It’s official — two Minnesotans cracked the coveted top 36 on “American Idol” Wednesday night. Both Casey Carlson, 20, and Jesse Langseth, 26, survived all the drama of Hollywood Week and earned a spot in the show’s next round. Not since Edina-native Paris Bennett was a major “Idol” contender three years ago, has someone from the state made it this far on the Fox reality show.
Carlson, 20, first snagged the attention of “Idol” judges when she sang “A Thousand Miles” during her Kansas City try-out. The day after her audition aired, the fresh-faced Eden Prairie High School grad had the Internet buzzing when gossip Web site TMZ posted sexy pictures of her in a bikini that had been snapped for a Campus Girls USA calendar.
And while Jesse Langseth, 26, didn’t get much attention during “Idol’s” audition round (she also tried out in Kansas City), she ended up in a sing-off with another contestant on Wednesday’s show. The judges were not impressed with her song choice and even though they sent her through to the semifinals, Simon Cowell said he didn’t believe she had any chance of being crowned the next “American Idol” based on the sing-off.
Langseth is no stranger to the Twin Cities music scene where most folks know her as Jesse Lang. A Minnesota Music Award nominee, she’s also the younger sister of blues prodigy Jonny Lang.
Starting on Tuesday, the 36 semifinalists will be singing for America’s vote with 12 different contestants performing every Tuesday followed by eliminations on Wednesday.
