Both Wichita-area ‘Idol’ singers advance to Top 40; one suffers on-air medical incident
“American Idol” whittled its list of remaining hopefuls down to 40 contestants during Monday night’s show — and both Wichita-area singers made the cut.
Arthur Gunn, a Wichita resident and Nepal native, and Makayla Brownlee, a 17-year-old singer from Wellington, both were seen advancing into the Top 40, meaning that on episodes starting on Sunday, they’ll be competing to be among the 20 singers who battle it out on the live shows. (“Idol” producers have not yet said how they will handle the live shows, which were slated to start on March 30, in light of the coronavirus pandemic.)
But Monday night’s show, which aired on ABC, featured some scary moments for Makayla Brownlee, who was seen rushing from the stage just before she was about to perform in front of celebrity judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan for her chance to advance to the Top 40.
On Tuesday, Makayla and her father, Mark Brownlee, explained during a phone interview what led to the dramatic moments that were depicted — and shared the uplifting news that Makayla has become a bit of an overnight hero among a community of people that has same rare disorder she does.
Makayla, Mark said, suffers from vasovagal syncopy, also known as neurocardiogenic syncope. People who have the disorder, including Makayla, will often faint or experience seizures when their emotions are elevated. Makayla has always had the disorder, Mark said, and it’s been known to strike even when her emotions are elevated out of happiness. Once, he said, she passed out mid-air when she was flung off of a tube being pulled by a ski boat.
“It’s basically benign,” Mark said of the disorder. “It’s not going to kill anybody, but it’s so dramatic and lifestyle disrupting. You can’t imagine trying to be a singer and pursue this kind of activity with this disorder.”
Makayla said that she was worried about how competing on “American Idol” might trigger an episode, and it hit her at exactly the wrong time.
The incident viewers saw unfold on Monday night was particularly difficult, Makayla said, because when she walked out on stage, she felt super confident. She was about to sing in round three of the “Hollywood” auditions and felt prepared and ready.
Then it struck.
“When I got on stage, I don’t know what happened,” she said. “My heart rate went up, and I just wanted to try to get off stage as quickly as possible so I could have some privacy and not have everyone see what was going to happen.”
She made it back stage, she said, where she had a seizure. On Monday’s episode, she was shown lying on the ground as concerned producers and even the celebrity judges surrounded her. What viewers saw were the moments after the seizure as Makayla was trying to talk herself into being okay, she said.
Toward the end of the episode, she was shown returning on stage to a standing ovation from the judges and other contestants gathered to watch. This time, she made it through the song, performing a quiet rendition of “Rainbow” by Kacey Musgraves that brought judge Perry to tears. That performance got Makayla through to the Top 40, something she still can’t really believe, she said.
“There were thousands of auditions for ‘American Idol,’ including the open calls, and being in the Top 40, that’s insane. That right there was enough for me,” she said.
Mark said he was upset on Tuesday morning to see a national website characterize what happened to Makayala as a panic attack. That’s not what it was, he said, and calling it that is not helpful to those who suffer from the disorder.
Makayla, a longtime member of a Facebook group made up of people with the same disorder, said that she became a bit of a community hero overnight.
“I’ve gotten so many messages on Instagram from girls, most of them my age, saying that they’ve never met anyone with the same disorder because it is rare,” she said. “I’ve gotten a lot of love from everyone.”
Mark said that producers asked him and his wife for permission to air the footage of the incident, and they granted it, hoping that its inclusion would help other people who suffer from the same disorder.
He said that ‘Idol’ producers and the celebrity judges were so kind, accommodating and sensitive, and it moved him.
“I thanked them while I was there, and I think Makayla and I would also like to thank them publicly,” he said.
Arthur Gunn also in the running
Though his time on Monday’s episode wasn’t quite as dramatic, Gunn’s appearance was still memorable.
Sporting a fresh haircut, Gunn, 20, performed for the judges a complicated arrangement of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.”
He sang it in a different key, giving the classic song a whole new flavor, and the arrangement — which Gunn did himself — was so complex, the “Idol” band decided it didn’t have time to learn it.
No problem: Gunn decided to accompany himself on the guitar, and his delivery wowed the judges, even making Richie a bit tearful.
At the end of Monday’s episode, the remaining contestants were divided into three different groups. The singers were all shown sitting on the floor together in their groups, waiting to learn their fate from the celebrity judges.
Gunn was in the first group. Makayla was in the third. Both of those groups were sent through to the Top 40, while the singers in the second group were sent home.
To see what happens next for Wichita’s singers, tune in to “Idol” on Sunday and Monday at 7 p.m. on ABC, Channel 10.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
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