Brad Paisley Tapped as Guest Mentor on ‘American Idol’ Top 20 Round

It seems there is a reason why Brad Paisley guested on American Idol to prank Carrie Underwood with Luke Bryan. Paisley, together with the Disney star Keke Palmer, will appear as a guest host at the singing competition.

The West Virginia-born singer will join mainstay judges Bryan, Underwood, and Lionel Richie as a guest mentor with Palmer on the competition’s 24th season. The duo will appear during the Top 20 round. The show will be at Disney’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii. The episode will be aired in two parts, on March 16 and March 23.  

During the show’s Monday premiere, Bryan connived with Paisley to prank Underwood. Bryan stepped away from the desk to use the bathroom. Little did the “Before He Cheats” singer know that her fellow judge met with the producers, Paisley, and a fake contestant, Dylan Holmes, to plan the prank. Paisley will feed Bryan ridiculous lines and instruct him in funny antics through an earpiece.  

One of the things that Paisley made Bryan do was to pester Underwood about how much she can bench press, much to her annoyance. When Holmes stepped into the center stage and started to strum his guitar, he shouted, “Pass!” Paisley continued to give Bryan instructions, making him act out of character, which prompted Underwood to ask if Bryan had taken a shot during his bathroom break.

When Bryan finally said the safe word “hot chicken,” and Paisley appeared to reveal the prank on Underwood, the joke was actually on them since Underwood admitted she didn’t think something was off with Bryan’s behavior.