Jill O'Rourke
Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
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| February 24, 2024 SIGN IN TO SAVE POST
Disney/Eric McCandless, Photo by: Todd Williamson/NBCReading Time: 2 minutes
Country star Lainey Wilson is proof that talent shows such as American Idol don’t always get it right. Wilson tried out for the show seven times, but she never got past the first round. Idol judge Luke Bryan was shocked to find out she’d been rejected.
Lainey Wilson Was Rejected by American Idol
As Country Now points out, Wilson finally made it onto American Idol last year as a guest performer during the Season 21 finale. She took the stage with Jelly Roll to sing “Save Me,” and she also joined forces with contestants Marybeth Byrd and Warren Peay to sing her track “Heart Like a Truck.”
Wilson reflected on the experience while co-hosting Country Countdown USA, explaining, “I finally made it on American Idol. I tried out seven times [and] I took the long way around but finally made it on American Idol [and] I never made it through… never made it past the first round.”
The singer also revealed that she tried out for The Voice, also with no luck. Now she has four studio albums and a Grammy for Best Country Album. As she said of her journey to stardom, “I’m grateful my story ended the way that it did.”
SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ HEADS TO JUDGES’ HOMETOWNS IN SEASON 22 PREMIERE
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Luke Bryan Was Shocked by Wilson’s Revelation
American Idol judge Luke Bryan reacted to the revelation that Wilson had been rejected by the show during his own appearance on Country Countdown USA. He was shocked to learn that the show hadn’t put her through.
“I didn’t know that, that was the first time I heard that, but I’ll go see my producers today and find out what happened,” Bryan said. “I’m glad she didn’t take the Idol letdown to heart.”
Bryan added that Wilson’s rejection showed that “we don’t always get it right.” However, Bryan only joined the show’s judging panel in 2018, and it’s not clear how recently Wilson tried out. He also wouldn’t have been the one to reject her, since the first round of auditions isn’t with the judges.
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