An American Idol contestant not only gave an “outrageous” audition but delivered a surprise proposal.
During the season 24 premiere of the reality singing competition series on Monday, Jan. 26, Bryant Thomas wowed the judges with his voice — and shocked audiences with his surprise proposal to his girlfriend Alyona.
Thomas, an Alabama native who has roughly 110,000 fans on social media, had gone viral after his girlfriend Alyona had been posting videos of him singing in the shower. In the videos, his girlfriend could be seen doing her hair and makeup, but his face was never shown.
During his audition on the show, Thomas began his rendition of Phil Collins’ 1984 ballad “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)” behind a pillar.
“Well, this is the first time we’ve ever allowed one of these to go this way,” Luke Bryan told the contestant.
Near the end of the track, an “overwhelmed” Thomas appeared in front of the panel of judges, who were collectively impressed by him.
“Your voice is outrageous. It really is, even over there, behind a pillar,” Carrie Underwood told him. “You can feel just so much emotion and life in your voice.”
Meanwhile, Lionel Richie said, “I think we got ourselves a hit record here. You’ve got star power vocals here, man.”
As all three judges noted they were a “yes” for Thomas, he invited Alyona and his family to the stage.
The contestant then got down on one knee to propose to his girlfriend.
“My journey started with you and is gonna end with you,” he said, noting that the proposal was going to happen whether he made it to the next round or not.
An emotional Alyona said “yes” multiple times. “Oh my God, this is beautiful,” she exclaimed.
Season 24 of American Idol, which premiered on Jan. 26, will include both recurring episode formats and a new round of the show. The first few episodes, like past seasons, will center around auditions — which took place both remotely and at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.
However, the iconic Hollywood Week round will be set in Nashville for Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover. A new twist for season 24 will include a new Ohana Round, where the remaining 30 singers will perform in front of a group of “industry tastemakers,” per ABC.
Contestants will then work toward trying to snag a spot in the Top 20 from there.
