Finally, we may have just found a 2015 winner! What a relief to hear the unique voice owned by flame-haired Jelly Joseph in New Orleans. Now, here’s a breakdown of the rest of the best and the jaw-droppingly worst of the night’s offerings.
American Idol brought us to New Orleans on Jan. 22, and thankfully, after Minneapolis’s lackluster contestants, tonight’s episode had much more to offer. One contestant was so impressive, she even showed the potential to walk away with the whole thing!
‘American Idol': New Orleans Auditions Make Harry Proud
When Harry Connick Jr. and fellow judges Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban arrived in NOLA, the pressure to impress Harry in his hometown was definitely on.
However, the evening got off to a rough start with some…enthusiasm. Drew Plaisance, 23, was literally the worst auditioner we’ve seen so far. The. Worst. It was one of those auditions that made you cuff your hands over your ears.
And guess what? Things didn’t immediately improve from there! Yodeling. Cracking. Torture.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Harry asked before adding that the abysmal talent was actually breaking his heart.
Finally though– finally!– fuchsia haired beauty Jelly Joseph, 26, emulated fellow red headed belter Adele with “Rollin’ In The Deep” and she restored Harry’s hope in the state of Louisiana. With her golden ticket in hand, Jelly singlehandedly got New Orleans back on track. Honestly, Jelly was the first auditioner so far this season that immediately gave the impression that she stood a chance to win this competition. Are you ready for this Jelly?
Sixteen-year-old Tiffany Stringer, had more pep in her step than the Energizer Bunny and, to be honest, it was exhausting. She was a pretty decent vocalist, but the high school cheerleader added one too many high kicks to her song (literally) for Harry who said no. JLo and Keith decided she was worthy of another shot, though, so I guess we’ll see her in hollywood. Preemptive yawn.
Tiffany’s energy was directly juxtaposed by another 16-year-old, Greyson Turner, who performed an original song, and from the sound of his subdued soul voice, it could’ve come out of a 45-year-old. The judges adored him, as they should have, and with a “Hollywood, baby” from JLo, he walked out with a golden ticket.
Sarah Quintana, 28, kept the good vibes flowing. Harry even took to the piano to accompany the jazz singing lady. Sarah was so good, I didn’t even mind that she wasn’t wearing shoes (okay, I did still mind, but I was a little more forgiving). However, because of her super unique sound, the judges decided this competition just wasn’t the right route for her, so they passed.
