American Idol Judges Luke Bryan And Carrie Underwood Clash As Auditions Continue — Whose Side Are You On?

As "American Idol" entered its third week of Season 24 auditions, Luke Bryan predicted that headlines would say he's "at odds" with Carrie Underwood. We left "at odds" out of our headline just to prove him wrong — but he really wasn't.

The country superstars indeed clashed multiple times on February 9, a theme which carried over from last week's episode. (We're still struggling to understand why Underwood lobbied so hard for the "Baby Got Back" guy.) The episode even gave us a whole segment about how often Bryan and Underwood butt heads, with the latter insisting, "If we disagree on some things ... it's all in love, you know?"

Their most notable disagreement this week was over 24-year-old Miyoko, an anime singer from Ukraine. None of the judges had any idea what she was saying with her all-Japanese performance of "Unravel" from the show "Tokyo Ghoul," but they appeared to be buying what she was selling. As they should have! There was so much emotion in Miyoko's performance, from the song's simpler, softer moments to its bigger, bolder breakout spots.

"I love everything you're about," Bryan told the bubbly contestant, but Underwood apparently wasn't quite as sold. "In this arena, we do not have anime night, so I'm not sure this is the avenue," she said. "But we enjoy your uniqueness." It was a cold, bewildering remark from his fellow judge, prompting Bryan to bring up the very example we used earlier. "We put the 'Baby Got Back' dude through, and we're not going to put her through?" he interjected. "This is my 'Baby Got Back' dude moment!"

Underwood stood firm with her no, but it was a "big ol' yes" from both Bryan and Lionel Richie, who decided that the only way to see if Miyoko can cut it is to give her a chance in Hollywood Week. Once Miyoko left the room, Bryan acknowledged, "Carrie, I know this has damaged our judging relationship just a wee bit," but Underwood reasserted her stance: "I do not find that entertaining."

We didn't enter this season of "American Idol" expecting to have to choose sides in a brewing judges' war, but if it comes to that, we're staking our flag on Bryan.

Read on for a breakdown of the other contestants who made it through to Hollywood Week on Monday, then vote for your five (5) favorites and drop a comment with your judge of choice: are you Team Underwood or Team Bryan?

We didn't even have time to say that Jordan McCullough took us to church with his "American Idol" audition — he beat us to the punch. The worship director from Murfreesboro, Tennessee began by announcing that he was "bringing the choir stand here" with his performance of "Goodness of God" by Bethel Music and Jenn Johnson.

And what goodness it was. From those stirring low notes to that big glorious belt, there was an overwhelming sense of joy in McCullough's performance. It's rare to see a contestant connect so deeply with their song, but he was clearly locked in. And every time we thought McCullough gave us all he had to give, he would pull out another explosive moment and blow us away all over again.

"You've been given an incredible gift, and I love that you use it," Carrie Underwood told him, joining her fellow judges in a group standing ovation. "I just had chills, pretty much the whole time."

While we remain firmly on Team Luke Bryan in most instances, we'll admit, we were living for Carrie Underwood's rock montage this week. Looking to make this class of contestants more "eclectic," Underwood expressed her desire to find some genuine rock singers, the spicier the better. Enter a trio of rockers, all of whom met Underwood's criteria to a T:

* After mouthing along to 20-year-old Zayuh Moro's strong performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)," a song we're pretty sure has never been heard on "Idol" before, Underwood said she was "thrilled" by their most recent find.

* Then came 28-year-old Brett Carlisle, looking like he stepped out of a time machine from the '80s, who performed alongside his band Great White. From the big rock notes to the big rock hair, this guy's the total package. Lionel Richie even told him that he's basically "the poster child for this."

* The third golden ticket went to 24-year-old content creator Noah Orion, who performed Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." And in another first for "Idol," he auditioned on top of a bus.

