20: Season 18 Episode 5 "Auditions"

BY KRISTINE FRANCIS ON MARCH 15, 2020 |

It's another exciting night of American Idol on ABC tonight with an all-new Sunday, March 15, 2020, season 18 episode 5 called "Auditions" and we have your weekly American Idol recap below. On tonight's American Idol season 18 episode 5 as per the ABC synopsis, "Auditions across Georgia; Wisconsin; Washington, D.C.; California; and Oregon come to an end."

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It's the final night for auditions. They were coming up on Hollywood Week and so it's now or never. The first person to audition tonight was Robert Taylor. He was so nervous that he needed to take a minute and it turns out he had nothing to worry about.. He could sing. He can also play the piano and so, of course, the judges liked him. They liked how he can turn into an artist at the drop of a hat. Robert was singing from a place of pain. He grew up in the church and it had been hard him to come out as gay. There were members of his family that have disowned him because of it, but he's happier now living his true self and it was that Robert that received the Golden Ticket.

There were some duds later on. Sometimes the judges meet people that genuinely believe they can sing and they can't and usually, people were great entertainers. They danced and they acted. They were really fun. They just couldn't sing and the day was coming towards an end. The judges were really happy to hear from Grace Leer next. She was once on American Juniors. Which was the child version of American Idol back in the day and so Grace was talented. She made it to the top twenty back then. She even got to meet Ryan Seacrest and she says he hasn't changed in the slightest. It was almost scary how much he looked the same. And Grace meanwhile has grown up.

Grace was pursuing country music. Her audition song didn't really show that off and so the judges had asked for another song from her. They asked for something sad and she gave them Patsy Cline. Her voice was much clearer when performed Patsy. She came across more as an artist and that's what the judges wanted to see. They later gave Grace a Golden Ticket. They liked her voice and her style. Grace has been living in Nashville and the place was so overflowing with country music that she hadn't been sure if she was ready for the big time. Then this happened. She now sees that there is a place for her and so tonight was all she ever needed.

Franklin Boone went next. He teaches music and so he used that experience to put his own spin on "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. His version was fresh. It was also unexpected because no one else sounds like him and so Luke commended him on being a first note artist. He said he understood what artist Franklin was going to be by the first note and he wasn't alone in loving this version of the song. The judges all gave Franklin yesses. They even referred him to as this season's Alejandro. They really like Franklin and they think he'll go far. And it just unfortunate that they couldn't say that about everyone.

There was one guy who was good on the saxophone. He wasn't that good of a singer and so the judges had to turn him down, but there were still some good people left. The judges next heard from Roselyn Carter. She was from Watts and unfortunately, the area was rife with gang activity. She's lost people that were close to her. She also still has family in the area that's dependent on her and she came here for them. She wanted their lives to be better. She felt she could help make it so by making it far on the competition and she's got the voice for it. She has a beautiful voice. She impressed the judges instantly and they gave her the Golden Ticket.

Megan Knight went next. She actually auditioned on a boat and so the judges received quite a treat. They got to soak up the sun. They also got to enjoy the view and they were doing that as they listened to Megan. Megan had needed some help. She was overplaying and she wasn't smoothing out her voice. The judges believed they could help her with that. They believed they could coach her to where she needed to be and so they gave her the Golden Ticket. It was situational. There were some they couldn't help and the judges were the first to realize that. They didn't always give everyone a chance.

They did listen to Gilberto. Gilberto was a character. He performed "Proud Mary" and he even threw in some dancing. Gilberto put everything into his performance and while it wasn't up to the standard that Tina set – it was still fun to watch. Gilberto was theatrical. It was suggested that he pursue his career on Broadway and he respectfully turned it down. He didn't want to be on Broadway. He wanted to be a singer and he put everything in his performance he was used to performing on trains and doing his best to capture everyone's attention. Gilberto was able to convince the judges to take a chance on him and now he was going to Hollywood.

To get there, Gilberto had to agree to shave his chest. He ended up getting it waxed the next day because Gilberto was serious about making it in Hollywood and he was willing to do anything to get ahead. Next up was Justin Oliver. He performed "Treasure" and he performed the song with the guy that co-wrote it. The judges had later asked their pianist for his thoughts. He later admitted that the song wasn't sung with as much as energy as it should have been and so sadly Justin's performance was lacking. The judges thought so as well. They liked Justin. They just didn't think he had it factor and so they had to turn him down.

Aliana Jester went next. She brought her dog with her for emotional support and so Aliana had to explain her story. Her parents broke up when she was small. Her father is in the military and so he was deployed often. Aliana grew up with her mother. It was great in the beginning because her mother had been supportive of her musical career and she used to take Aliana to karaoke. It later all changed when Aliana's mother found religion. She became completely devout and it created a divide between her and Aliana. Aliana turned to cut herself to deal with the immense pressure her mother put her in and so now she's living with her dad.

Aliana is a healthier situation now with her dad. She's happier and so turning to music had really helped. Aliana put all her pain into her music. The judges were transported when she started to sing and they said Aliana reminded them of a young Whitney. The judges later gave Aliana the Golden Ticket. They also got to meet her family and Aliana was in such a great place that seeing her happy was its own reward. Next up was Jahzan. Jahzan was from Kingston, Jamaica. She came to the states for a new life and sadly she and her mom were currently homeless. They sleep at the salon that her uncle owns and no one knew about it before today.

Jahzan hasn't told anyone at school. She didn't want to be pitied and she didn't want to explain what they were running from back in Jamaica. But Jahzan is a better place now. She still has her mother and her mother goes with her to perform in the subways. She was her daughter's hype man. She came with her tonight for Jahzan's performance and they operated as a team. Jahzan had to change the song she was singing and so there was mom assisting her with a set change. Jahzan's voice was very different. She needed to be coached some and so the judges addressed that. They also said they wouldn't mind if she dialed it back some. And yet they still gave her the Golden Ticket because they knew there was potential there.