When Top 8 contestant John Foster auditioned for “American Idol,” judge Luke Bryan reluctantly voted to send him to Hollywood, saying he was unsure if the Louisiana singer had the vocal chops to advance in the competition.
But on Monday night’s episode — which showed Foster singing the George Strait song “I Cross My Heart” — Bryan wasn’t afraid to admit his misjudgement.
“I was doing my TikTok scroll daily, and I saw a clip of me saying I didn’t know if you could sing good enough back in your audition,” Bryan said after the performance, “and man, no one has ever proved me more wrong than you.”
When Foster performed an original song while vying for a spot in the Top 14, Bryan shared a similar sentiment, noting, “You’ve kind of been a wildcard for me the whole time, but what you just did there removed all doubts in my mind that you deserve to be here.”
Monday night’s episode showed the return of the “Judges’ Song Contest,” a round of the competition where each judge anonymously suggests one song for each contestant to perform, based on what they know about the Top 8’s individual vocal abilities and performance styles. Every singer must then choose among the three predetermined options, and perform their selection on air.
Foster picked the Strait song, which the episode revealed was the suggestion of judge and former “Idol” winner Carrie Underwood.
Each judge earned one point every time an “Idol” hopeful picked their suggestion. By the end of the program, Richie and Bryan had tied with three points each.
Bryan and Richie’s prize for winning the contest was deciding which of the “bottom two” hopefuls to send to the Top 7. Of the remaining eight contestants, Josh King and Mattie Pruitt received the fewest votes over the course of the episode; Richie and Bryan ultimately decided to save Pruitt and send King home.
The remaining seven contestants will compete in a “two-night Disney celebration” during next Sunday and Monday’s episodes.
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