This 21-year-old from Orlando, Florida was the cherry on top of Carrie Underwood's search for undiscovered rockers, a wonderfully unexpected find that we're already excited to see again. We thought we knew what to expect when she announced that she'd be singing Radiohead's "Creep," but she proved us wrong with a completely unique take on the excellent-but-overdone anthem for creeps everywhere. This version had more of a folksy vibe to it, with some exciting melodic changes and plenty of delightfully nasty runs.

The judges liked what Madison Moon was serving up, but Underwood wanted to hear more, asking her for some "harsh vocals," a term Luke Bryan had never heard in his dag-gum life. She happily (and successfully) met Underwood's request with a second performance of Thirty Seconds to Mars' "The Kill (Bury Me)," giving us a throwback to 2005 that we were not expecting. This edgier version of Moon was exactly what Underwood was looking for, and we can't say we didn't enjoy every second of her performance — especially that screech.

A life insurance salesman from LaGrange, Georgia, Philmon Lee's future was looking bright when he dropped out of college and signed with a major record label — until Covid shut down the world, and his music career along with it. Given that he had already found some success in the industry, our expectations for Lee's audition were considerably higher, and we're happy to say that his performance of Michael Bolton's "When A Man Loves A Woman" did not disappoint.

There's a smoky quality to Lee's voice that fit perfectly with the early-90s love ballad. It was a thoughtful, introspective performance, one that clearly came straight from Lee's heart. And you could tell he was really feeling the song, as he couldn't have cared less whether the judges were even in the room. (Luke Bryan did request that Lee look up a little more, but come on, the guy was in the zone!)

Performing one of the judges' songs for an audition is always risky, but it helps when you throw a little bribery into the mix. Enter Livy, a server at Texas Road House who was proudly "bringing the energy... and bringing the rolls." She also brought her mom, who's so thirsty for Luke Bryan that she's trying to end his marriage, but she was wise enough to leave her out of the room. While the judges snacked on Livy's special delivery, she surprised them with a performance of Carrie Underwood's "Love Wins."

Given Livy's big personality, we weren't sure what to expect once she opened her mouth, but we were pleasantly surprised by the sweeter, slightly more toned-down version of herself that she presented in song. It started off a little shaky, but once Livy hit that chorus, she really found her voice. Bryan asked her to perform the chorus again, this time even softer and more relaxed, and the judges' responded much more positively to it. She's a little rough around the edges, but if she can keep taking advice like that, she'll do just fine.

This concrete worker from Cleveland, Ohio came armed with an original song he wrote in 2019 when his band, Recess, was on the verge of breaking up. As far as originals we've heard this season, "The Sound of Giving Up" fell somewhere in the middle, not exactly impressing us in the first verse. Then came the chorus, and everything changed. It was like something suddenly woke up inside Vincent Fondale, who released some of the biggest, best notes we've heard all season, making it clear where his strengths lie.

With that momentum built up, Fondale's performance remained strong, with more beautiful belting and delicious runs. While we do agree with Luke Bryan's assertion that the song's earlier "tender parts" didn't connect, we're glad that Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie felt strongly enough about Fondale to put him through. (Yes, this is a rare instance that we strayed from #TeamBryan. But to be fair, we also don't agree with Underwood that he was "dead inside" for saying no.)

This one was a tearjerker for every conceivable reason. Lanii grew up feeling insecure about her singing voice, but her father — who struggled with addiction for as long as she can remember — always believed in her. Unfortunately, he's now in the ICU with liver failure and is awaiting a transplant. As Lanii explained, she came into this audition with everything she's got, because it might be her last chance to show her dad that she tried for him. (Oh, just stab us in the heart, why don't you!)

Lanii claimed to be incredibly nervous, but there were no signs of those nerves when she opened her mouth to sing Demi Lovato's "Tell Me You Love Me." You could feel every ounce of emotion in her performance, which she peppered with the perfect amount of attitude. Underwood hit the nail on the head when she called Lanii's voice "incredible," adding, "I don't even know if you know what you're capable of." Needless to say, we're excited to see that prophecy fulfilled in Hollywood Week.

