Hannah Harper just won Season 24 of American Idol. And until she auditioned she had never seen one minute of the show she just conquered.
IN A POST-FINALE INTERVIEW WITH TV INSIDER, HANNAH SAT DOWN WITH RUNNER-UP JORDAN MCCULLOUGH FOR AN AMERICAN IDOL TRIVIA CHALLENGE.
The results were exactly what you would expect from someone who grew up without a television in the house.
Hannah Harper and Jordan McCullough TV Insider interview
Hannah knew of the show. She had heard of it. But watching it was never part of her world growing up in rural Missouri where live television simply was not something her family had.
So when the trivia questions started coming, she was working purely on instinct and luck
While Jordan — a self-described superfan who could name past winners, past judges and past moments without blinking — rattled off answers with ease.
Jordan even knew immediately that Jessica Sanchez had just won America’s Got Talent and admitted without hesitation that he would love to duet with her someday.
Hannah held her own anyway, making a few correct guesses pulled out of nowhere, which were very on brand.
Hannah Harper all Season 24 performances
WHAT MAKES THE INTERVIEW SUPER INTERESTING IS NOT WHO WON THE TRIVIA GAME.
It is the reminder that Hannah Harper did not grow up dreaming about American Idol the way most contestants do. She did not spend years watching past winners and mapping out her path to that stage.
A recruiter found a cleaning video on TikTok. She thought it was fake. She said yes after weeks of back-and-forth. And then she won the whole thing.
The girl who never watched the show just became its most talked about winner in years.