You may have recently spotted Craig Campbell on American Idol, where he appeared to support his daughter’s friend, Mattie Pruitt. But according to Campbell, there’s a lot more to the story than what we saw on TV.
In a conversation with Taste of Country Nights, the “Outskirts of Heaven” singer revealed that much of what happened during the audition day never made it to air.
What Really Happened Behind the Scenes?
Campbell shared that the American Idol team had to trim down a 14-hour day into just three minutes of footage.
“They chiseled it down to three minutes from 14 hours of just sitting around and twiddling our thumbs,” Campbell said. “It was two days, from morning ‘til the sun was down when we left.”
Naturally, we had to ask—what was left out that viewers didn’t get to see?
Craig Campbell’s Special Moment with Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan
Campbell revealed a pretty amazing moment that didn’t make the final cut. After Mattie Pruitt earned her golden ticket, Luke Bryan turned to Lionel Richie and said:
“Lionel, Craig is one of the best singers that has ever graced the microphone. Hit ’em with something, Craig!”
Caught off guard, Campbell wasn’t sure what to do at first.
“I was about to go into ‘Stuck on You,’ Lionel Richie, but he [Luke] was like, ‘Give him a little of that “Outskirts of Heaven.”‘”
So, Campbell picked up his guitar and sang a few lines.
What happened next was something he’ll never forget:
“I played a little bit, and Lionel came down and shook my hand and was like, ‘Dude, that was amazing!'”
Campbell admitted it was a “pretty cool” experience and joked that he would love to get a copy of that unseen footage.
With his close ties to country stars like Luke Bryan, there’s a good chance he’ll track it down!
Craig Campbell’s Advice for Future American Idol Contestants
Before wrapping up, Campbell also shared a piece of advice for anyone thinking about auditioning for American Idol next season:
“Make sure you got your charger for your phone, so you can play solitaire.”
It seems that patience—and a fully charged phone—are just as important as a good voice when it comes to surviving the long audition days.