Yes, Alan Ritchson auditioned for American Idol – what The Reacher Star said about his TV debut

Most TV audiences know Alan Ritchson as the kick-ass hero ReachBut long before that, the young actor made his TV debut by auditioning for the reality singing competition show, american idol. When it debuted in 2002 american idol swept the country, becoming the most-watched show on television for seven consecutive seasons. He launched countless singing careers, transforming several contestants into household names, from american idol from winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood to finalists Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert.

Shortly after his 2004 american idol appearance, Alan Ritchson was cast as Arthur Curry/Aquaman in Smallville. The young actor would continue to work steadily in film and TV, with a notable role as Thad in Spike TV’s football comedy, Blue Mountain State. However, Ritchson didn’t rise to the A-list until 2022, when he was cast as the titular protagonist, Jack Reacher, in Amazon Prime Video’s Reachbased on the book series by Lee Child. Even though he didn’t become famous for american idolRitchson has the reality show to thank for setting him on his career path.

Alan Ritchson made it to the second round of American Idol’s third season

He didn’t impress the judges in the Hollywood round

Interestingly, Alan Ritchson auditioned twice for american idol. He was unsuccessful in season 2, but he did much better in season 3 when american idolOriginal judges Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson visited Atlanta, Georgia. A young Ritchson, who at the time was modeling for the Abercrombie & Fitch catalog, displayed a cocky attitude to the judges, and when he entered the audition room, Abdul was immediately struck by his beauty. Cowell and Jackson jokingly stayed behind the curtain so Abdul could have a private performance.

Ritchson enhanced his sex appeal by giving Abdul an up-close-and-personal serenade of Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” complete with Magic Mikestyle dance moves. When Cowell and Jackson joined their fellow judge, all three passed Ritchson to the next round, and he went to Hollywood.

However, things got worse for Ritchson when he arrived in California. While her charms worked one-on-one with Abdul in Georgia, her sensual spin didn’t work well in an auditorium packed with other contestants and all three judges. As Ritchson sang a mellow rendition of “On Broadway,” Seacrest mocked him for fondling his own chest as the judges — including Abdul — rolled their eyes. Ritchson also joked about removing some letters american idol would spell it “Alan Idol”, and that didn’t work out. Just like that, Ritchson’s dreams of american idol stardom is 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, in Jimmy Kimmel live!Alan Ritchson gave a revealing behind-the-scenes scoop about how he was portrayed when Kimmel about his time in american idol. The former model said that upon arriving in Hollywood and signing his long contract, he was invited to wear shorts and have fun in the hotel pool with a competitor who was also a model: “‘Why don’t you show everyone how much fun it is to be on “American Idol?” Why don’t you push her [the fellow model] in the pool?‘”

THE american idol The contestants’ third night in Hollywood saw everyone having to write songs. An experienced composer, Ritchson had no problems with the task and said he even helped people who were going through difficulties. However, when the Hollywood episode aired, it was edited to appear as if Ritchson and the model contestant had canceled songwriting night to play in the pool.

But leaving aside the terrible editing and deletion, the american idol experience was not entirely negative for Alan Ritchson. In fact, it changed his life. He told the Wall Street Journal“Even though I was cut, I fell in love with the passion the people there had for their art. I decided to stay [in Hollywood] and landed TV commercials and auditions.“The bold decision paid off because just a year later, he booked Smallvilleand the rest is history. Looks like “Alan Idol” happened after all.