North Carolina natives Garrison Bennett, Bethany Teague get golden tickets to Hollywood
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Two more North Carolina natives are heading to Hollywood on American Idol Season 22.
Garrison Bennett from Hickory and Bethany Teague from Charlotte auditioned for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan, earning the coveted golden tickets to Hollywood.
25-year-old Bethany Teague is originally from Gastonia, a suburb of Charlotte, and has gone viral on social media platform TikTok for her voice.
She sang "Piece by Piece" by Kelly Clarkson to the idol judges.
Teague, who is an older sister to four siblings, is no stranger to Idol after she auditioned in 2020.
She told ABC11 she lost her mother unexpectedly in 2017 after she gave birth, and hopes her siblings see her musical journey as a source of hope to keep going.
"We've been through a lot and our journey has not always been sugar cookies and rainbows....but I'm still here," she said.
19-year-old Garrison Bennett from Hickory sang "Very Superstitious" for Idol judges earning his way to Hollywood Week.
Bennett works for a landscaping company but said he has always had a deep love for music.
He told ABC11 he is the middle child in a family with five brothers, and said he was ready for his moment to shine, solo when he went to audition in Nashville.
"Anything is possible and if you have a goal, just keep pushing towards it," Bennett said. "Cause just a few months ago I would've never thought I'd have this opportunity. Being able to look back at this just truly means everything. If you've got a goal - keep pushing for it."
You can watch Bennett and Teague's auditions again on Monday on Hulu.
There are a few other people from the state who auditioned this year.
Anna Grace Hunt from Pembroke got her golden ticket after performing for the Idol judges last Sunday.
She told ABC11 she's been singing since she was 12 years old, but struggled to share her voice with the world because she's shy, but it was her mom and teacher who convinced her to give Idol a shot.
Black Mountain siblings Laela Dasher and her brother Max Dasher both auditioned for judges earlier this month earning their chance to move forward.
Max performed Rock Salt and Nails by Utah Phillips, impressing all three judges with his voice and gaining the coveted golden ticket.
Laela took the stage after Max who joined her to play guitar for her audition. She performed Angel from Montgomery by John Prine.
Former ECU football player and NFL player Blake Proehl took his chances and auditioned. He is headed to Hollywood.
He sang "In Case You Didn't Know" by Brett Young for the judges.
You can watch all the performances again on Hulu.
