‘American Idol’s Final Auditions Feature a Luke Grimes Look-Alike & The Final Platinum Ticket Winner

[WARNING: This post contains MAJOR spoilers from American Idol Season 23, Episode 5.]

The Season 23 auditions came to an end during the Sunday, March 30, episode. Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie saw the final 2025 hopefuls perform for a shot to make it to Hollywood for the next round of the competition.

While many golden tickets to Hollywood were passed out, the judges also had to crush the dreams of some aspiring artists. The night concluded with the third and final platinum ticket of the season, giving one contestant the chance to bypass the first round of Hollywood week.

Scroll down for a full recap of all the performances find out which stars are moving on in the competition.

Jmarie

Brooklyn, New York, resident Jmarie, a 28-year-old customer service rep, sang Underwood’s own hit “Before He Cheats.” Before performing, she told the country star that the track is actually a “hood anthem,” and her performance earned her a standing ovation from all three judges.

“You made it your own,” Underwood praised. “I forgot about myself ever having sung that song. It was like I heard it for the first time. It was effortless. Amazing. I’m mad at you for not trying out sooner.”

Jmarie got emotional as she opened up about not feeling good enough to try out in the past. “From here on out, I think you take all your worries of stuff people have done to hold you back, just shed all that, because that was a very great job,” Bryan praised.” Jmarie earned three yeses and a ticket to Hollywood.

Zaylie Windsor

Zaylie Windsor, an 18-year-old musician from Safford, Arizona, auditioned virtually through Idol Across America and was chosen to sing for the judges in person. She performed an original song called “The Used,” which she wrote when she was just 14.

The judges were a bit torn, with Bryan noting that the song “certainly did sound like a 14-year-old level of song” to him. He decided to give Zaylie a no, but Underwood wasn’t as convinced. “There’s a Taylor Swift-esque quality that she has,” the singer pointed out, which Bryan agreed with “one zillion percent.”

In the end, Underwood decided to “roll the dice” on Zaylie because she felt like “there’s something about her.” Her decision won Richie over, too, giving Zaylie two yeses, which was enough to earn her a golden ticket to Hollywood. “I said no but I totally agree with you,” Bryan made sure to add.

Nikki Rodrigues

Next up were a series of young contestants who managed to impress the judges, despite their age. Nikki Rodrigues, a high school student from Illinois, sang “July” by Leon Bridges and Noah Cyrus.

After declaring that she “killed it,” the judges agreed. All three gave her a yes, which meant a golden ticket to Hollywood.

Caroline Brett

Another high school student, Caroline Brett, who hailed from Florida, performed “House of the Rising Sun,” and Bryan couldn’t help but gush over her “amazing instrument” of a voice.”

As Richie added, “You’re an ‘oh my goodness,’ in a good way.” The yeses were unanimous, sending Caroline to Hollywood.

Kaleo Knight

Sixteen-year-old Kaleo Knight’s audition was just as impressive. She received a standing ovation after performing “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from Dreamgirls.

Richie called the performance “crazy good.” Underwood noted that the first half was a bit shaky, but praised Kaleo for “landing the plane very, very well.” Bryan agreed, adding, “You [battled] through and then slayed it at the end, something a 16-year-old should definitely be proud of. Probably the best 16-year-old voice we’ve had in this competition.”

All three superstars voted yes on Kaleo, sending her through to the next round

Landynn Kennedy

Landynn Kennedy, a 20-year-old caregiver from South Carolina, had quite a story to tell. When he was just a child, he was abandoned in a hotel room with his siblings. All four of them were adopted by Warren and Jennifer Kennedy. Jennifer passed away when Landynn was just 13, but she was the one who helped him hone his talent.

Landynn performed a “soul” rendition of Bonnie Raitt‘s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” The judges praised his raw talent and Underwood noted that she was excited to watch him “grow” on Idol.

“Our job is to just take your God given talent and let you discover you as we go along,” Richie added. “I love what you just did. You gave everything you ever had.” Needless to say, the yes vote was unaninmous.

