American Idol Goes All In On Platinum Ticket Winner Filo: 'We've Been Waiting For You' (Watch Audition)

You may be more familiar with American Idol's latest platinum ticket winner than you realize.

Sunday's episode, which technically marked the third week of Season 23 auditions, ended with a performance from 23-year-old California native Filo, whose riff-riddled cover of Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness" was music to the judges' ears.

"We've been waiting for you!" Lionel Richie declared following a standing ovation from the entire panel. "What took you so long?"

Filo said his mother wanted him to pursue a career in medicine over one in music, so Carrie Underwood confirmed that he made the right choice. "You don't need to be no doctor," she said. "Tell mama she was wrong! ... No, don't say that. She's just looking out for you."

"You're going to go far in this," Luke Bryan concluded after Filo's "perfect" audition, predicting that he was a shoo-in for the Top 20, or maybe even the Top 10.

"I'm just so happy that the universe has directed you to the three of us and to American Idol," Richie added. "That's divine guidance right there." And Richie wasn't finished. He suggested that Filo might be "platinum material," and his fellow judges agreed.

OK, here's the part you might have already seen, even if you don't remember: Underwood and Ryan Seacrest handed Filo his platinum ticket upgrade during ABC's live broadcast of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on Dec. 31, 2024 — you know, just in case you forgot how far in advance this show tapes.

Watch Filo react to the good news in real time, as it aired live on ABC, below:

Do you think Filo deserved a platinum ticket? Which other auditions impressed you on Sunday? Hit PLAY on the videos above, then drop a comment with your thoughts below.