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'American Idol' Season 20: Fans slam judges for going too 'hard' on Tristen Gressett

Several 'American Idol' fans took to Twitter to tell the judges that Tristen was 'great as he is'

The third part of 'American Idol' Season 20 auditions kicked off with a high-energy performance by 17-year-old high school student Tristen Gressett. This Pell City, Alabama resident came in with fire under his feet, ready to knock the socks off the judges' feet and bag the coveted golden ticket to Hollywood.

Tristen stepped onto the stage geared with his guitar and harmonica. This one-man-band show turned out to be a little too much for the judges' liking. Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan kept insisting that he tone down on his antics and just let his singing shine. Luckily for Tristen, the judges were ready to give him another opportunity to fight for a spot on ABC's singing competition by letting him perform another song without any of the accompaniments.

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You can watch Tristen's performance here:

Tristen listened to the judges and just relied on his guitar and vocals to impress the judges. Despite his best attempts at heeding to the judges' pointers, they kept interrupting him during his performance asking him to lower his notes further and insisting that he just sing without trying to put a spin on anything. Thankfully, Tristen managed to impress the judges and earned the golden ticket to Hollywood. The judges remarked that they had their work cut out for them with him, but felt that he had the potential.

While Tristen was over the moon after finally winning over the judges, fans however weren't. Several fans took to Twitter to slam the judges for being very 'hard' on Tristen. A fan tweeted, "I think the judges were kinda hard on Tristen for no reason lol #AmericanIdol." Another fan wrote, "What the judges on #AmericanIdol are doing to this Tristen kid is disgusting. IF HE’S TOO MUCH, GO FIND LESS! You’re tearing apart what makes him special, and acting like that’s a lot of work FOR YOU. I’m f***ing livid." "#AmericanIdol Tristen doesn’t need training… he’s great as is!" declared a fan.

Fans too noticed the immense potential in Tristen and began rooting for him. A fan shared, "Tristen Gresset, so full of energy. He’s a performer, engaging, lotta edge to his vocal. Multi-instrumentalist. He checks a lotta boxes. Love how he worked the camera too #AmericanIdol #IdolAuditions." Another fan expressed, "I would love to see Tristen go all the way to victory! #AmericanIdol." Fans also felt that the teenager would be the perfect fit for the Hollywood Week segment of the competition. A fan commented, "Tristen comes off as a joke but he can sing. I'd say yes. He'll be great for Hollywood Week. #AmericanIdol." "Tristan could be one of the ones who coasts through Hollywood week on vocal, but then goes through a makeover that just makes a WORLD of difference #AmericanIdol." echoed a fan.

'American Idol' Season 20 airs every Sunday at 8/7c on ABC.

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