CBS’s Big Brother recently revealed their Season 28 cast and many were surprised to see an American Idol alumna on that list. Here’s exactly what happened to Lyric Medeiros on American Idol, and why her audition went viral.
Lyric Medeiros Was Dragged by Katy Perry on American Idol
In 2023, Lyric first appeared on TV screens as an auditioning singer on American IdolSeason 21. After flying for nearly 10 hours, Lyric auditioned with “Love Me Like You Mean It” by Kelsea Ballerini. Once Lyric sang a couple lines of the song, Perry took a note out of Simon Cowell’s book.
“Girl, you flew 10 hours to be cute and safe?” Perry interrupted. “We know you got more than that.”
Lyric then offered to sing another song and Perry more or less said she needed to “because “cause as of right now, you’re flying 10 hours back.”
Lyric then sang a rendition of “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood. Judge Luke Bryan then stood up, and encouraged her to “make an ugly face,” while Perry put her arms around the singer and shook her around.
After the audition, Bryan admitted that Lyric was “too pretty for an ugly business,” giving her a “no.” Perry and Richie decided to send her through to Hollywood Round, where she was later eliminated.
A new season of Big Brother is right around the corner. The show has officially announced their season house members. Aside from Lyric, house members include Ashley Trail, Barrett Pfeiffer, Chuk Anyanwu, Drew Campbell, Haley Thogmartin, Jason De Puy, Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk, LaTrice “Lala” Verrett, Mallory Aurichio, Melody Morris, Rome (Jack) Seymour, Taylor Brown, and Yash Patel.
Jason De Puy is known professionally as Salina EsTitties. As a drag queen, De Puy has competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15 and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 11. Another notable contestant is Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk who is a MMA fighter and coach.
After American Idol, Lyric went on to become an attorney, but the house won’t know that. Lyric is attempting to hide her real occupation on Big Brother, by saying she’s a singer.
Big Brother Season 28 begins on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Be sure to tune into CBS on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT so you don’t miss a minute of the competition. Super fans can also tune into the companion show Big Brother: Unlocked on Fridays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Words by:
Corey Cesare Corey Cesare is Talent Recap's Managing Editor and featured YouTube Host. She has a love of all things pop culture and an unhealthy obsession with celebrities. Corey earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Cinema/Screen Studies from the State University of New York at Oswego in 2021. She spends her spare time shooting astro, nature, and portrait photography, and coming up with movie ideas that she hopes to make into a film someday.
