Fire Wilmore returned to “American Idol” for a second chance on Sunday, a week after her previous audition resulted in rejection, tears and embarrassment. (Watch the video below.)
In that taped episode, Wilmore’s daughter mistakenly gave her a golden ticket ― a pass to the next round that her mother hadn’t earned. It was an awkward moment ― some say staged. In the end, though, judge Katy Perry granted her a do-over at another audition site.
Wilmore made the trip to Nashville for Sunday’s episode, again expressing a desire to leave behind her job as a stripper. This time, she sang Adele’s “Love in the Dark” as Perry yelled occasional instructions like “fight for it.”
The judges praised her for coming back more focused and offered some encouragement tempered by reality. Lionel Richie said he wasn’t sure if her tone could take her to the next level.
“Are you the best singer we’ve seen? Not at all,” Luke Bryan said.
But in the end, Richie, Bryan and Perry all gave Wilmore a “yes” to send her to the next round in Hollywood.
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