Ready to join us on one last journey?
We’re going to be covering the show live tonight right from this post and will include performance videos and pics as we find them during the night. Of course there are lots of spoilers out there already if you can’t wait through the auditions to find out who made it to Hollywood Week, the Showcase Round, and even the Season 15 Top 24!
Before we get to the auditions Idol takes us back through the years and reminds viewers just how big a show this has been for fifteen years and its impact on television and the music industry. Hard to believe this is our last time around and won’t be there again next year!
Michelle Marie is first up with “Blue” by LeAnn Rimes. Michelle has been a fan of American Idol since just a few years old and now it’s her time to audition. The Judges love her look and she’s definitely impressing them and it earns her a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. What did you think?
What Idol experience would be complete without a look back at some of the past winners and standouts? We get a run down of familiar faces like Ruben, Taylor, Lee, Kris, and Clay. Ruben’s actually there in Atlanta for the cattle call auditions as he listens to the talent looking to get before the Judges.
Josiah Siska hopes to “go deep” in Season 15 and brings in some seriously low singing with “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” The Judges love it and Harry Connick Jr. even jumps up to slap his knees along with Josiah. They’re impressed and are excited to learn Josiah even actually knows something about music. Golden Ticket in hand he’s out the door.
Lindita is singing “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” after sharing her backstory of having come from Kosovo and losing over a hundred pounds to get healthy and better her chances in being an entertainer. The Judges are pleased though Keith thinks she needs to trim back some of those runs. It’s enough though and she’s off with a Golden Ticket.
Billy Bob Evett is a honky tonk singer who can’t wait to get in front of Jennifer Lopez. It’s a fun performance, but a bit underwhelming for me. Keith says Billy Bob is a fun person and has a pure heart, but the performance was all over the place. Jennifer says his pitch was all over the place. Harry says this was the closest he ever came to saying “yes!” despite the pitch problems. Billy Bob is let down, but says he’ll press on even without an American Idol ticket.
Lee Jean is just 15 years old and a student from Bluffton, SC as he settles in to play “I See Fire” by Ed Sheerhan. Harry says Lee has a “tremendous amount of talent” but does have some issues yet they’re easily fixable. Keith agrees and says there are pitch problems, but they can be addressed and he should move on. Jennifer hands over the Golden Ticket and all three give him the “yes” vote.