American Idol returns with its final episode of auditions for season 22

Tara, Jacy and Mia Matthews, warming up together (left to right). Disney/Eric McCandless

American Idol returns on Mondays and Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC, with Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan setting out to find the next American Idol. March 24 is the last week of auditions before Hollywood week. 

There are many young contestants in this episode, and it shows the future of music really well. These are the top 10 contestants from episode five of season 22. 

A 17- year-old girl named Liliana Tovar Dalton sings an original song called “5%.” She sounds very similar to Olivia Rodrigo, which is very desirable in music today for teenage girls. The judges want to see if Dalton had a wider range, and ask to hear her sing “Someone Like You” by Adele. Throughout both songs she sounds wonderful and ends up showing off more range in the second song. 

A 16-year-old boy by the name of Brant Mccollough sings “Fire Away” by Chris Stapleton. McCullough has a very strong voice and plays the guitar as well. His voice is very raspy which gives the perfect country music sound. 

A 16-year-old girl named Carmen Olivia sings “Oscar Winning Tears.” by Raye. Olivia has an incredible voice for her age, and if you didn’t know her age, you would think she was older because of the mature sound coming out of her. 

Garrison Bennett, 18, sings “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder. His voice is very clear, and he has a retro look right off the bat. He is very good at riffs and hitting every note individually. He sounds very similar to Stevie Wonder and looks very similar to Lionel Richie. 

Jayna Elise came back for more, after competing last season, and getting eliminated going into the Top 24. The 22-year-old sings “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. The judges give her a standing ovation as she sings, but if she wants to show off her talent, another song may have been a better choice for her. 

Not only does the episode include the auditions, but there are bits the judges do as well to change up the pace of the episode. All three judges take a trip to a beautiful garden where Katy Perry explains the history of the garden and Lionel Richie gets lost while exploring. 

Moments like this make the show less repetitive and allows for a bit of a break, which can really be needed when watching auditions for an extended period of time. 

22-year-old Isaiah Case sings an original song titled, “What Could I Do.” Case has a very raspy sounding country voice. He sounds very similar to Chris Stapleton and has a lot of passion behind his lyrics. 

Cate Gartner, an 18-year-old from Texas, sings an original song titled, “The Place Where I Call Home.” She sounds very similar to Kelsey Ballarini and Kacey Musgraves, which is very likable in country music. She is a teen mom and wrote this song for her son, giving so much more emotion behind the lyrics. 

Sisters Mia and Jacy Matthews, 18 and 17, audition together. 

Jacy individually sings “Help Me Make It Through The Night” by Sammi Smith. She sounds a little flat on some notes but has a powerhouse voice. 

Mia auditions with “No Place That Far” by Sarah Evans and also plays guitar for herself and her sister. She is incredible, making the female country music competition on the show very tough. 

The judges feel like they both could have more power in their voice, and sound slightly timid, but they also say very positive things as well. 

Jordan Anthony, 18, sings “Forget Me” by Lewis Capaldi. Anthony has a very clear and delicate  voice and sounds very similar to Capaldi himself. He has a distinctive voice which sets him apart from other contestants. 

This episode showed off a lot of young talent, and the upcoming season should be very competitive and entertaining. The most promising of this week’s contestants is Jordan Anthony. He may have the potential to be the next American Idol, or at least the top five. 

 Stay tuned on Sundays and Mondays at 8 p.m. pacific time to see if Anthony will win it all.

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