Two Siblings With ‘Duck Dynasty’ Ties Move Ahead on ‘American Idol’ [Watch]
Season 22 of American Idol got a double dose of young country talent during the third round of auditions on Sunday night (March 3).
Max and Laela Dasher, two young performers and siblings hailing from North Carolina, both tried out with back-to-back auditions during the show — and both selected classic country songs for their performances.
First up was Max, who sang "Rock Salt and Nails," an old bluegrass and folk tune commonly credited to labor organizer Utah Phillips. It's since been recorded by everyone from Waylon Jennings and Earl Scruggs to Tyler Childers and Willie Watson.
Max's voice drew praise from all three Idol judges — though Luke Bryan had to give him a quick lesson on stage presence — and they ultimately voted unanimously to send him through to the next round of competition.
Next up was Laela, who, at age 20, is two years older than her brother Max. She brought him back in to the audition room to back her on guitar, performing a quavering rendition of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery" during her time in front of the judges.
"It's definitely in the DNA," Katy Perry confirmed after Laela's performance.
Still, the judges felt her volume was a little lacking, and Bryan requested that the sibling pair sing a snippet of something that featured vocal harmony. After that performance, Lionel Richie called their music "magical," but independently and together, and cast his vote to send Laela through to Hollywood, too.
Perry voted no, leaving Bryan to be the tie-breaker.
"I'm not busting y'all up," he said after some deliberation. "I'm giving you a 'yes'!"
Siblings in the competition often make for especially compelling Idol storylines, with fans wondering which one will be eliminated first. That's not the only special country edge the Dashers will bring to Idol this season: They've got a connection to the Duck Dynasty family.
That's right: A look at their social media pages reveals that the siblings' mom and dad are Jill and Zach Dasher; Phil Robertson is Zach's maternal uncle. The whole Dasher family was behind the scenes during Laela and Max's auditions, and after word got out that both siblings had made it through to the next round, Laela posted a photo of the family celebrating on the Idol audition stage.
Other members of the Duck Dynasty family were cheering on Laela and Max in the comments section of their posts.
"THE BEST," Sadie Robertson wrote in response to Laela's celebration post.
Korie Robertson — who is wife to Willie Robertson, and daughter-in-law to Phil — also cheered the siblings on in response to Max's post announcing his Golden Ticket.
"Woohoo!! You did so good!!" she wrote. Mary Kate Robertson chimed in with a series of celebratory emojis.
The Dasher siblings are not the only contestants on Idol this season who have big country connections: Loretta Lynn's granddaughter, Emmy Russell, is also competing. Noah Peters, aka viral social media star "The Singing Barber," is in the running, too.
American Idol airs on Sunday nights on ABC. Once again, the show will find judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie working together to find the best undiscovered vocal stars across the country.
It'll be Perry's last season on the show; she recently announced plans to vacate her judging role after seven years.
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Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker