Heading into Season 23 of American Idol, I had my reservations about Carrie Underwood joining the judges’ panel. I have nothing against her as a person, and certainly not as an artist, but I just didn’t think she’d be able to keep the show’s energy up. (Say what you will about Katy Perry, and I know she had her share of haters, but that woman did so much heavy lifting during her seven-season run.)
Then came Sunday’s premiere, during which something hit me like a Louisville Slugger. And like so many unexpected revelations, it came via the most unlikely of sources — in this case, an 18-year-old music teacher from Florida named Insite.
I never imagined an Idol contestant performing Korn’s “Freak on a Leash” for their audition, and I certainly never imagined one of the judges — much less a country queen like Underwood — knowing every single word. And she wasn’t just mouthing along. She was singing along, and having the time of her life doing it.
“Who are you?” Lionel Richie asked in stunned admiration, to which Underwood simply shrugged: “I’m Jukebox Carrie!” As if I couldn’t love her more, she then joined Insite for a duet of Drowning Pools’ “Bodies.” Honestly, between “Jukebox Carrie,” “Heavy Metal Carrie” and “Scary Carrie,” she should contact Mattel about getting her own line of Barbie dolls.
The one-of-a-kind audition earned Insite a ticket to Hollywood, but he was hardly the only lucky contestant this week. The judges were such big fans of 26-year-old Kolbi Jordan, who earned a golden ticket with her performance of Chrisette Michele’s “Epiphany,” that they decided to give her a little surprise.
Jordan, whom Luke Bryant calls “one of our best personalities,” was invited to perform before a Tennessee Titans game at Nissan Stadium, where the judges presented upgrade her to the first platinum ticket of Season 23 — you know, in case that surprise phone call from Patti LaBelle wasn’t enough of a reward.
What did you think of Underwood’s first full-length episode as an American Idol judge? Weigh in via the poll below, then drop a comment with your thoughts on the season premiere. Who were your favorite auditions?
