‘American Idol’ broadcasts show live from Wichita, thanks to finalist Arthur Gunn
In case you hadn’t heard, “American Idol” has come up with an inventive way to broadcast its live shows during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday, the Top 20 finalists — including Wichitan Arthur Gunn — each performed a song from their homes across the country using technology provided by the show.
When it was his turn, Gunn was shown performing on the back deck of his Wichita home. His performance co-starred his neighbors’ back yard, barbecue grill and parked RV.
Wichita will know pretty quickly if his performance was good enough. On next week’s episode, 10 of the 20 finalists will be cut based on live voting that happened overnight on Sunday.
Gunn, whose birth name is Dibesh Pokharel, performed a lively rendition of the Wynonie Harris song “Lovin’ Machine,” and it was the first time so far he’s performed without holding his guitar.
He was shown standing on a rug at dusk, gripping a microphone and singing in front of decorative lanterns.
The judges praised his performance, even though his eyes rolled back in his head during much of his performance — something Perry has repeatedly warned him about.
Still, Perry — dressed as a giant bottle of hand sanitizer during the broadcast — appeared impressed.
“I just had to get up and dance in my home,” she said. “From the beginning of that performance, you were definitely giving us such a vibe.”
Celebrity judge Luke Bryan heaped on praise, too.
“What is undeniable is your vocal quality and your vocal sound and your natural ability,” he said. “And once you really start understanding how potentially ginormous of a star you can be, man it’s going to be just like a wildfire.”
Wichita will have to wait to see if American voters agree with the judges. But several blogs, including heavy.com and americanidol.net, are including Gunn on their lists of Top 10 predictions.
The next episode will be at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 3, on ABC. The winner will be crowned on May 17.
This story was originally published April 27, 2020 at 3:09 PM with the headline "‘American Idol’ broadcasts show live from Wichita, thanks to finalist Arthur Gunn."
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