Emotional Dad Gets Punked By “American Idol” Judges.

Some people work their whole lives to pursue their dreams, while others work to help their loved ones succeed.

Blase Barrett of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is one of those men who would do absolutely anything for his family. His 17 year-old daughter, Gabby, calls him her “rock,” because he’s always been there for her. Blase works two jobs to make ends meet. By day, he’s the maintenance man for Goodwill, and at night, he cleans office buildings. Never afraid of hard work, Blase has worked tirelessly to lift his family out of poverty and help them achieve their life’s ambitions.

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Gabby has been performing on stage since she was just 9 years-old, hoping to help her family with her talents. Throughout it all, Blase has been there to guide her, cheer her on, and support her anyway he can.

“You’re my whole life, and I love you,” he tells Gabby before her audition.

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Gabby idolizes former “Idol” contestant Carrie Underwood, so naturally she selects a few of Carrie’s songs to use for her audition. As soon as she walks on stage, the similarities to Carrie are apparent — Gabby is platinum blonde, has adorable dimples, and is wearing some pretty amazing country-rock leather pants.

The judges seem to like her right away… but does she have the vocal chops to win a spot to Hollywood?

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Gabby starts singing a heartfelt Carrie tune, but before she’s gotten through the first verse, the judges stop her in her tracks. You can tell they’re struggling with this audition, because while they like Gabby, something just isn’t working for them.

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“We’re looking for you. As Luke said, we’re not looking for ‘the jukebox,” Lionel Richie explains. The other judges nod their heads in agreement. While they like her very much, they don’t want an imitation Carrie Underwood — they want to see her.

Luke Bryan explains further, “When you’re trying to sound country, you don’t sound country.”

“Too gimmicky,” agrees Katy Perry.

They ask Gabby to sing another song, and she obliges with a simple song she learned in church. Suddenly, the real Gabby appears for the judges… and they love what they hear! Gabby is thrilled when they award her with a ticket to Hollywood, after all.

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But the judges aren’t done with Gabby yet. Ever the prankster, Katy asks if it’s okay if they punk Blase. They are well aware that he’s waiting outside with baited breath, so they decide to have a little fun with him.

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Acting sad, Katy pokes her head out and asks Blase to come into the room to “console” his daughter. Blase does so, looking incredibly morose.

Thankfully, they don’t let him dangle for too long. As soon as he approaches Gabby, his daughter calls out, “I got it! I got it, daddy!”

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Hugs and happy tears, all around. What an emotional moment, caught on video!

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We’ll definitely be watching Gabby’s progress on the show, and we’ll be rooting for not just her, but for Blase as well.

Watch the wonderfully feel-good clip below, and don’t forget to share!