McHenry County natives face elimination rounds on ‘American Idol’

Grace Kinstler and Althea Grace to compete in groups against other contestants starting Sunday

Surviving the audition phase of “American Idol,” two McHenry County natives, Grace Kinstler and Althea Grace, will appear on the Hollywood round of the show, competing in groups against other contestants starting Sunday.

The show will air on ABC at 7 p.m. Sunday and Monday, with contestants being eliminated as early as Monday.

Among the contestants will be Grace Kinstler, a 20-year-old graduate of Crystal Lake Central High School, and Althea Grace, a 21-year-old Algonquin native who graduated from Dundee-Crown High School.

Kinstler appeared on the first episode of auditions, wowing the show’s judges – pop star Katy Perry, country singer Luke Bryan and singer-songwriter Lionel Richie – with “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight & the Pips and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin.

Her rendition of Franklin’s classic brought Bryan to tears, “This is the first time in four years that someone singing has made me cry,” Bryan told the Lakewood native.

Althea received her golden ticket during an audition that aired Sunday, delivering a powerful performance of the song she wrote for her 2-year-old daughter.

“The hardest part in this business is to have a unique voice that cuts through, OK, and you have a cut-through voice,” Richie told Althea during her audition. “But I think you really have to just be confident in yourself.”

Bryan compared her singing voice with American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks and said he loved the tone of her voice.

Althea’s daughter, Lennon, became sick in January 2020, and needed a liver transplant. Lennon was 1 at the time.

Lennon became healthier, and Althea said she was inspired by her own daughter’s strength to try out for the show.

“I think it’s awesome. I still can’t even believe she did it,” Althea’s grandmother, Fran Traub, told the Northwest Herald. “When she called me and told me she was going to audition, with all the stuff going on with the baby, I was shocked she could muster enough strength to go in and audition.”

Both Kinstler and Grace have bonded over their excitement for the upcoming show, Grace told the Herald.

Kinstler said her family thought she was destined for “American Idol” from a young age. She grew up listening to strong female artists, such as Kelly Clarkson, “American Idol’s” first winner, and Jennifer Hudson, the seventh-place finisher on Season 3. In her teen years, Grace won vocal awards and lead roles in musicals.

“Right away when she sang for me, I knew she was going to be a talent powerhouse,” said vocal coach Michelle Hackman, who began working with Kinstler her freshman year of high school.

About a year ago, Kinstler’s father and inspiration, Mitch Kinstler, died. The family lost a grandmother, as well. “American Idol” has been a beacon of hope for the Kinstler family during a challenging year.