Gabe James

Gabe James performed “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver. Underwood compared the 23-year-old to Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, and even after Gabe left the audition room, she was still talking about the look-alike.

Gabe earned yeses from all three judges, with Underwood telling him she was “100 percent” voting him through. He received his golden ticket to Hollywood.

Lexi Tieffel

When Lexi Tieffel, a 16-year-old from Illinois, introduced herself, she revealed that she’d been nicknamed “Loudmouth Lexi,” which prompted Underwood to reveal the nicknames she had been given as a child: “Carrie Underwear” and “Scary Underwear.”

Lexi’s performance of “Little Big Town” impressed all three judges, and she received her golden ticket to Hollywood.

Ethan Senger

With a name like Ethan Senger, it’s no surprise that the 24-year-old from Georgia pursued music. While he performed Keith Urban‘s “Somebody Like You,” Bryan stopped him and urged him to “slow it down” a little bit. He then cut Ethan off at another point and noted that his pronunciation was off because he was rushing it.

In the end, Bryan’s advice worked. He apologized for “yelling a little bit” and told the hopeful that he has “cool, cool things going on.” Richie agreed that there was “true potential.” When the contestant brought his mom in to sing a duet, Underwood had tears in her eyes, and all three judges gave them a standing ovation.

“You sound so good, and on a personal note, as a mom with boys, the way you look at him is so sweet when you’re singing together,” Underwood gushed. “I was just, like, holding it together.” Finally, all three gave their yes votes to send Ethan to Hollywood.

Anna Aistova

Not everyone was able to move onto the next round, though. When 28-year-old Anna Aistova performed opera for the judges, they just didn’t feel like her style was the right fit for American Idol specifically.

“It’s not because you’re not awesome, because you are,” Underwood made sure to point out. “I can’t do none of that!”

Trenton Wright

Trenton Wright, a flight test engineer who’s working towards his pilot license, took the stage next. It was his first time ever performing in front of anyone, and he sang “Rich Girl” by Daryl Hall and John Oates. At one point, Bryan got out of his seat to help Trenton open up.

Afterward, the “Drunk on You” singer  pointed out that Trenton “looks like Luke Grimes’ little brother” and noted that the “girls will be all smitten” when they see him sing. “You’re what this show’s all about,” he said.

Underwood admitted that saying yes to Trenton would be a “bit of a dice roll,” and told him that he’d have to “get real comfortable, real fast,” if he wanted to make it. Trenton promised to “work [his] butt off,” and after some contemplation, all of the judges agreed to give him a shot. He earned three yeses to move onto Hollywood … with a lot of work to do first.

Olivier

There was a string of Canadian contestants who auditioned next, including 23-year-old Olivier from New Brunswick. He sang “Save Me” by Jelly Roll.

Richie admitted, “One side of me wants to say just hold him for a little and let him kind of develop, but you’ve got a unique style you can work with.” In the end, he said yes, and Underwood and Bryan also agreed to “roll the dice” on Olivier, giving him his golden ticket.

Cal Buckley

Cal Buckley, a 20-year-old from Ontario, immediately piqued Underwood’s interest since her husband, Mike Fisher, is from Ontario. Bryan referred to Cal as the “Canadian Elvis” after his performance.

All three judges voted yes, and Underwood joked, “My husband would probably be pretty mad at me if I said no.”

Sarah Day

Alberta, Canada, farmhand Sarah Day was up next with a performance of “Wolves” by Jensen McRae. Underwood told her she had a “beautiful voice,” and the judges gave her a golden ticket.

Will Carter

The Canada performances continued when Will Carter, a hockey coach from St. John’s, Newfoundland, sang his original song called “Dreams,” which he wrote while going through a rough patch after his mom died of breast cancer.

The judges loved the song as much as they loved Will’s voice. Underwood pointed out that “every note wasn’t perfect,” but said, “That was so clear and concise and beautiful and metaphorical and relatable.”

Richie praised Will’s ability as a “storyteller,” and Bryan warned him not to “yell [his] voice out” while coaching hockey. All three judges voted yes, sending Will all the way to Hollywood.

