Wyatt Park Drops Out of American Idol Due to “Personal Reasons”
Will the mystery of why American Idol contestant Wyatt Pike suddenly dropped out of the competition ever be solved? For now, a rep for American Idol only released a terse statement to the media: “Wyatt could not continue due to personal reasons, and we cannot comment further.”
At the top of Monday’s (April 12) Top 12 Reveal episode, host Ryan Seacrest tacked on the announcement, almost as an afterthought at the end of a chat with old friend and guest judge Paula Abdul. “Before we get to the results, I have to tell you that finalist Wyatt Pike will not be competing in the competition,” said Ryan matter of factly. “He had to drop out, but we wish him the very best.” OK then! The singer-songwriter, who performed a buoyant performance of King of Leon’s “Use Somebody” for his Top 16 performance that aired the previous night (April 11) was a fan favorite to make it into the Top 12.
Wyatt impressed the judges at his audition with a song written for his sister
The Park City, Utah native was enrolled at the College of Charleston and planned to study business, before realizing that his heart belonged to music. He took a gap year, worked at a local radio station and gigged around town. Currently he’s studying virtually at the Berklee College of Music. Watching Phillip Phillips win Idol back in 2012 inspired him to audition.
At his American Idol audition, the 19 year old impressed the judges with an original song, “Best for You.” In his audition video package, Wyatt explained that he wrote the song for his sister Hazel. In the clip, she describes how when she experienced “severe mental health issues,” Wyatt supported her the entire time. Wyatt revealed, that when he struggled with anxiety in high school, his sister was there for him.
In an Instagram post, Wyatt shared that he was having a “rough day”
The Top 16 episode was filmed last week, on Tuesday or Wednesday. On the day of the show, American Idol posted an instagram featuring Wyatt’s phone numbers and a few clips. In one, that appears to have been filmed after he got off stage (skip to the fourth slide) Wyatt explains that he had a “rough day, a deep breath kind of day” but that it was “still good to be here…I’m excited to see what happens next.”
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So far, Wyatt has been quiet on social media. He may or may not ever reveal why he left the show. Fans can only hope that everything is OK and that he and his family are healthy. Hopefully he emerges at some point with new music. Wyatt had several wonderful performances, including an upbeat duet with Ben Rector for his Top 24 performance, and a strummy cover of George Ezra’s “What You Waiting For.”
Wyatt’s last posted on Instagram on April 7. Alongside photos of a snowy Park City, he wrote, “Something to feel this through: home. Thankful for the rollercoaster I’m on today.”
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