In the history of two decades of American Idol, there have been a lot of memorable moments. Despite a lot of those being good ones, every now and then there can be some drama involved between the contestants and the judges themselves. Tension can go as far as getting soaked in water, ask Simon Cowell.
Yes, it’s just a signing talent competition, but with a lot of surprises. Accidents, arguments, and unexpected and unfortunate events have happened in American Idol. Know any of these? Keep reading as we go through them.
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5. Jonathan did not take Simon’s comments too well
Jonathan Rey, who was 18-years-old at the time took Simon’s rejection and reaction to his performance very personally.
Randy could not hold his laughter and ended up leaving his chair, but the British judge wasn’t buying any of it. He was very honest about Jonathan’s performance by saying: “I think we’re going to have to cancel this competition — that was terrible.”
As Jonathan walked toward the judge’s table Simon thought he was going to shake his hand. Instead, he picked up a cup and threw it at Simon’s face before getting escorted by the security guard.
This is by far one of the most shocking moments of American Idol.
4. Katy Perry collapses after gas leak
In another of the biggest moments of American Idol, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie were off to their normal schedules. However, as they sat down on their respective chairs, the judges noticed a strong smell of gas in the room.
“Do you guys smell gas? It’s pretty intense,” Katy noticed.
Speaking directly at the production of Idol to alert them of the strong smell, Luke said: “We’re getting heavy propane.”
In the next scene, chaos and panic emerge within the judges and the contestants and their families who are blasted with the sound of the sirens from the firefighter’s truck.
As the production team was evacuating the contestants and their families outside of the building, the three judges were seen to be in a state of shock. Especially Katy Petty who ended up collapsing on the floor.
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3. Funke Lagoke faints after the performance
After delivering their performance, Funke Lagoke shocked everyone as she suddenly fainted on stage while listening to Lionel Richie’s evaluation.
As one watches the clip, it can be seen that Funke’s hands were shaking until she eventually collapsed on the stage hitting her chin and then her head.
Katy Perry was left in shock with her hands on her head. The Idol production team, Ritchie, and Bryan ran to the stage and he’s heard saying, “she busted her chin, y’all.”
According to People, the show then informed the audience that Funke fainted due to dehydration but was released from the hospital.
2. Scarlet was “about to lose it” at her duet partner
Scarlet Ayliz had previously auditioned for Idol, so the judges were happy to see a familiar contestant back on stage.
However, her duet with Douglas Mills Junior ended up with a lot of drama. The two did not seem to get along very well, despite being paired up to perform together.
With so little time to rehearse the song and the negative energy between the two, Scarlet took off her mic and stormed off before things could get heated even further.
Eventually, Scalet came back to apologise to Douglas. On the day of their performance, the two sang The Greatest Showman’s Rewrite The Stars, where fans could notice Scarlet’s constant stares. After the judges’ evaluation, the two passed on to the next round.
1. Katy Perry leaves fuming over Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter
Aretha Franklin’s granddaughter wanted to keep the family’s legacy alive by auditioning for American Idol. As she sang two songs by her beloved and legendary grandmother, Lionel Richie seemed to not have been impressed enough for the then 15-year-old.
However, Katy Perry loved the performance and said “yes”, while Richie stood by his opinion of “the age and the voice have to all come together on the same path.”
In American Idol, contestants cannot advance to the next round without the approval of all three judges. Naturally, things got a little heated between the two judges as they didn’t seem to agree.
In the end, Katy got up from her chair and left while shouting: “I quit this show. I’m going to the bar. There’s something wrong with your ears. Y’all are insane.”