NEWSKelly Clarkson's 'American Idol' Costar Justin Guarini Says She Was 'Killer' At Behind-The-Scenes Card Games
Jan. 4 2023, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
More than two decades after the world met first met Kelly Clarkson and her famed American Idol competitior, Justin Guarini, as they vied for the crown on the series’ first season, the reality TV icons are getting candid about their early days in the limelight.
Earlier this week, the American Idol alums reminisced about what it was like competing on the Fox reality series, with Guarini revealing there was yet another tense contest brewing behind the scenes of the series — their ultra high-stakes, backstage card games.
“We got to hang out so much, and I can tell you this. If you ever have the chance to see Kelly, and she ever says, ‘Hey, do you want to play a card game?’ Don’t,” Guarini recalled during an appearance on the “Since U Been Gone” songstress’ eponymous morning program, The Kelly Clarkson Show, on Wednesday, January 4.
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While Clarkson admitted that she had “always been competitive,” Guarini took it a step further, dubbing his From Justin to Kelly costar as being “a killer” when it came to playing cards — particularly, the game Speed.
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“We would hang out, and we would play speed because there were these huge swaths of time, and we would play speed,” he recalled, noting that despite his best efforts, he only “may have won twice in the hundred times that we played together.”
Beyond their card game chops, Guarini also opened up about what it was like spearheading the storied competition series' inaugural season, long before American Idol developed into the global phenomenon that it is today.
“It’s wild because we got shot out of a cannon,” he explained, adding that “the stakes weren’t super high for us” during their time on the show.
“But I loved just being around and the fact that we were at the beginning of things, so nobody knew what was up,” he elaborated.
Today reported on Clarkson and Guarini’s recent on-air catch-up.
