American Idol is back, and some of its auditions haven’t fared well with the judges. This season, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan haven’t been as impressed with the auditions. But in the upcoming episode, they were left speechless when they met Kenedi Anderson. In an exclusive sneak peek from Entertainment Tonight from Part 2 of the auditions for Sunday, Mar. 6, it shows how Perry, Richie and Bryan initially find the audition lackluster. But as Anderson passionately sings and plays the piano, a lightbulb goes off in Perry’s mind and she slowly realizes that Kenedi may have star quality.
“What are the name of your fans?” Perry asks the talent. “I don’t have any,” Anderson responds. Perry declares herself as a “Keni,” a term she coins for Anderson’s future fanatics. “I’m feeling threatened,” Perry jokes later. “They’re younger, they’re skinnier, they’re prettier. They sing really good!” Bryan agrees with Perry, saying that Anderson has the chops and “may be the biggest star we’ve ever seen.”
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The show thus far hasn’t had many standouts, at least in some of the judges’ viewpoints. Grace Franklin, the granddaughter of the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, gave it her best shot. She performed a rendition of Franklin’s classic “Ain’t No Way,” as well as the Lauryn Hill version of “Killing Me Softly.” Perry was impressed, saying that Grace had a certain “stardust” and “sparkle.” But Bryan and the veteran Richie felt otherwise and voted not. Richie felt that Grace could use more fine tuning before she could reach the heights of her grandmother.
“Grace Franklin, I love you and I think the best thing for you in life is to take a shot at going backwards. Go back and get a running start and come at this again,” Richie said. “Go back and put the shyness behind you and the voice in front of you, you are going to be something amazing.”
Grace was disappointed, but agreed.”I’m a good artist, I know that, but I do know I need to work on some things,” she said later.
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Mel B at the "America's Got Talent" Season 21 Red Carpet held at Pasadena Civic Auditorium on March 24, 2026 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images) -
“Reverse the Curse” – Back from tribal, tensions rise following the exit of a particularly historic player. The final five immunity challenge ends in a showdown and features one of the closest finishes the show has ever seen. Jeff reveals the outcomes of the remaining in-game fan votes and how they impact the final stage of the competition. Then, one castaway will be crowned Sole Survivor and awarded the $2 million prize, during the three-hour live season finale, on SURVIVOR 50, Wednesday, May 20 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Jeff Probst serves as host and executive producer. Pictured: Aubry Bracco Photo: Robert Voets/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
