'American Idol' fan favorite gets a surprising makeover
Sunday was supposed to mark the start of this American Idol season’s live shows. But with production suspended due to coronavirus concerns and the just-announced top 20 all sent home to quarantine with their families, the rest of Season 18 is in flux. But fans in self-quarantine still got their Idol fix this weekend, with a two-hour special called American Idol: This Is Me. “It’s Sunday, April 12, and the start of another week of staying home. Thank you for inviting us into your home for this holiday weekend,” said host Ryan Seacrest at the top of the episode, which re-introduced viewers to 10 of this season’s semifinalists. This Is Me also served as a handy primer for people who are just starting to tune in to Idol, now that they’re home and need new feel-good television to binge. Along with recaps of these 10 contestants’ Idol journeys and a few unseen performances (including a fantastic original song audition and John Mayer Hollywood Week cover by singer-songwriter Franklin Boone), the show also caught up with some memorable cast-offs. And that is when we all got to see Doug Kiker’s surprising post-Idol makeover. Lovable garbage man Doug had the breakout moment of this Idol season so far, racking up more than 200 million video views for his humble audition of Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road.” Sadly, the inexperienced singer, who literally didn’t even know the meanings of the words “range” or “warm up,” struggled to stay in key, and had never performed on a stage before, was cut on the first day of Hollywood Week. But back in his home state of Alabama, he’s apparently enjoying his newfound fame by starting to play local gigs. And -- in the Idol tradition of the dental transformations of Elliott Yamin, Crystal Bowersox, and last season’s winner Laine Hardy – he’s also gotten some snazzy new Hollywood teeth. “The sky’s the limit, man! Y’all got me feeling that way,” Doug said, smiling like he was starring in a toothpaste commercial, his once-gummy grin a thing of the past, as he bounced his toddler daughter on his knee. “I finally believe in myself enough to actually sing in front of people!” So Doug’s a winner, even if his Idol airtime was brief. This season’s other 10 contestants will be the focus of a second This Is Me clip show next weekend. On that episode, we’ll also find out whether Grace Leer or Lauren Mascitti won the public tie-breaker vote to make to the live shows, and hopefully we’ll also get some announcement about how exactly producers are planning to proceed with those shows -- since Ryan did promise this Sunday, “Soon, you will vote on your top 20.” See you then.
Video Transcript
RYAN SEACREST: Tonight is Sunday, April 12, and the start of another week of staying home. Thank you for inviting us into your home for this holiday weekend.
KYLIE MAR: We might be in self-quarantine, and "American Idol's" production might be suspended due to coronavirus concerns, but fans still got their "Idol" fix Sunday night with a two-hour special called "American Idol-- This Is Me." Along with some recaps and a few unseen performances, this special also caught up with some memorable castoffs, one of whom was Doug Kiker.
[MUSIC - DOUG KIKER, "BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD"]
DOUG KIKER: (SINGING) Others who broke my heart, they were like Northern Stars
- [INAUDIBLE]
- There's so much in there.
DOUG KIKER: I don't know what to do here.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you so much.
KYLIE MAR: After having one of the biggest breakout moments of the season, the fan favorite was sadly sent home at the start of Hollywood Week. But even though his time on the show was cut short, our favorite singing garbage man is killing it back home and enjoying his newfound fame by singing over video chats. And he's doing it with a fresh smile.
DOUG KIKER: Y'all notice anything different about me? I got new teeth, guys. The sky's the limit, man. Y'all got me feeling that way. I finally believe in myself enough to actually sing in front of people.
