Tom and Helen Walker, parents of Emily (K) and Ryan (1st) had the time of their lives after winning the bid for an American Idol package at the 2013 Whitefield auction. The package included two round trip airfares from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Delta, three nights at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, and two tickets to be in the live audience during a performance night (down to three contestants) and also during the results show the next evening (announcing the final two contestants). Here's their story:by Tom and Helen WalkerWhen we went to the Whitefield auction, there was one “live bidding” package that we were very interested in – the American Idol trip. We’ve been huge fans of the show for a long time. On the night of the auction, we were lucky enough to win the package.
At the time of the auction, we had no idea which three contestants we would see at the live show, but certainly had our favorites. The week before the trip, we watched nervously, hoping that our favorite contestant (Kree Harrison) would make the final three. We were so pleased that she made it, and that we would get to see her perform live. Rounding out the final three were Angie Miller and the ultimate winner, Candice Glover.
Frankly, it could not have worked out better because Angie and Candice were our “other favorites.” However, Kree held (and still holds) a special place in our hearts. Not only does she have an amazing voice, but we just loved her back story. She and her sister lost both parents when they were younger. The cared for each other, supported each other, and made it through some tough times.
Indeed, it seemed that God had his eye on Kree, helping her to overcome extreme adversity and to achieve great heights.
At the risk of being overly cliché, we can definitely say that this trip was a “once in a lifetime” experience for us. The flight was perfectly easy, the Beverly Hilton was truly an amazing hotel, and the whole American Idol experience was awesome.
The American Idol studio is surprisingly small; it probably holds no more than 300 people. Of course, that meant that every single seat in the place was amazing (and ours were no exception). You literally feel like you can reach out and grab the stage. The live television experience was very interesting indeed. It is amazing to think that we were two of only a few hundred people seeing the show in person - while over 100 countries and hundreds of millions of people saw it live (without the “and in person” charm).
Ryan Seacrest was the ultimate professional, never missing a take or
a beat (making hometown Atlanta proud). The judges were very entertaining and needless to say, the contestants were awesome. Hearing the purity of their God-given voices is a whole different and incredible experience when it's from just yards away. While our beloved Kree did
not ultimately win the crown, she did pull an amazing upset in making it to the finale. We like to think that our “Whitefield Academy ♥‘s Kree” sign is what pushed her over the top to make the “final two.”
Although we voted for Kree in the finale, we give major kudos to Candice for winning. She is truly an amazing singer. Her performance of “Somewhere” from West Side Story and the duet she sang with Jennifer Hudson in the finale show were two of the most amazing performances you will ever see (they are pretty easy to find on YouTube).
Although the American Idol experience was the focus of our trip, we had an enormously good time outside of the studio as well. Whether it was shopping (window shopping mostly so that we could save our money for the Whitefield Annual Fund, of course) on Rodeo Drive, going to one incredible restaurant after another, or doing the very touristy, but well worth it, Hollywood tour of stars’ homes, the “Strip,” and the Hollywood Walk of Fame), it was all amazing.
We apologize for repeatedly using the same superlatives, but we simply ran out of new ones! Of course, we had to get our picture taken with the Hollywood sign in the background.
Simply put, this trip was amazing, awesome, super-fun, super-cool, enormously enjoyable, incredible, and just plain supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! We are so happy that we won this trip, and of course, we are even happier that we were able to provide the funds to our kid’s school – the incredible Whitefield Academy.
