Most TV audiences knowAlan Ritchsonas the butt-kicking hero ofReacher, but long before then, the young actor made his TV debut auditioning for the reality singing competition series,American Idol. When it premiered in 2002,American Idolswept the nation, eventually becoming the most-watched show on television for seven straight seasons. It launched myriad singing careers, turning several contestants into household names, fromAmerican IdolwinnersKelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood to finalists Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert.
Shortly after his 2004American Idolappearance,Alan Ritchson was cast as Arthur Curry/Aquaman inSmallville. The young actor would continue to work steadily in film and TV, with a notable starring role as Thad in the Spike TV football sitcom,Blue Mountain State. However,Ritchson didn’t climb to the A-list until 2022, when he found himself cast as the titular lead, Jack Reacher, in Amazon Prime Video’sReacher, based on the book series by Lee Child. Even though he didn’t become famous forAmerican Idol, Ritchson has the reality show to thank for setting him on his career path.
Alan Ritchson Made It To The Second Round Of American Idol Season 3
He Didn’t Impress The Judges In The Hollywood Round
Interestingly, Alan Ritchson auditioned twice forAmerican Idol. He was unsuccessful in season 2, buthe fared much better in season 3, whenAmerican Idol’s original judges, Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson visited Atlanta, Georgia. A young Ritchson, who was then working as a model for the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, hammed up a cocky swagger for the judges, and when he strutted into the audition room, Abdul was immediately taken with his good looks. Cowell and Jackson jokingly stepped behind the curtain so Abdul could get a private performance.
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Ritchson played up his sex appeal, giving Abdul an up close and personal serenade of Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, complete withMagic Mike-style dance moves. When Cowell and Jackson rejoined their fellow judge,all three of them passed Ritchson through to the next round, and he was Hollywood-bound.
However, things went south for Ritchson when he got to California. While his charms worked one-on-one with Abdul in Georgia, his sensual gyrating didn’t play well to an auditorium packed with other contestants and all three judges.As Ritchson sang a bland rendition of “On Broadway”, Seacrest mocked him for caressing his own chest while the judges — including Abdul — were rolling their eyes.Ritchson also joked about how removing some letters inAmerican Idolwould spell “Alan Idol”, and this fell flat. Just like that, Ritchson’s dreams ofAmerican Idolsuperstardom were over.
What Ritchson Said About His American Idol Experience
The Reacher Actor Felt His Edit Was Misleading, But Acknowledged That American Idol Changed His Life
Many years later, onJimmy Kimmel Live!, Alan Ritchson gave a revelatory behind-the-scenes scoop about how he was portrayed when Kimmel about his time onAmerican Idol. The former model said that upon arriving in Hollywood and signing his lengthy contract, he was asked to put on a pair of board shorts and have some fun in the hotel pool with a female contestant who was also a model: “‘Why don’t you show everybody how much fun it is to be on “American Idol?” Why don’t you, like, push her [the fellow model] in the pool?'”
TheAmerican Idolcontestants’ third night in Hollywood saw them all having to write songs. An experienced songwriter, Ritchson had no problem with the task, and said that he even helped people who were struggling. However, when the Hollywood episode aired,it was edited to look like Ritchson and the female model contestant had blown off songwriting night to splash around in the pool.
But lousy edit and elimination aside, theAmerican Idolexperience wasn’t entirely negative forAlan Ritchson. In fact, it changed his life. He told theWall Street Journal, “Even though I was cut, I was enamored of the passion people had there for their art. I decided to stay [in Hollywood] and landed TV commercials and auditions.” The bold move paid off because just one year later, he bookedSmallville, and the rest is history. It looks like “Alan Idol” happened after all.
American Idol
Cast
American Idol is a reality singing competition that adds to the international “Idol” brand, conceived initially in the U.K. as Pop Idol. Holding massive auditions across the U.S., American Idol invited several contestants to perform in front of a panel of judges that would determine whether or not they’d go on to future rounds for a chance at competing in the fully televised premiere of the show. Contestants are voted off each week by American participation via voting through various mediums, and the winner of the competition would be given a contract with a record label to secure a future as America’s next musical idol.
