‘American Idol’ Recap: Clever Beggars Close Auditions in Omaha

How do you squeeze out one of the last golden tickets of American Idol’s thirteenth season? Contestants pulled out all the stops to score a trip to Hollywood on the last night of auditions in Omaha.

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Quaid Edwards kicked off the episode as a bit of reunion, since his mother is country singer Jolie Edwards of Jolie & The Wanted, who performed alongside Keith Urban. While his runs were inconsistent, his eagerness to learn and improve impressed the judges. “I’m as green as they come,” he told the panel, with Harry Connick, Jr. responding, “I happen to like that shade of green.”

Tyler Gurwicz initially blew his shot with a hard-to-watch audition of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain”, but after telling Connick he was missing out, the newbie judge offered him a second try, which Gurwicz seized effectively with Jeff Buckley‘s “Grace.” Connick told the judges of his early rejection, “That may have been my first slip in judgment. Everything has been clear to me, that was the first time I second-guessed myself.”

And when C.J. Jones told the judges he was singing “Stand By Me,” Connick joked that he’d rather stay in his seat. Yet Jones called his bluff and auditioned with the judge by his side, snapping along and cracking jokes before rewarding him with a golden ticket.

U.S. Air Force singer Paula Hunt effortlessly won the judges over with Etta James’ “All I Can Do Was Cry,” dedicating her audition to her mother, a former singer who lost her voice after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Shoe store employee Andrina Brogden reached for the high notes of Beyonce’s “Halo,” but with a palpable fear that Urban and Jennifer Lopez pointed out. And Tessa Kate went for Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and almost ventured into what Lopez called “chipmunk territory,” but instead earned a golden ticket.

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Most creatively artistic audition of Omaha? That goes to Alyssa Siebken, who intrigued enough judges with an acoustic version of Waka Flocka Flame’s wordy “No Hands.”

Tyler Marshall with an impressive “Proud Mary,” Madisen Walker barely made it with what Urban called “a perfect karaoke rendition” of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” heading to Hollywood with Dajontae Lenear, Dylan Becker and Casey McQuillen. Omaha’s 21 successful auditions brings the season’s contender count to 212.

What did you think of the last night of Idol’s audition round? Who will rise or fall during Hollywood week? Sound off in the comments below.

Email: Ashley.Lee@THR.com
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