Yani

Yani, a 26-year-old singer from New Jersey, made a surprising choice when she sang Underwood’s version of the Sunday Night Football theme song. The judges “did not see that coming,” and Underwood called the song choice “clever.”

However, Yani was too “theatrical” for Bryan, who voted no. Underwood was also unsure, but voted yes because she “couldn’t say no” to Yani’s voice. Richie agreed, making the majority vote to send Yani through to Hollywood.

Clara Rae

Louisiana native Clara Rae, who lives in a “cabin in the middle of nowhere” with her husband, came from a musical family. Although she gave major country singer vibes in her cowgirl hat and denim outfit, she sang “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons. At one point, Bryan asked her to stop playing guitar and just sing.

“You have one of my favorite voices I’ve heard, certainly here in Nashville, and I really wanted to make sure I was hearing everything I wanted to hear about your voice,” he explained, before adding that everything she was doing was “perfect” and “unique.”

In the end, Clara’s “super cool” voice earned her three yeses and a ticket to Hollywood.

Derek Reed

Derek Reed came to his audition dressed in a tuxedo and performed Frank Sinatra’s “New York New York.” He admitted that his “heart is with the crooners,” but assured the judges that he also enjoys country music, which is where he could maybe fit in on the radio.

Unfortunately, his style was too specific for American Idol. It was a unanimous no, but Bryan urged him to “keep on doing what you do.”

Santina Madden

Santina Madden, a 20-year-old college student, had better luck with her performance of “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. She had a violin in her hand while she sang, and when Bryan got up to try and grab it from her, she revealed that it was attached to her, then started playing it beautifully.

“I apologize for one of the judges attacking you,” Richie joked. It probably didn’t bother Santina too much, though, because she got three yeses to Hollywood.

Malik Bilbrew

Malik Bilbrew, a 24-year-old actor from Florida, also earned his golden ticket. He sang “Remedy” by Adele with the help of his emotional support stuffed llama, and all three judges voted yes.

Kyana Fanene

Kyana Fanane, a singer from California who recently moved to Brooklyn to pursue music, sang “Unaware” by Allen Stone. Bryan was mesmerized from the very first note.

“You are very easy breezy,” Underwood gushed. “You’re doing a lot of things vocally that are very beautiful. Something about your energy is very relaxed and I love that.”

The three judges all voted yes, which means Kyana got her golden ticket.

Lillian Vandaam

Lillian Vandaam brought her hula hoop to the audition and had a hula hoop-off with Underwood before performing “Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps” by Doris Day.

Bryan gave Lillian a no, but Underwood was impressed by the “artistry bubbling out” of her, and she said yes. Unfortunately, Richie also said no because he wasn’t sure Lillian was fully ready yet, so she won’t be moving on in the competition.

Samantha Ray

Samantha Ray, a 22-year-old stay at home mom, has been a fan of American Idol for years. She grew up watching with her sister, Taylor, and the two of them sang together all the time.

She sang a beautiful rendition of “I Hope You Dance” by Lee Ann Womack, and then revealed that the performance was inspired by Taylor, who died of a drug overdose. “She had two little boys and knowing they don’t have their mom anymore is really heartbreaking,” Samantha explained.

Hearing that brought on the waterworks from Underwood. The judges were happy with Samantha’s voice, but also her ability to tell a story with her performance. She earned three yeses and a golden ticket.

Canaan James Hill

The final performance of the night was from Canaan James Hill, a 17-year-old from Dallas, Texas, who graduated high school early to become a preacher. He grew up singing gospel music after being inspired by his grandfather.

The judges were absolutely blown away by his performance of Earnest Pugh’s “I need Your Glory.” Richie was even up on his feet in shock. “I just can’t even describe what I heard,” he admitted, while Underwood described the audition as “smooth, but powerful,” and said she was “speechless.”

Not only did Canaan get three yeses, but he also got the final platinum ticket of the season. This means that he gets to bypass the first round of Hollywood week!

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