From Banana Ball to center stage — Jayson Arendt wins over Idol judges with grit, charm, and a voice they don’t have yet 4 Jayson Arendt didn’t walk into his American Idol audition alone — he brought the energy of the Texas Tailgaters with him. The Banana Ball standout took a sharp turn from the field to the mic, delivering Chris Stapleton’s “Fire Away” with a raw, distinctive tone that stopped the room. Lionel Richie praised his unique voice, while Carrie Underwood urged him to dig deeper emotionally. Luke Bryan summed it up best: sometimes less is more. The verdict? Three yeses — and a reminder that fun can still hit hard when the talent is real.

Jayson Arendt is a member of the Texas Tailgaters, a team in the Banana Balla league that plays against the Savannah Bananas. He brought his teammates along with him for some fun before he auditioned with Chris Stapleton‘s “Fire Away.”

“You’ve got a nice voice,” Richie confirmed. “You’ve got a distinguishable voice, and we don’t have anything like that yet.” Underwood was somewhat flustered and unable to gather her thoughts at first, with Bryan joking that it was because one of Jayson’s teammates was shirtless.

“If you do end up going forward, it’s just taking this part of you seriously,” Underwood warned. “You guys are obviously so much fun, I love it, but I want to feel you emote. I want to hear more.” Bryan agreed, urging Jayson to not be afraid to “calm it down” when he’s singing sometimes.

Despite some constructive criticism, all three judges said yes to Jayson.