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American Idol aired its final set of auditions on March 21, 2022. The episode explored a fresh batch of talented singers who impressed the judges with their performances and stories.
This season, the show introduced the concept of platinum tickets. This ticket allows contestants to go directly to the second round of Hollywood, and they can skip the first round to strategize and rest their voices. HunterGirl and Kenedi Anderson were the first to get the tickets. In the final round of auditions, another contestant was deemed worthy of a platinum ticket.
Jay Copeland stunned the judges and fans with his performance to earn a platinum ticket. One fan tweeted:
Episode 5 of American Idol saw some great backstories and well-deserved golden tickets to Hollywood. Some of the performing contestants included Matt Gorman, Carly Mickeal, Kaylin Robinson, Cameron Whitcomb, and Morgan Gruber, among others.
Fans react to American Idol contestant Jay Copeland's performance
Fans were impressed with the contestant's performance and took to social media to applaud him.
American Idol contestant Jay Copeland amazes the judges with his audition
Jay Copeland, a 23-year-old native of Salsbury, Maryland, was one of the final auditions for the night. The contestant revealed that he had to drop out of his master's degree in acting after being given an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between singing and acting. He said:
"So I chose Idol because I don't know if I made the right decision or the wrong decision, but I do know I made the best decision for myself. Going to school, I was on my fellowship, so that was giving me my funds, my income."
The contest performed a rather amazing rendition of Stevie Wonder's Sign, Sealed, Delivered, and surprised the judges with his high notes and vocal range. The judges gave him a standing ovation after the audition, with Katy Perry screaming:
"You don't need them. We need you."
Lionel Richie reflected on the contestant's audition and said:
"I'm gonna tell you something. I have been alive a very long time, and you just don't jump on a Stevie Wonder song and do boxing with Stevie Wonder. You controlled it. You did it. You owned it. And on top of that you were having so much fun."
He continued to express his happiness at Jay's presence on American Idol and said his talent was "off the chain." Luke Bryan believed that Jay was someone who could "electrify a crowd."
The contestant then went on to win the platinum ticket as he was "worth all of the platinum."
The next episode of American Idol will air on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 8.00 pm ET on ABC. The episode will showcase a few more emotional auditions and some new footage of the contestants.
