If you missed the opening of the second night of auditions for season 3 of American Idol on ABC, then you missed one of the best parts of the entire evening. With judge Luke Bryan playing a jarringly accurate version of Forrest Gump, judges Katy Perry and Lionel Richie lured him into the audition space with, what else, chocolates.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the second night of auditions. Halfway through the televised auditions in Sunriver, Oregon, a gas leak occurred and the fire department was called. Fortunately, the situation was diffused and the firemen were given souvenir golden tickets.
In an interesting twist, a married performing duo came in to audition separately and only one of the aspiring artists made the cut.
But the night began on a high note and stayed up there for a significant portion of the evening.
CYNIAH ELISE (17) – Atlanta, Georgia / high school student
LIONEL: “Hallelujah…that was an excellent performance. You remind me very much of watching the phenomena of Whitney.”
KAY GENYSE (19) – High Point, North Carolina / deli slicer
KATY: “I love your personality. I love the energy, the joy and the confidence you bring. You’re a little bit pitchy.”
LIONEL: “Your showmanship is fantastic. I’m not getting what you’re trying to deliver.”
LUKE: “I think you’re like this bright beautiful shining little light that deserves to be on stage, but the voice needs to catch up.”
After Luke voted no, Katy took Kay to the streets to perform to get an outside vote.
KYLE TANGUAY (21) – Rochester, New Hampshire / Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader
The cheerleading squad came to his audition to support him.
LUKE: “So, you have a spot in your voice that it’s your zone…you’ve got some work to do, it’s not going to be an easy route.”
Took the song up a key and had him re-sing.
KATY: “You have to pick the right keys!”
JOVIN WEBB (28) – Gonzales, Louisiana / musician
The judges gave him a standing ovation.
LIONEL: “You officially brought the barbecue sauce to American Idol. B. B. King told me once, it’s hard to sing the blues in the backseat of the limousine…there’s nothing we need to educate you on.”
LUKE: “Man, I could sit and drink a lot of bourbon listening to that voice. I saw your whole life in that performance.”
KATY: “I got chills in my cheekbones.”
CLAIRE JOLIE GOODMAN (16) Mount Prospect, Illinois / high school student
LIONEL: “You are comfortable in that style of singing. I would never in a million years try to change you out of that, so clearly, this is not your house. But your voice is incredible and you need to take that character of who you are and pivot to the left or right.”
LUKE: “Go to Broadway.”
MARGIE MAYS (26) – Wilmington, Delaware / music teacher
On last season of American Idol, eliminated in Hawaii
Boyfriend, John is playing piano and also auditioning.
LUKE: “Pretty much every time you sang for us last year, you hit bad notes. You didn’t hit one bad note then. I wouldn’t say you captured my emotion whole-heartedly with that song, but you have become a much better singer.”
KATY: “I’ve always been a big fan of you. That being said, I don’t think that was the right song for you.”
JOHNNY WEST (23) – Murietta, California / piano teacher
Margie’s boyfriend
KATY: “You are a silent, but deadly killer. When you sing, it’s so pro – you know how to sing into the mic, you know how to enunciate…I don’t want this for your relationship, but you may go farther than Margie.”
LUKE: “That puts you really close to the Alejandro lane, in my opinion.” (Alejandro was last season’s runner-up.)
SARAH ISEN (20) – Berkley, California / musician
Raised by two moms, but tracked down her biological father, now has 26 siblings
LIONEL: “You have a low end that is going to compile me to listen.”
KATY: “I was really happy you came back down after the chorus…I would like for you to use dynamics even more. Think about how you can do this push-pull thing.”
ELIZA CATASTROPHE (28) – Spokane, Washington / server and universal opener
LIONEL: “I don’t know where this beautiful ‘Sardines’ fits. Not that you’re not entertaining…how you are vocally is what I’m wrestling with.”
LUKE: “Just keep having fun being yourself.”
JULIA GARGANO (21) – Staten Island, New York / college student
Katy got up and hugged her.
LUKE: “That was big time. That’s big time music, big time presentation, done by a 21-year-old and it sounded really, really classic and done well.”
LIONEL: “You gave us the whole authentic self.”
KATY: “Next year on American Idol, people are going to come here and say, ‘I was inspired to come here by Julia Gargano.’ I think you’re Top 5.”
TREBLE SOUL (Duo) made up of:
CURT JONES – Rockdale, Texas
HANNAH PRESTRIDGE (24) – Rockdale, Texas
KATY: “What would happen, would you guys both have to go through?”
CURT: “I’ll support her no matter what.”
American Idol returns next Sunday with the third night of televised auditions and only two more left, then it’s off to Hollywood!
