As “American Idol” entered its third week of Season 24 auditions, Luke Bryan predicted that headlines would say he’s “at odds” with Carrie Underwood. We left “at odds” out of our headline just to prove him wrong — but he really wasn’t.
The country superstars indeed clashed multiple times on February 9, a theme which carried over from last week’s episode. (We’re still struggling to understand why Underwood lobbied so hard for the “Baby Got Back” guy.) The episode even gave us a whole segment about how often Bryan and Underwood butt heads, with the latter insisting, “If we disagree on some things … it’s all in love, you know?”
Their most notable disagreement this week was over 24-year-old Miyoko, an anime singer from Ukraine. None of the judges had any idea what she was saying with her all-Japanese performance of “Unravel” from the show “Tokyo Ghoul,” but they appeared to be buying what she was selling. As they should have! There was so much emotion in Miyoko’s performance, from the song’s simpler, softer moments to its bigger, bolder breakout spots.
“I love everything you’re about,” Bryan told the bubbly contestant, but Underwood apparently wasn’t quite as sold. “In this arena, we do not have anime night, so I’m not sure this is the avenue,” she said. “But we enjoy your uniqueness.” It was a cold, bewildering remark from his fellow judge, prompting Bryan to bring up the very example we used earlier. “We put the ‘Baby Got Back’ dude through, and we’re not going to put her through?” he interjected. “This is my ‘Baby Got Back’ dude moment!”
Underwood stood firm with her no, but it was a “big ol’ yes” from both Bryan and Lionel Richie, who decided that the only way to see if Miyoko can cut it is to give her a chance in Hollywood Week. Once Miyoko left the room, Bryan acknowledged, “Carrie, I know this has damaged our judging relationship just a wee bit,” but Underwood reasserted her stance: “I do not find that entertaining.”
We didn’t enter this season of “American Idol” expecting to have to choose sides in a brewing judges’ war, but if it comes to that, we’re staking our flag on Bryan.
Read on for a breakdown of the other contestants who made it through to Hollywood Week on Monday, then vote for your five (5) favorites and drop a comment with your judge of choice: are you Team Underwood or Team Bryan?