While it’s always possible that someone from England could win American Idol, it won’t be 15-year-old Joe Slater. At least, not for now.
You see, Slater, who lives in Liverpool, England, was in Florida on vacation with his grandparents. The family went to Walt Disney World, where his grandpa saw the American Idol Experience audition sign. Grandpa encouraged Slater to try out, and the teen ended up winning the whole thing that day.
Watch Slater’s finale performance of “What a Wonderful World” below.
Following the launch of the American Idol Experience in February 2009, little has been said by American Idol about their counterpart attraction. I’ve even heard from a few people who thought the Walt Disney World attraction had closed since nothing is ever mentioned about it. Season 9′s Aaron Kelly was actually a Dream Ticket recipient, though most don’t remember that because the show made almost no mention of it.
Each operating day, the American Idol Experience goes through two audition rounds, several semi-final shows, and the finale show. The winner of each day’s finale gets a Dream Ticket, which allows that person, assuming they meet age and residency requirements, to bypass the initial queue at any regional American Idol audition. In other words, they get to go to the front of the line.
However, getting to go to an actual American Idol audition with a Dream Ticket is limited to those who meet the age and residency requirements. While the attraction is open to anyone 14 or older, and to anyone visiting from any country, the show has an age limit of 15 to 28, and a requirement that you either be a US citizen or a legal permanent US resident eligible to work full-time.
Slater acknowledged on the description for his YouTube video that he would be unable to audition for American Idol. And that’s a shame, because Slater appears to be the type of contestant the show originally set out to find. He looks to be a natural up there on the stage, has the good looks that have helped many past contestants get farther than they otherwise might have, has a good singing voice, and has a thick British accent that would likely drive the teenage girls wild.
So while it’s unlikely that we will ever see Joe Slater as a contestant on American Idol, hopefully he will take the encouragement he got from winning the American Idol Experience, hone his voice, and try out for the UK version of The X Factor or Britain’s Got Talent.
What did you think of Joe Slater? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
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