Watch Kentucky duo survive a hiccup to advance past duets round on ‘American Idol’

There was worry on the face of Noah Thompson after his duet performance with Olivia Faye on “American Idol,” but the duo from Kentucky still managed to escape into the next round.

“I messed up,” Thompson, from Louisa, told Faye, from Murray, during a Sunday, April 3, episode. They had just got done singing “July” by Noah Cyrus together — a performance where Thompson appeared to jump the gun and almost sing a verse meant for Faye.

But they did enough to impress the judges, showing off their country vocals in the pop song.

“Noah, man. It was not your best performance,” judge Luke Bryan said. ”From there, the dominoes kind of fell to start affecting both of you. But these two rounds force you to dig in and fight, and only the strong survive.”

“But it’s a fight you’re still in. You’re going through to the next round,” Bryan added.

They now advance to the showstoppers round, which will be shown on Monday, April 4.

Thompson and Faye were emotional as they shared a hug, with the worry on their faces turning to elation.

“I’m shocked right now... I just can’t believe we made it through,” Thompson said.

Thompson told the Herald-Leader in February he was “completely” against the idea of auditioning for “Idol.” A friend gave him the nudge, and he’s now advanced past the first three rounds on the show.

Faye, who has been performing nearly all of her life, told the Murray Ledger & Times “it was a blast” performing in front of the celebrity judges.

“There’s an element of stress, but I also liked just taking in the moment and hearing the advice they had to give,” she said. “I was so nervous going into this, priming for these celebrity judges, but at the same time, it’s a really fun environment.”

Dakota Hayden, from Fordsville, Kentucky, said his duet performance did not air but he also advanced to the showstopper round. He encouraged fans to tune in Monday.

This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 8:41 AM with the headline "Watch Kentucky duo survive a hiccup to advance past duets round on ‘American Idol’."