The lesson with this one is that you should never cut class... unless you know you're going to have a successful audition on "American Idol," in which case, go for it! Season 6 "Idol" finalist Melinda Doolittle joined Ryan Seacrest at Doolittle's alma mater, Belmont University, in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough, and we'd say their mission was a golden success.

Their big find was 19-year-old Jackie Bluebird, who delivered a strong take on Amy Winehouse's "You Know That I'm No Good." Seacrest and Doolittle stood proudly to the side during Bluebird's audition, convinced she would make it, but the judges weren't so sure. Carrie Underwood had some serious critiques to offer, but Luke Bryan was willing to roll the dice this time around, as was Lionel Richie. Carrie Underwood also changed her no to a yes, but she wasn't excited about it. It was more of a "well, why not three?" situation, so Bluebird definitely has her work cut out for her in Hollywood Week.

"Cool, calm, and collected" is how this North Carolina teen says she would normally describe herself — but that was before she stood in front of the "Idol" judges to sing for her spot in Hollywood. Fortunately, she had nothing to be nervous about; the judges were in awe of her powerhouse vocals from the very beginning of Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way." It was a fitting song choice, too, because the judges' collective internal monologue was "there ain't no way this girl is only 17."

In one of the most impressive auditions from the season thus far, this high school student did the queen of soul proud, opening her mouth and releasing a talent — nay, a power — far beyond her young years. Luke Bryan is especially excited to see how much she can push herself and grow in the competition, and we'll be waiting with open ears.

The impressive performances came fast and furious this week, including these three stand-outs:

* A delivery driver from Kentucky, 22-year-old Christian Brown came to his "Idol" audition with an important delivery of his own — his father, country music hall-of-famer Marty Brown. Even better, Christian sang "Wildest Dreams," a song Marty wrote about his kids! With Marty watching proudly from the side, it was like the "Inception" of "Idol" auditions, and it was pretty great.

* Lionel Richie volunteered to buy the first copy of 21-year-old Julianne Post's album after hearing her audition with "Long Live the Lost Boys," an original song she wrote as an ode to her long-distance friends. Carrie Underwood questioned whether Post is "too unique" to package for viewers, so she said no, but Richie persisted, telling her, "be the misfit that doesn't fit."

* Trew the Star didn't have a lot of control growing up, having to raise his siblings due to his mother's struggle with drug addiction, but he had plenty of control over his voice in this incredible audition. His performance of Sam Cooke's "Nothing Can Change This Love" was an authentic look into the power this 24-year-old is capable of unleashing, giving Luke Bryan full-body chills.

It was also good news for this trio of "Idol" hopefuls:

* The voice, the growl, the confidence — yes, there was a lot to enjoy about 22-year-old Kutter Bradley's rendition of 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You," and the judges were quite pleased by what they heard. 

* What a dream it was to hear 25-year-old substitute teacher Kayla Finch sing the heck out of "One Night Only" from the musical "Dreamgirls." Her soulful take on the theatrical classic was pure power. Who needs a girl group when you've got all the talent rolled into one?

* Feeling like she was being "pulled towards Christian rock," 16-year-old Kiera Howell chose to audition with We The Kingdom's "Don't Tread On Me." The only way to describe the performance was that it felt like Howell was screaming at us from the pulpit, maybe even casting out a few demons. But the judges were moved enough by what they heard to send her through to Hollywood Week.

It's a good thing Roelle turned out to be an incredible singer, because we were invested in this audition. After struggling to find her place in Puerto Rico's music scene, the 25-year-old left her family and moved to California with plans to eventually call Los Angeles her new home. Carrie Underwood reading a note from Roelle's mom, whom she hasn't seen in six months, was enough to make Roelle cry — and she had no idea that her mom was listening to her audition (in tears, of course) from just outside the room.

Roelle's studio-ready performance of Sienna Spiro's "Maybe" was soulful from the jump. You could have told us that Roelle wrote this song herself, and we would have believed you. It was the kind of song that takes you on a journey, and we were in good hands with Roelle. It was a no-brainer on the judges' part, but for dramatic effect, they held the good news until after Roelle's tearful reunion with her proud mom.