‘American Idol’: 2 Teachers, Several Talented Students, a Nepo Baby & More Audition

Season 23 of American Idol is well underway, and the auditions continued with more hopeful artists performing in front of the judges during Sunday’s (March 23) episode.

Once again, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie got to see a bunch of performances and decided whether or not the contestants would receive golden tickets to Hollywood…or be sent home. Many of the artists also came in with inspiring stories to share.

Scroll down for everything that went down during Week 3.

Penny Samar

The first audition of the night was from Penny Samar, a 23-year-old cafe manager from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, who had over 15 friends and family members there to support her. She sang “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan.

The judges agreed that Penny had a great voice, but Underwood worried that she was doing too much emoting with her face. “I think it might be best to dial it back a little bit because it was a little distracting from how great your voice is,” she told Penny, while Bryan added that the “facial expressions were distracting.”

Bryan gave Penny a yes, but Richie was a no, leaving the decision up to Underwood. She was hesitant, but eventually said, “Your voice is so good… It’s a yes for me,” and Penny got her golden ticket to Hollywood.

Jamier

Jamier, a 19-year-old fast food worker from Buffalo, New York, was up next. He opened up about helping his mom raise his four younger siblings after she left their dad because of an “abusive relationship.”

Jamier’s performance of “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims captivated the judges. “You gave me the longest run I’ve ever heard in my whole life!” Richie gushed. However, Bryan warned him not to “rely” on the runs in his voice all the time, and Underwood urged him to make sure he taps into the sides of him that they didn’t get to see.

“I think we got you pegged on what you really do great, and now we’re pushing you a little more, pushing you to the edge,” Bryan admitted. “We want to know what you don’t do great.” Regardless, Jamier got three yeses and his golden ticket.

Sophia Humbert

Anthem, Arizona, musician Sophia Humbert sang a stripped down version of Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” on the piano. The judges thought the 22-year-old was great, but wished there was more rage and anger in the performance.

“It has to go somewhere. You gotta dig deep,” Underwood advised. “When I sing songs like that, I’m not an angry person… but everybody has stress or pent-up frustration or whatever, and it has to go somewhere.”

The judges took her out to the middle of a field and had her sing the song again while smashing up a pickup truck with a baseball bat. It made a difference, and they all said, “Yes,” to Sophia moving onto Hollywood.

Mattie Pruitt

At just 15 years old, Mattie Pruitt is already a star. She brought country singer Craig Campbell along with her to the audition and he played piano while she sang “How Could You” by Jessie Murph.

“You have a maturity in your voice that’s a bit beyond your years, but it’s really cool,” Underwood gushed, while Richie said that he “loved every minute of it.” Campbell told the judges about how Mattie sold out his coffee shop twice and insisted that she has a “big old future ahead of her.”

Mattie got three yeses and a ticket to Hollywood, as well as some one-on-one advice from Underwood, who pulled her aside after the audition to share, “Between now and Hollywood, get super comfortable in what you’re doing. Learn how to just work that stage and have confidence in yourself. You have a great voice.”

Calen Santos

Not everyone moved onto Hollywood, though. Calen Santos, a 27-year-old executive assistant from Alabama, came to the audition to perform “What You Won’t Do for Love” by Bobby Caldwell. He even tried to sweet talk one of the judges by changing a lyric to, “I’m in a daze for Carrie’s love you see.”

He also revealed that he earned his first payment for performing when he was just 8 years old and sang Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel.” He brought along a check for $25 to pay her back, but didn’t get the chance to. The judges decided he wasn’t quite ready to make it to Hollywood.

Phoebe White

Phoebe White, a 15-year-old student from Kentucky, also didn’t get a golden ticket. She came in with a guitar and yodeled, and while Underwood assured her she was “really good” at what she does, it simply wasn’t the right fit for Idol.

John Foster

Luckily, 18-year-old college student John Foster was there to turn things around. After feeding the judges cajun food, he performed “Don’t Rock the Jukebox” by Alan Jackson. It was fun, but Underwood wanted him to sing something that showcased his vocals a bit more.

For his second performance, he sang “Goodbye Time” by Conway Twitty, which got Bryan up on his feet singing and dancing. Underwood said that the rendition gave her the information she needed. She told John to make sure he was ready to think about how he’d navigate situations where he’d have to sing other genres if he moved forward.

In the end, John got three yeses from the judges, and Bryan admitted he changed his vote after hearing the second song. When the teenager left the room, Underwood also pointed out, “He’s a cutie patootie, too!”

Nina Daig

Nina Daig, a 25-year-old server from Virginia, had never sung in front of anyone before her audition. She explained that she’s a songwriter, but always sang her songs in secret. For her performance, she sang an original song about her brother called “Average Joe.”

Although her brother, Joey, is three years older than her, he’s mentally “only about 3 or 4” because of brain damage suffered after he was born not breathing. Nina’s performance left Underwood in tears.

