Katy issued a playful challenge to her fellow judges during her ‘American Idol’ hometown tour in Santa Barbara, California. In an exclusive clip unveiled by PEOPLE, the spirited Teenage Dream and Firework singer challenged Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan to a pickleball showdown.
A Determined Look In Her Eye
With a determined look in her eye, Perry, 39, laid down the gauntlet, saying, “We’re about to settle this once and for all. Whose hometown is the best hometown? Mine.”
As Richie, 74, and Bryan, 47, stepped onto the pickleball court, Perry handed them paddles adorned with her own face and summoned her mom, Mary Hudson, to join her as a doubles partner.
Throughout the match, Perry and her mom demonstrated their pickleball prowess, leaving their opponents increasingly flustered. “Lionel, I thought you and Kenny Rogers used to play,” quipped Bryan, to which Richie retorted, “I play all the time.” Perry couldn’t resist a playful jab, declaring, “My mom is 75, and she is smacking your butts.”
As the game progressed, Perry declared victory. “I think it’s obvious
who took the game. Bring in the trophy,” she announced, adding with a grin, “Alright, guys, well, I think we should go and find some real talent since that spanking was quite embarrassing. Let’s go to auditions.”
“The Sweetest Surprise”
Reflecting on the return to her hometown, Perry was delighted with how seamlessly Richie and Bryan integrated into the Santa Barbara scene.”
The best part of bringing Idol to Santa Barbara was being able to share my roots,” she reminisced. “From busking at farmers markets for avocados and mangos on the guitar our family friend Patricia Bragg gifted me to seeing my opera teacher — the sweetest surprise — when we did auditions at Music Academy of the West.”
Read more our coverage of the pickleball scene around Santa Barbara here.
For Perry, a poignant highlight was revealing to her fellow judges the formative experiences that shaped her. Regarding the pickleball match, Perry, who recently announced her departure from the show, shared her mom’s enthusiasm for bonding with her colleagues.
“Our Sunday Afternoon Family Activity”
“It’s so funny because my mom’s been trying to get the family to play pickleball with her for years, and we always resisted. We gave in a few years ago, and now it’s our Sunday afternoon family activity. I even did a charity pickleball tournament—which Mom competed in, of course—for my foundation, Firework Foundation.”
Tune in to American Idol Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC to catch the latest excitement.
Read another of our articles about Katy Perry and her love for pickleball here.
