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'American Idol' 2023: Judges hail Nate Peck as 'best rocker' but fans unimpressed by 'cheesy' performance

'American Idol' contestant Nate Peck fails to impress fans with his '80s style performance as they find him 'off key'

LINDEN, MICHIGAN: We laughed, we burst into tears, and we may have even cringed a little. The auditions for season 21 of 'American Idol' have concluded. Judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, and Luke Bryan handed out the final golden tickets and one platinum ticket to hopefuls as they prepare for the arduous 'Hollywood Week'.

In night five auditions, a lot of skilled artists impressed the judges and moved forward to 'Hollywood Week' like Mikenley Brown, Oliver Steele, Sarah Mac, etc. One performer who won the judge's hearts is the '80s rocker Nate Peck. The lead singer of a Metro Detroit rock cover band just wowed the 'American Idol' judges with his audition of a Dokken song, but the fans didn't like him at all.

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'Best Rocker we have ever had'

Nate Peck, an '80s band singer from Michigan, auditioned with Dokken's 'Lightnin' Strikes Again'. The judges were blown away by the face-melting rock energy and spontaneously moshed. He's open about his love of rock music, and the judges weren't shy about praising his rock voice. Luke and Nate have a good time duetting on Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again." Katy joins in on the fun by leaping onto the piano and crawling around. Nate is regarded by the judges as the "best rocker they have ever had" on "American Idol."

'American Idol' fans label Nate Peck 'cheesy rocker'

On the other hand, fans of the show didn't get Nate's appeal and disagreed with the judges on the best rocker part. They have questioned how they could like him, and one said in disbelief, "Did he get a ticket to Hollywood??" Another found his singing off-key and said, "I don’t get the love for this cheesy rocker. He has a falsetto but hits a lot of off-key notes. They‘ve had so many great rockers on but he ain’t it." One more was shocked by Nate's performance and added, "Oh My."

While some fans questioned Katy and Luke's judgment. One said, "Luke Bryan and Katy Perry judging anyone is laughable." Another one said, "Nate was forcing the vocals through #AmericanIdol." One more added, "Nate Peck really pushing to get those bright high tones, looked a little uncomfortable to me, but he's got range and power. #AmericanIdol #IdolAuditions." Another one said, "Best rock singer we’ve ever had. Are you serious, Luke? Have you forgotten Casey Bishop already?"

'American Idol' Season 21 airs every Sunday at 8 pm ET on ABC.

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