Jayson Arendt, a baseball entertainer in the Banana Ball League, scored three yeses from the judges with his American Idol audition.
Season 24 of American Idol is officially in motion, kicking off auditions at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.
The two-hour premiere featured performances from 18 aspiring singers, along with a few surprise moments. Country star Brad Paisley dropped in to help Luke Bryan pull off a playful prank on fellow judges Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie. Last season’s finalist Breanna Nix also made an appearance, accompanying 15-year-old Tate Emmons to his audition.
As expected, the premiere highlighted a wide range of musical styles, standout personalities, and memorable backstories.
One of those belonged to Jayson Arendt — a singer who has since found fame on the baseball field. Arendt has built a sizable online following through his role with the Texas Tailgaters, a team in the Banana Ball League.
Several of Arendt’s Texas Tailgaters teammates joined him in the audition room, bringing high energy with a lively line dance. Luke Bryan even jumped in to show off a few moves before Arendt began his performance.
The 24-year-old North Carolina native performed “Fire Away” by Chris Stapleton, accompanying himself on guitar as his teammates cheered him on from the sidelines.
Lionel Richie was the first judge to weigh in, praising Arendt’s distinctive voice and noting that it brought something fresh to the competition this season.
Carrie Underwood offered more measured feedback, saying she wanted to see Arendt dig deeper emotionally and take that side of himself more seriously. “You’re clearly having a lot of fun,” she said. “I love that — but I want to feel more. I want to hear more.”
In the end, all three judges were on board, awarding Arendt a Golden Ticket and sending the baseball player on to the next round.
Fans can watch Jayson Arendt’s audition performance of “Fire Away” in the video below.