American Idol: Luke Bryan Feels Validated After Arthur Gunn’s Comeback Win
American Idol judge Luke Bryan has acknowledged that fans are upset by the comeback twist this season, but he says the show feels validated after seeing Arthur Gunn win the final spot in the Top 10. Producers brought back several contestants from season 18 to compete for one final spot in this year's Top 10. Since last season's finalists were robbed of the opportunity to perform on stage in the Idol studio, producers added the comeback twist as a way to remedy that problem. Unfortunately, there ended up being a backlash from fans; they argued that bringing back a former contestant was unfair to the new singers who spent months going through the normal process of trying to make it to the live shows.
Nick Merico, Franklin Boone, Makayla Phillips and Louis Knight were some of the former contestants invited back. But it was American Idol runner-up Arthur Gunn who ended up receiving the most votes and returning to the competition. The first time he was on American Idol, he lost to Just Sam in the finale. Gunn build up a strong fan base in season 18; that support stuck with him for the comeback round.
Bryan recently appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote American Idol, and the controversial twist was brought up during the interview. The country music superstar acknowledged that there was a backlash, saying, "These kids last year, they never got the chance to be on the big stage with all the lights and cameras and the wardrobe and all that. So we brought back last year's contestants. And after they did the comeback show, I'm reading the chatter. I'm like, 'Oh, people are not liking this.'" He admitted that "a lot of people get upset either way," so he doesn't seem too worried over hearing everyone's responses.
Despite the negative fan reactions, the American Idol judge, who recently recovered from COVID-19, actually thinks Gunn's comeback win proves that producers made the right decision in adding the twist. "Arthur Gunn comes back, and he was a pretty big fan-favorite last year and developed a big following, and now he's in our Top 7. So we're kind of validated that we brought some of them back." He seems to feel that Gunn's large fan base shows that the fans of these former contestants are still out there and willing to support their favorites again.
Bryan's comments are unlikely to satisfy American Idol fans, though, especially since he claims Gunn's comeback win is validation. If anything, comments like these only deepen the rift between Idol and the fans. It will be interesting to see if Bryan's fellow judges, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, make any public comments about the comeback and the backlash, or if they'll decide to keep quiet after hearing the reactions.
Gunn and the rest of the American Idol Top 7 are getting ready to perform Coldplay songs and Mother's Day dedications on Sunday night. Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin is lending his advice and expertise as he mentors the finalists. At the end of the live episode, there will be two eliminations, leaving fans with only five singers to choose from.
American Idol airs Sundays at 8pm ET/5pm PT on ABC.
Source: The Ellen DeGeneres Show/YouTube