American Idol Season 23 returned on Sunday night, as the judges watched even more auditions from hopeful singers. During the new episode, Season 19 winner Chayce Beckham returned to the show to perform with one of the standout contestants.
Chayce Beckham Returns to American Idol for Season 23
During Sunday’s episode, 17-year-old singer Bryson Quick put a country spin on “Time” by Pink Floyd in his audition. Judge Carrie Underwood told Bryson that his voice “stands out in a good way.” Luke Bryan chimed in to say that Bryson reminded him of Chayce Beckham.
The judges voted to give Bryson a Golden Ticket to Hollywood. After he celebrated with his family and left the audition room, Bryan got Beckham on FaceTime. He asked the Season 19 winner if he would welcome Bryson on stage with him at the Grand Ole Opry.
Bryan joked to Beckham that Bryson is “a younger, better-looking version of you.” Without missing a beat, Beckham responded, “Kinda like how I was of you?” That made all three judges crack up.
Later in the show, Bryson met Beckham at the Opry and then joined him on stage. The two singers teamed up for a duet of Beckham’s song “23.” Bryson said the performance “meant more than the world to me.”
Sunday’s episode also featured a memorable audition from 23-year-old Mikaela Bautista. She soulfully performed “Saving All My Love or You” by Whitney Houston, prompting Carrie Underwood to say she has “a lovely voice” but seemed nervous.
Underwood ended up voting “no” to sending Mikaela to Hollywood, while Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie voted “yes.” It was enough to give her a Golden Ticket. Mikaela celebrated with her family, including her father Vhen, who is also a singer.
Underwood suggested that Mikaela and Vhen should sing together, so they performed a duet of “The Prayer” by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion. The moving performance prompted Underwood to change her vote from a “no” to a “yes.”
American Idol Season 23 will return for another new episode next Sunday night on ABC.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
