Chris Tungseth, a 27-year-old singer and construction worker from Fergus Falls, Minnesota, was the last hopeful “American Idol” contestant to step into the audition room for Season 24. His tearful performance during his audition left a lasting impression on the judges trio, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood, with Bryan even comparing Tungseth to country superstar Chris Stapleton.
During his emotional package, viewers were able to see Tungseth’s family and his home back in Minnesota. He said his childhood was “so fun and so simple,” until his mom was diagnosed with a “pretty aggressive” form of multiple sclerosis when he was only 10 years old. Twelve years later, his dad, who he described as being his “best friend” and “foundation,” was diagnosed with leukemia.
“That was the worst thing I’ve ever had in my life. Like Superman is no longer Superman. My siblings moved home to help me take care of them. I mean, all of us put life on hold, but there was nothing else that we would’ve done. That was honestly the biggest gift for us to be close to them.”
Since his mom was a pianist and his dad was an opera singer, Tungseth and his siblings were inspired by their love of music, and he now uses it as a way to carry on his dad’s legacy.
Read on to find out whether or not Tungseth got that life-changing golden ticket to “Hollywood Week.”
Watch Tungseth’s Performance of an Original Song
For his audition, Tungseth chose to sing a beautiful original song that he wrote in honor of his late dad, titled “Lonely Road.”
“I love everything about you,” said Underwood. “I love your presence. I love how open you are in the way you talk, communicate, and the way you sing, communicate. You have an incredible voice. It’s powerful and it’s beautiful. It’s masculine and it’s soft at the same time. You kind of have all the things just very impressive. The gift that you have to work with and the way that you work with it.”
“You have a ministry, a real strong connection to people. I was so touched by the fact that you said, ‘I’m blessed. I’m grateful,'” began Richie. “There was a point in my life where I thought, ‘my dad’s dying and my life’s falling apart.’ There was a little aid over in the corner of the hospital and I was talking to my dad. He was in and out of a coma. He said, ‘you’re very lucky.’ And I looked at him and said, ‘what are you talking about?’ I said, ‘he’s in a coma.’ And he said, ‘I was just thinking, I wish I had a dad to love as much as you have.'”
Bryan added, “I had setbacks in my life that put my music career on hold and I matured and grew up during those years. It’s really perfect to me what you’re doing. I’ve been in the room with Chris Stapleton a lot of times. You’ve got those little vibes going on. You’ve got that ability to whisper with soul and turn it up. You just got a lot of stuff going on and don’t be afraid to turn ’em loose because we’re going to be there every step of the way encouraging you.”
After a unanimous “yes” from all three judges, Tungseth earned a golden ticket and celebrated with a group hug with his family, followed by a call to his mom back home to tell her the good news.
Tungseth told the camera, “I know my dad would be so happy and I know he’d be the first person cheering me on as soon as I walked out that door.”
What’s Next on Season 24 of ‘American Idol’?
With auditions officially wrapped up, Monday, February 23 will be the start of the show’s “Hollywood Week,” which will be moved from Los Angeles to Nashville, now being called “Hollywood Week: Music City Takeover.” It will consist of a single round of competition instead of the usual multiple rounds, with ABC promising the “biggest Hollywood Week cut in ‘Idol’ history.”
“American Idol” is also introducing a new Ohana Round that will take place at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawaii, and will take place during its three-episode “Hollywood Week.”
During the Ohana Round, 30 contestants will perform for a group of “industry tastemakers,” who will be helping the judges narrow down the competition to the Top 20.
The “industry tastemakers” include influencer duo Kaniyia Brown and Terry McCaskill, music creator Anthony Gargiula, actress Loren Gray, podcast host Evan Ross Katz, vocal coach Cheryl Porter, Grand Ole Opry announcer Kelly Sutton and “Rolling Stone” co-editor-in-chief Shirley Halperin.
