"WTF they didn’t let Jack through": Dramatic American Idol season 22 audition shocks fans

American Idol witnessed a controversial voting in the season 22 premiere, released on Sunday, February 18. Jack Blocker, an artist from Dallas, Texas, sang his original, I Was Wrong, leaving the judges and the crew of the show torn. The 25-year-old, who works as a graphic designer, impressed Luke Bryan, but the feelings weren't mutual when it came to Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.

The Dark Horse songstress called out the contestant for his "bad" delivery, asking him to "relax" his odd facial expressions while performing. However, Luke disagreed with Katy, branding the 25-year-old's performance as "different" but likeable. The country singer noted he saw something in Jack, but was disappointed when Katy and Lionel grew skeptical and didn't vote him in.

Luke requested the crew if they could bring him back and a majority of them voted yes, thereby leading to the youngster getting his ticket to Hollywood in an unconventional manner. Upon watching his audition, a barrage of American Idol fans took to social media to slam the original decision of the judges.

User @TyScottJensen wrote on X:

"WTF they didn’t let Jack through. Idiots. Lmdao he was good af. Thank God they brought him back and sent him through. Was shocked they were gonna let him go. American Idol like I’ve said Katy shouldn’t be a judge, she is terrible at judging talent."

Many viewers also expressed that Jack gave one of the best auditions in the whole of American Idol history.

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How a crew vote earned Jack his ticket to Hollywood on American Idol season 22

When in front of the judges, Jack introduced himself as a Texas native currently living in Nashville. Holding a guitar in his hand, the youngster crooned his original composition, which caught the judges' attention for various reasons.

Katy Perry didn't seem impressed by some of his facial expressions and gave Jack a stern assessment, noting:

"I think you have a really good sounding voice. I think you're doing some bad habits with the way you're delivering. I don't know if you're doing this intentionally to get out a sound or if that's your signature."

Katy asked if anyone had ever pointed out his odd expressions, which felt like a "little put on" to her. She continued:

"You were really stretching (the face) to get to this note and you can just sing the note and be a little more relaxed about it."

Lionel Richie called him an artist that he'd put a stamp on. However, the veteran wondered if he was a fit for the competition series.

On the contrary, Luke Graham rooted for Jack and disagreed with the other two. He said:

"I don't know, I kind of think, what would Paul Simon's audition have looked like? It would have looked like what you kind of just did. I liked it. It was different. I can vote, I'm a yes."

Katy responded that she appreciated Jack's artistry but when it came to giving him a ticket to Hollywood, it was a "no" for her. The decision aligned with that of Lionel, who added, "It's going to have to be a no for me at this point."

Luke Graham was taken aback by the turn of events and displayed his frustration by placing his head on the table. He argued with the others:

"I saw something in that boy. Y'all let him go. Can we get him back? Crew let's do a crew vote."

A show of hands among the crew members who wanted Jack's return was conducted and Lionel was floored to witness a majority rooting for the Texas native. He confirmed, "I'm willing. I'm willing to do this. We've never done this before. Bring that man back in here."

Host Ryan Seacrest escorted Jack inside informing him about the "controversial" voting involving the crew members. Lionel Richie addressed the 25-year-old once again:

"At the end of our vote, the crew, people came from everywhere to say, are you out of your mind? Don't let that guy go."

A show of hands was done again in front of Jack. Pointing at the united front of the American Idol crew, Richie said "Everybody can't be wrong about Jack." He subsequently changed his vote to yes, thereby inviting the youngster to Hollywood.

The unconventional audition had Luke Graham reflecting, "Never in the history have we had a managerial mutiny against us." He branded it as a "win for the crew."

American Idol fans lauded Jack's artistry on social media, with many condemning Katy Perry. A section of viewers highlighted how his facial expressions shouldn't have been a criterion for critique because he auditioned for a singing reality show.

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American Idol season 22 will release new episodes weekly every Sunday on ABC.