It was back to the future on American Idol on Monday night (April 13), with beloved OG panelist Paula Abdul answering the bat signal to replace Luke Bryan at the judge’s table when the country singer had to stay home to quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. “The secret’s out…I’m beyond excited to make my return to the judges desk on @AmericanIdol TONIGHT‼️” wrote an excited Abdul on Instagram just hours before she returned to the ABC series following more than a decade away; Abdul was a judge for the show’s first eight seasons on the Fox network.
“Good luck to the #Top16 as tonight it becomes the #Top12. I sure am going to miss being there in person,” tweeted Bryan, who earlier revealed that he was sad to miss the show after testing positive, but was looking forward to being back “soon.” In another throwback surprise, Abdul was joined by fellow original Idol judge, Randy Jackson, who FaceTimed into the show to chat with Paula and Seacrest.
That wasn’t the only shocker. After landing a spot in the top 16 on Sunday night’s show and then sliding into the top 12, singer Wyatt Pike, 20, dropped out of the competition unexpectedly. “Before we get to the results, I have to tell you that finalist Wyatt Pike will not be competing in the competition. He had to drop out, but we wish him the very best,” host Ryan Seacrest told the audience at this season’s first live episode.
At press time a spokesperson for Idol could not be reached for comment on why Pike left the production. In an Instagram post from last week, Pike wrote, “something to feel this through: home. Thankful for the rollercoaster I’m on today,” alongside a photo of his snowy Park City, Utah home town.
Sunday’s (April 19) episode will feature America voting live for the top 9, while Monday’s episode will be the first-ever “Comeback Show.”
Check out the tweets about Monday’s show below.
