Geneva Co. teen uses makeshift guitar pick to get through “American Idol” golden ticket audition

(WDHN) — A Geneva County teen showcased his talent on a national stage and it came with help from a makeshift guitar pick made from a Walmart gift card.

Brant McCollough earned a golden ticket during his audition on “American Idol”, which guarantees him a spot in the next round of the competition.

During the audition, Brant sang Chris Stapleton’s hit single, “Fire Away” in front of judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Lionel Ritchie.

For McCollough to advance to the next round he needed two out of three judges to vote “yes”. Bryan voted yes, Perry voted no, so the final vote came down to Ritchie.

“Lionel Ritchie got up, they didn’t air it, but he got up and walked around like I was standing right here and just walked around my whole body like this close to me,” McCollough said. “Katy was like, ‘Don’t scare him.’ He was like, ‘I’m not.’ Then he goes to his seat and says it’s a yes. “

Now the fame has been seen on television by people around the Wiregrass and beyond.

“I was sitting on the couch watching it and as soon as it was over I heard my phone vibrating out of control,” McCollough said.

The audition, which took place in Tuskegee, was all done by Brant with a makeshift guitar pick, which will be framed alongside his golden ticket.

“I left the picks at my house for my audition and thank God we had a guitar pick stamp in the truck,” McCollough said. “We took a Walmart gift card and made a guitar pick out of it. That’s what I used for my audition, a Walmart gift card.”

Brant will now move on to the next round in the competition in Hollywood, which can be seen on WDHN.

“American Idol” will air at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 31, and at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 1.

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