Garbage man Doug Kiker brought judge Katy Perry to tears with his heartfelt rendition of ‘Bless The Broken Road’ from Rascal Flatts.

This season of American Idol is off to an incredible start with hopefuls from all around the country vying for a chance to win their ticket to Hollywood. With only a few shows under our belt, there are already some notable front-runners. And Doug Kiker might be the most memorable contestant so far. Doug doesn’t look like your typical American Idol.

A garbage man by day, Doug has no formal training or experience singing in front of a crowd. That’s when judge Lionel Ritchie encouraged the young man to warm up his vocals before starting his audition.

Even though Doug was a bit confused, host Ryan Seacrest helped show him the ropes. About fifteen minutes later, Doug returned to the stage for his big moment. Without any musical backing, he belted out the lyrics to ‘Bless The Broken Road’ from country group Rascal Flatts.

From the minute he started singing, everyone could tell that Doug was a star. Judge Luke Bryan even came from behind the desk to sit at the piano and coach Doug on a few notes.

Their impromptu duet brought tears to fellow judge Katy Perry. All three judges knew that there was something special about this young man.

As everyone gathered around to give Doug the good news, Katy gave him some powerful words of wisdom. “You just stay who you are and you’re going to go so far.” I cannot wait to see what this inspiring man does in Hollywood.