The judges saw something in Nina, but admitted that she needed more experience. “What I’m trying to decide now is … is it the time to put you through or time to let you hold for a minute and see if there’s something you can work on and come back to us?” Richie wondered.

Underwood told Nina she’d have to work on her confidence, but believed that she could do it, so she gave her a yes. Bryan pointed out that there were “a couple of missed notes,” but said he wanted to roll the dice on the aspiring artist too. In the end, she got three yeses to Hollywood.

Desmond Roberts

Desmond Roberts, a 26-year-old music teacher at the School of Rock L.A., sang “Beautiful Things” by Benson Boone. Underwood needed a minute to “unpack” the performance, as she noted that Desmond “invented notes” while singing.

Bryan called the teacher an “incredible singer” and pointed out that they don’t normally turn those away, so it was no surprise when he received three yeses for the golden ticket.

Jamal Roberts

Another teacher, Jamal Roberts, who teaches P.E. at an elementary school in Mississippi, was up next. After years of dreaming of being on American Idol, he finally built up the confidence to go, and sang “Mary Jane” by Rick James for his audition.

The judges wanted Jamal to open up a little bit. “You need some swagger,” Underwood said. “You can’t walk around with that big ol’ voice and not have the rest of you being like, ‘Yeah.’ It’s a confidence thing. You’re so good, just loosen up and let your body match your voice.”

But the lack of swagger wasn’t enough to turn him away, and Jamal got his three yeses to Hollywood.

Caroline Woodfill

Caroline Woodfill brought some humor to the auditions with her bubbly personality and performance of an original song called “Diner With the Tea,” which she said was “about these old ladies talking crap about everybody in my town.”

While the judges were entertained by the performance, they politely told Caroline that it was a no and she wouldn’t be moving onto Hollywood.

Drew Ryn

Musician Drew Ryn came into the audition as a huge Carrie Underwood fan. Underwood’s concert was her first ever and she always dreamed of being on Idol and having the same story as the country singer. She performed an original song called “Walk on Water” to try and catapult herself there.

Bryan called the performance “one of his favorites of the day,” while Richie praised Drew for writing an incredible song and giving a great delivery of it. Underwood told her it was a “gamble that paid off” to sing an original song, and all three judges gave a yes to the golden ticket.

Sam Sparks

Sam Sparks, a 25-year-old musician from Arkansas, rolled into the audition in his wheelchair and shared his story about being paralyzed from the waist down after a car accident. He explained that music helped get him through his time in the hospital.

For his audition, he also sang an original song called “Colorado Gray.” Bryan pointed out that it was the first “gritty rock tone” that they’d heard, while Underwood told Sam, “I think you definitely have something in here and in here that I would like to hear more of.”

In addition to an inspiring story, Sam also had a great voice, and he earned his ticket to Hollywood with three yeses.

Mae Mae

High school student Mae Mae was up next, and she brought her songwriter father, Toby Gad, with her. He’d written songs for artists like John Legend, Beyoncé, and more. For her audition, Mae Mae sang Callum Scott’s “No Matter What,” which her dad cowrote, and Toby played piano during the performance.

The judges thought Mae Mae’s voice was “sweet” and “innocent,” and they liked it, but felt she still had some work to do. “I think right now I would like to bake this cake a little bit more,” Richie said.

He and Bryan gave Mae Mae a no, but Underwood didn’t think she deserved three of them, so she voted yes. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter, as the majority ruled, but hopefully she’ll be back in the future.

Lola Bonfiglio

Lola Bonfiglio had some very familiar faces with her for her audition. Her mom is Carnie Wilson and her aunt is Wendy Wilson of the band Wilson Phillips. To kick things off, the trio sang the band’s famous song “Hold On.”

However, Underwood wanted to hear Lola by herself, so the college student sang a rendition of “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves too. It impressed the judges, but they also had some pointers to give her. Richie urged Lola to “hold the story out longer” when she’s singing, while Bryan warned her that she was going to need to “belt” and “let loose a little bit” as the competition went on.

Lola promised to push herself and grow, and she earned her golden ticket with three yeses.

Freddie McClendon

The final audition of the night was from Freddie McClendon, who started taking songwriting seriously after his dad’s death in May 2023. Freddie’s dad Davis McClendon’s death made national news because of the circumstances surrounding how he died (more info here), but the 19-year-old explained, “Everyone was focusing on his death. I wanted to tell the story of his life.”

Freddie sang an original song called “You Never Loved Him,” which he wrote about his dad. Underwood was in tears and needed time to compose herself afterwards. “It was a good song and you could just feel your heart behind it,” she said. “Apart from that, your voice, there’s something super cool and throwback about it.”

All three judges gave Freddie a yes, and so he’s moving onto Hollywood with a golden ticket.

American Idol, Season 23, Sundays, 8/7c, ABC