Thomas Stringfellow is the 17-year-old high school student from Bentonville, Arkansas who’s made it to the Top 24 on the fifteenth and final season of American Idol. He’s teen idol cute. Like One Direction cute. When he sings the One Direction song “Story of My Life” in front of a crowd of young girls on American Idol in Hollywood, he announces, “This song is for anyone who’s gone through a real heartbreak.” Stringfellow and his girlfriend broke up just three days before. American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr. said, “That’s the smartest thing that kid could of said.”
After the performance, when Connick tells Stringfellow that he’s made it to the Top 24, he explains that they (the judges) will always be honest with him. “There are better singers in this competition,” said Connick, but “every once and a while there’s someone who comes along with a special quality…and that’s rare.” When told that he had made it to the Top 24, Stringfellow gave the judges hugs. “That was a real hug,” JLo said. “I like that kid,” said Connick. Plus, as Connick said at Stringfellow’s audition, “That’s a great name.” So, Stringfellow has these five things going for him:
- Great name
- One Direction cute looks
- Smart, knows how to play crowd
- Special quality Harry Connick Jr. says is rare
- Good, sincere hugger according to JLo
American Idol airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8pm on FOX.
