American Idol 2022 LIVE – Cadence Baker shocks judges with Whitney Houston cover during new round of auditions

Singing into a broom

Abigail Brookes, from Castle Rock, Colorado, is used to singing into a broom instead of a microphone.

She is now singing for a shot at a golden ticket to Hollywood.

More auditions underway

More contestants are singing it out for a golden ticket.

One singer is uniquely imitating a trump solo with her voice.

Dontrell gets a golden ticket

Luke decided to send Dontrell to Hollywood after allowing him to sing another song.

Lionel got up and gave him a hug. “I am so proud,” he said.

Judges moved

“Some people can come in and just sing, and some people come in and let God come through them,” said Lionel.

“I felt every breath of that performance.”

Luke said he needs to be listening to more gospel.

Lionel voted yes and Katy voted no. Dontrell offered to sing another song.

Next up, Dontrell Briggs

From North Carolina, Dontrell Briggs is bringing gospel to the audition room.

He shared that his godmother died a few months ago.

“In spirit, she is here,” he said.

He is singing For your Glory by Tasha Cobbs.

Fans love Cadence

Loinel: ‘I loved it’

The judge complimented Cadence’s father’s guitar playing, and the father took a step back and joked, “I just won American Idol.”

“I think it’s one of the best auditions I’ve seen,” said Luke of Cadence’s audition.

The judges unanimously gave Cadence a golden ticket.

Cadence wants to go beyond

“I want to go beyond what my grandfather and my dad did,” Cadence told the judges.

She is singing I’m Your Baby Tonight, by Whitney Houston, with her dad playing guitar.

Next up, Cadence Baker

Cadence Baker is up next to audition for a golden ticket.

She is from Alabama and joined by her father.

Lionel: ‘I have two kids’

‘I have two kids,” said Lionel, of working with Katy and Luke.

“I’m the adult in the room.”

First golden ticket of the night

American Idol shared a clip on Twitter of Tristen holding up his golden ticket.

Tristen gets a ticket

“You’ve got some real substance man,” said Lionel. “You’ve got something where you can keep an audience for a whole night.”

“All you need to do is play and sing, make it about the music first,” said Luke.

The judges unanimously voted to send Tristen to Hollywood.

Judges ask to tone it down

“What are you attempting to do?” asked Luke.

“I want to bring back something that should have never left,” Tristen responded.

Luke said he is overusing every talent he has.

“We are trying to take you from a gimmick to an artist,” said Lionel.

Tristen is now singing a second song.

Tristen up first

The first audition of the night is Tristen Gressett, a 17-year-old musician.

He is singing Billy Joel’s Piano Man.

Idol visits Nashville

Auditions are now taking place in Nashville, Tennessee.

American Idol is LIVE now

The hit show is live now on ABC with host Ryan Seacrest and judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan.

Are the auditions scripted?

Over the years, people have shared their experiences auditioning for the American Idol judges, who currently include Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Even past judges have said parts of the show aren’t “real.”

Former judge Mariah Carey once told Australia’s Kyle and Jackie O radio show that her “non-existent feud” with fellow judge Nicki Minaj was manipulated for ratings.

She went as far as calling the show “so boring and so fake.”

“You have to make up things to say about people,” she said. “Half the time the performances are good.”

From The Voice to American Idol

19-year-old Allegra Miles auditioned for American Idol in Episode 20, but this isn’t her first time performing on TV.

Allegra also auditioned for Season 18 of NBC’s The Voice.

The talented singer made it to the Top 9 before being voted out of the show.

Allegra is progressing to Hollywood after the three American Idol judges called her a “real artist.”

Who is Betty Maxwell?

Betty – full name Bacililky Andris Cantrell – Maxwell is a singer, actress, model, author, and pageant titleholder.

After graduating from Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia; Betty went on to attend both Wesleyan College and Mercer University before entering his first pageant in 2013.

In 2015, Betty was crowned Miss Georgia and went on to win Miss America 2016.

Betty married her longtime boyfriend Spencer Maxwell on November 8, 2017.

The couple now lives in Nashville, where Betty auditioned for Season 20 of American Idol and went on to the next round.

First Platinum ticket winner

American Idol’s new Platinum ticket has caught the eyes of many, as it allows only three special contestants to bypass the first round in Hollywood.

HunterGirl from Tennessee was the first lucky winner of the ticket, to which Luke Bryan said was his favorite female country voice in all previous five seasons.

“When I’m not doing music for myself, I also work with veterans doing music therapy,” shared HunterGirl.

“They tell me their stories about what they went through when they were at war and I turn it into a song. It helps them deal with PTSD. It’s a therapeutic process.”

Platinum tickets

The platinum ticket is a new addition this season, and it’s a game-changer for competitors.

The three platinum tickets allow one talented recipient in auditioning cities to immediately advance to the second Hollywood round.

This gives the platinum ticket recipients a day of rest and strategy, as they’re still allowed to watch the first Hollywood round.

Protocols for this season

This season, American Idol will air live again, but with necessary safety protocols in place.

To ensure the protection of the cast, crew and participants, the number of cities where the auditions were held were reduced, and the judges will be socially distanced.

How Covid-19 affected recent seasons 

Season 18 of American Idol shut down due to Covid-19 protocols, but it was the first reality competition series to return to screens and air remotely.

Using custom-built Zoom technology, contestants that sang for producers got a green light to move onto a judges audition.

Celebrating 20 years

The famed singing competition returned for its 20th season this year, with a few changes.

American Idol first premiered in 2002, and host Ryan Seacrest was celebrated last week for being involved with the show for its 20 years.