Gabe James walked onto the American Idol audition room with the confidence and swagger of a leading man, immediately catching the judges’ attention with his effortless charm and striking resemblance to Patrick Swayze.
Gabe James Channeled His Inner Dirty Dancing Star Patrick Swayze
James, a 23-year-old Busser from Morrison, Colorado, wore a black tank top and oversize pants complete with a belt buckle, an outfit reminiscent of the outfit Swayze wore during the “Love Is Strange” scene in the popular film, Dirty Dancing.
Impressive Cover Of “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver
The aspiring singer performed a cover of “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver. Strumming an acoustic guitar, Gabe James delivered an impressive cover of the track, which appears on Iver’s 2007 project, For Emma, Forever Ago.
“Come on, skinny love, just last the year/ Pour a little salt, we were never here/ My my my, my my my, my my/ Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer/ I tell my love to wreck it all/ Cut out all the ropes and let me fall/ My my my, my my my, my my/ Right in this moment, this order’s tall,” James sang on the tune’s first verse as the star-studded panel of Idol judges watched.
Idol Judges Swoon Over Gabe James And His Striking Resemblance To Swayze
Gabe James’ performance of the Bon Iver track earned a round of applause and praise from Idol judges Lionel Richie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
Underwood quickly admitted that the contestant reminded her of the late award-winning actor, Patrick Swayze, saying, “alright Swayze,” which was met by laughs from Richie and Bryan.
“You’re like Patrick Swayze waltzing in here like that,” Underwood added.
Bryan then broke out into song, singing a verse of “She’s Like The Wind,” a popular track by Patrick Swayze and Wendy Fraser. The Idol judges then questioned is Bryan was singing the correct lyrics to the 1987 hit, to which the producers confirmed he was and Underwood admitted, “I’ve been singing that all wrong.”
Without wasting any more time, Luke Bryan placed his vote, “I’m a yes.” Underwood then chimed in, “I am a 100% yes.”
“We didn’t even look at each other. Right? Okay. It’s a yes for me,” Richie said before the Idol judges collectively shouted, “you’re going to Hollywood.”
Earned A Golden Ticket To Hollywood
Ultimately, Gabe James impressed the American Idol judges so much that he scored three ‘yes’ votes and a golden ticket to advance to Hollywood week.
Gabe James didn’t recognize who Patrick Swayze was at first, however, after an Idol producer mentioned the movie Dirty Dancing, he immediately knew who he was.
“Oh my God. Oh, sweet. Incredibly honored man,” James admitted of the comparisons.
American Idol returns every Sunday and Monday at 8/7c on ABC.
