American Idol is arguably television's biggest, most influential platform for emerging artists over the past 23 years - including relatives of some very famous faces. From siblings of pop superstars to the children of Hollywood royalty, numerous Idol auditioners tried to carve out their own place in the spotlight. Some sailed through the audition rounds, while others never got that golden ticket to Hollywood. Idol season 23 showcased a similar journey, as Backstreet Boys star Brian Littrell's son, Baylee Littrell, auditioned. In season 24, Real Housewives of Salt Lake City fans were surprised to see Britani Bateman join her niece Carmen Lorell Martin during the audition process. Keep scrolling for the stories of Idol contestants who brought some extra star-power to the show: Carmen Lorell Martin Disney/Eric McCandless RHOSLC star Britani Bateman crashed her niece Carmen Lorell Martin's audition to introduce her to the judges when season 24 premiered in January 2026. While none of the judges were familiar with Britani, Carmen was able to score a golden ticket and advanced to Hollywood Week. Lola Bonfiglio Disney/Eric McCandless In March 2025, Lola kicked off her season 23 audition by singing with her mom, Carnie Wilson, and aunt Wendy Wilson - a.k.a. two thirds of the band Wilson Phillips. Joined by her dad, Robert Bonfiglio, on guitar, Lola performed her mom's hit "Hold On" as part of her introduction to the judges. For her actual audition, Lola sang "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves and earned three "yes" votes, securing her ticket to Hollywood. "I couldn't be more proud of our @lola.bonfiglio Her pure beautiful voice shines so bright!!!!!" Carnie via Instagram after her daughter's debut on the singing competition. "To witness your child be brave like that and sing from her heart...and have three incredible artists tell her that her voice is pure and gorgeous ...shows us that her love for singing is what it's all about. @americanidol PS... thank you to everyone for your support! It means so much!!" Baylee Littrell Courtesy of Baylee Littrell/Instagram In February 2025, Backstreet Boy Littrell's 22-year-old son Baylee shared via Instagram that he would be auditioning for Idol's upcoming season. Baylee encouraged his social media followers to "tune in to see the season premiere" on March 9 to find out whether he impressed judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood. Brian told NBC's TODAY that Baylee is ready for the spotlight because he grew up around the worldwide success of the Backstreet Boys. "He was just texting me last night, going, 'Dad, dude, how do you do this? Like, it's hard work,'" Brian said on Friday, February 14. "He's been busting his butt, and I'm super proud of him. He kind of gets a new sense of reality of what this is." 'American Idol' Winners: Where Are Fantasia Barrino and More Now? The "I Want It That Way" singer went on: "He tells this joke about being at a convenience store or a drug store, and there was a Millennium album, in the casing of all these CDs. And he picks it up... and he was like, 'Oh, my gosh, that's my dad!' And this was when he was, like, probably 7 or 8 years old." Baylee released his second collection of original music, titled EP Vol. One, in September 2022. Emmy Russell Monica Schipper/Getty Images Russell revealed to judge Katy Perry during her season 22 Idol audition that her grandmother was legendary country music vocalist Loretta Lynn. Lynn, who died at age 90 in October 2022, was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2013. "She's one of the biggest country music singers of all time, but to me she's just Grandma," Russell told Idol viewers. After passing through the audition round with her original track "Skinny," Russell made it to the Top 5 before being eliminated alongside Triston Harper one week before the Idol finals in May 2024. After her elimination aired, Russell graciously thanked her fans for supporting her throughout the competition. All the Tense 'American Idol' Moments Between Contestants and Judges "I'm just really feeling grateful. I didn't make Top 3, but... that was God's plan. That was funny because before I got eliminated, I think God told me, he was like, 'Emmy, you're not gonna be chosen by America, but I chose you,'" Russell said via Instagram. Nikko Smith Ray Mickshaw/WireImage Nikko was one of the first celebrity relatives to make it on air, placing ninth overall in American Idol's fourth season in 2005. The son of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith dazzled judge Simon Cowell with his cover of Stevie Wonder's "All I Do" during his audition. Ozzie responded to his son's success by admitting to St. Louis Magazine that any child of a celebrity faces "added pressure" in trying to live up to their parent's success. "I don't think that's fair to your kid," Ozzie argued. In October 2006, Nikko was picked to perform "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Game 4 of the Wor