John Wayne Schulz Returns to ‘American Idol’ with Garth Brooks’ ‘The Dance’

American Idol fans may have recognized a familiar face (and hat!) during last night’s auditions. John Wayne Schulz auditioned back in 2011 for Season 10 of the show and was cut before the Top 24.

“Some people might remember me from Season 10 of American Idol, which Scotty McCreery won. It came down to him and I… they sent me home, kept him, and he ended up winning the whole show,” Schulz explained in a video package.

Being cut from the show ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Marine-turned-flight instructor. “At the time, I was sad, but I was also very, very grateful to be sent home because my mother’s cancer had just come back,” John continued. “I didn’t know it, but we only had a few more months with her. She passed away just after the show.”

“It was a great thing to be able to be home with her during the last few months of her life. I decided to come back because I thought, ‘This is the last season of American Idol.’ I love music; I love singing… I feel like this is a great way to honor my mother’s memory and also to reach for my goals.”

For his final audition on ‘Idol,’ Schulz decided to take on Garth Brooks’ “The Dance.”

“You know what I liked about it was that you didn’t copy any way of singing except in such a natural way of doing it,” Keith Urban said. “And that song, especially, when I hear people cover that song, they do Garth. A perfect Garth impression every time. It was so refreshing to not hear that. Thanks for doing that. It was good.”

Jennifer Lopez agreed, adding “Yeah, there was some super pretty things that happened when your true, natural, natural voice came out that were just really pleasant to me. I was really enjoying listening to you.”

“That was a perfect, sisynced performance. Really nice job,” Harry Connick, Jr. concluded.

So John Wayne Schulz is heading to Hollywood. Do you think he has what it takes to win?