Carrie Underwood had no idea what hit her — Brad Paisley secretly recruits Luke Bryan for an American Idol prank that sent the premiere off the rails The most talked-about moment of the American Idol premiere didn’t come from an audition — it came from chaos. Hidden backstage, Brad Paisley quietly pulled off a prank that left Carrie Underwood completely in the dark. Teaming up with Luke Bryan, Paisley fed Luke lines through an earpiece as he torpedoed an audition with random insults, bizarre comments, and a sudden scream of “PASS!” Underwood sat stunned, assuming Luke had simply gone off the deep end after a bathroom break. When Paisley finally revealed himself, the room erupted — and fans at home lost it. One prank. One safe word. And proof that Idol still knows how to break the internet.

Country music fans watching American Idol were stunned during Monday’s premiere when another country star showed up: Brad Paisley, who was there to pull off an epic prank.

Paisley was backstage without Carrie Underwood or Lionel Richie knowing. He pulled Luke Bryan away from the judges’ panel and recruited him as his partner in crime.

Bryan left the panel under the pretense of using the restroom, but instead met with producers and Paisley to plot a way to derail the audition. Their plan: bring in Dylan Holmes as a planted “contestant” and feed Luke what to say through an earpiece.

When Bryan returned, he immediately started questioning Underwood’s workout routine, asking how much she could bench press, just as Paisley instructed. Then, as Holmes began to sing, Luke abruptly yelled, “PASS!”

Paisley then egged him on to insult Holmes’ home state, prompting Luke to shout, “I can’t stand Michigan,” and later take a jab at Illinois.

Underwood seemed completely unaware of the setup, joking that Bryan must’ve taken a shot during his bathroom break.

Finally, Luke said the safe word (“hot chicken”) and Paisley walked out, revealing the prank.

“You wanna hear something great? I didn’t think anything was wrong,” Underwood laughed, saying Luke’s weird remarks are pretty much to be expected.

Fans thoroughly enjoyed the Paisley prank as viewers took to social media to react.

“Loved this. Love seeing Brad on the show. Brad and Carrie are an iconic country duo,” one viewer shared.

Another wrote, “I love it. Carrie’s been around them boys too long lol, she didn’t think anything about it, other than Luke could not tour in 2 states.”

The American Idol premiere showcased a slew of incredible talent, with contestants like Khloe Grace, Jayson Arendt, and Lucas Leon earning golden tickets to Hollywood week, which will take place in Nashville this season for the first time ever.

The next wave of Idol auditions will air on Monday, Feb. 2 on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.