‘American Idol’ Recap: Judges Hand Out Final Platinum Ticket of Season 20
ABC/Eric McCandless Reading Time: 3 minutes
American Idol Season 20 returned on Monday night to wrap up auditions before the show heads to Hollywood Week. During tonight’s show, the judges handed out the third and final Platinum Ticket of the season to singer Jay Copeland.
Monday’s episode also featured an audition from a couple, only one of whom made it to Hollywood. Plus, Luke Bryan’s wife Caroline dropped in to prank her husband during an audition.
American Idol will return next Sunday after the Oscars for four more auditions, plus unseen moments from the season, before Hollywood Week kicks off next Monday.
Jay Copeland Earns Final Platinum Ticket of the Season
To celebrate Season 20 of the show, the judges handed out three Platinum Tickets this season. Unlike the traditional Golden Ticket, this ticket allows the contestant to sit out the first round of Hollywood Week. The third and final Platinum Ticket went to Jay Copeland.
The 23-year-old singer said he studied music in college and was recently in graduate school for acting but dropped out when he was told he couldn’t “have it all.” For his audition, he performed Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” showing off a powerful voice and amazing energy.
The judges were blown away, giving Jay a standing ovation. Katy Perry could be seen pointing out her goosebumps as Jay performed. Lionel Richie said his “talent is off the chain,” and Luke Bryan called him “perfect.” They decided to give him the Platinum Ticket, with Perry saying he could “skip a day of school.”
Other standout auditions from Monday night included 17-year-old Morgan Gruber, whom Perry and Bryan predicted will make it into the Top 20. Ballet dancer Skyler Maxey-Wert also gave a strong performance and inspired the judges to try out their own moves, including the Dirty Dancing lift.
Couple Auditions Together, Only One Makes It
Monday’s episode featured a joint audition from Kaylin Roberson and Matt Gorman, a young couple who hoped to go to Hollywood together. As Bryan warned them, previous couples on the show have only had one person earn a Golden Ticket.
The couple seemed determined to break the curse, performing an original song called “Fast Forever.” They sounded nice together, but it was obvious that the judges favored Kaylin’s voice. Bryan even said she has the best county voice they’d heard so far.
Unfortunately, only Kaylin received a Golden Ticket to Hollywood, as the judges chose not to send Matt through to the next round. The judges shared their hope that Matt would be Kaylin’s support as she navigates the competition.
Luke Bryan Pranked By Wife
One of the weirdest moments of the night came during Schyler Dixon’s audition. As she sang “My Church” by Maren Morris, one of the crew members could be heard with a noisy chip bag in the background. Perry got up and ripped the bag out of their hands, only to have the crew member take it back.
After a moment, the crew member revealed themselves to be none other than Bryan’s wife Caroline in a disguise. She shared that she and Bryan like to prank each other. It turns out that Perry was in on the joke, and Schyler wasn’t even an official contestant. (She actually appeared on the show in past seasons.)
“After all the stuff he’s done to me, he deserves it,” Caroline said of the prank.
