Emily Brooke Makes Triumphant Return to American Idol

Fans keeping up with the final season of American Idol may have recognized a familiar face during last night’s round of auditions. 16-year-old Emily Brooke made her return to the hit show for a second chance at becoming the next American Idol.

“Last year, I auditioned for American Idol,” Brooke explained. “Last season, I was just so excited to be here. I got eliminated after the House of Blues performance. I’m here to prove to the judges that since last season I’ve been working super hard and just getting better at everything they said I needed to work on.”

For her audition, the Wellington, FL native chose to sing RaeLynn’s “Careless.”

“You got so much better. You’ve really improved,” Jennifer Lopez said. “I mean, we loved you year, I remember, and it was hard to let you go when we had to, because we were waiting for this to happen. But it seems like that forced this and hear it is. And so, it all worked out.”

“This was a training ground for you last year,” Harry Connick, Jr. agreed. “You saw front and center what it’s like to and what it takes to be successful in this business. You took that, you practiced it and this is what we’re seeing. For me, it was unquestionably the best audition we’ve seen all day. I like you a lot better than I did last year and that makes me very proud to be on American Idol because that’s what it’s supposed to do. It fosters talent like you. Nice job!”

Before giving her the golden ticket to Hollywood, Keith Urban said, “And I want to add too, Emily, that it’s so important for guys and girls out there watching this to understand that there’s no substitute to the work. You’ve gone out and done it, you’re here today and you’re going to Hollywood. Three yeses!”

16-year-old Emily Brooke is off to Hollywood! Do you think she has what it takes to be the last American Idol?