Season 22 of “American Idol” took an unexpected turn as contestant Madai ChaKell found herself in a heated exchange with judge Luke Bryan during Sunday night’s episode.
Having already received a “no” vote from Bryan during her initial audition, tensions were palpable between ChaKell and the judge. Despite the rocky start, ChaKell decided to perform again, choosing Ariana Grande’s “Tattooed Heart” as her song.
However, her performance hit a snag as her voice cracked, leading her to stop twice and request a re-do.
Eventually, she opted to go acapella after calling off her accompanying pianist, citing that the performance wasn’t flowing as practiced.
Following her rendition, the judges provided feedback, with Bryan noting that her voice was “shaky” and inquiring about its condition.
“Is your voice 100%?” asked Bryan.
“Not to where I would like it,” she replied.
Backstage, she commented:
“My pianist just completely flipped the script on what we had practiced,” before she added snark towards Bryan: “Is your voice ok, Luke? Because I haven’t heard you sing! Obviously I can sing.”
Despite the rocky start, ChaKell was given a second chance by the judges, with Bryan expressing a desire to create a comfortable environment for her to perform.
However, tensions between ChaKell and Bryan resurfaced, with ChaKell mocking Bryan’s earlier comment about her voice being “shaky.”
“Can I have a chair, perhaps, because I’m getting a ‘little bit shaky,’” she said, mocking his earlier comment about her voice being “shaky.”
“Maybe we’ll do ‘American Humble’ at some point,” Bryan fired back.
Viewers sided with Bryan.
“She’s going home. Worst attitude ever, ”one person commented on X, formerly Twitter.
“Madai ChaKell got another shot at her audition. Was more connected, emotional. Nice low notes, she ended with a little craziness. This girl is tew much. Very much a character but becoming very unlikeable,” another viewer noted.
Others expressed disappointment in her behavior, while others labeled her as unlikeable.
