Who says “American Idol” can’t be educational? Sunday night’s episode taught the nation to pronounce “Oneonta.”

The teachable moment came early in the two-hour audition episode, just before Alabama worship leader Isaiah Moore walked out to face the judges. Carrie Underwood took a look at her call sheet to see who was up next and said, “What is that, Alabama? Is it On-eonta or One-onta?”

“One-onta,” repeated fellow judge Luke Bryan, cracking up. “Oh-knee, Oh-knee-onta,” he offered.

As the only Alabama native on the panel, Lionel Richie was the most likely to know the correct answer, but if he did he wasn’t letting on. “We’ll find out in five more seconds,” he said, as Moore walked out.

“Tell us who you are, what you do, where you’re from, all the things,” commanded Underwood.

“My name Isaiah Moore, I’m 22, I’m from Oneonta, Alabama –” said Moore. “Ahn-ee-ahnna,” repeated the judges, with table-slapping satisfaction.

With that business out of the way, Moore was clear to tell his bittersweet backstory. He told the judges he and his brother had been put into foster care early in their lives because their mother was “deep into drugs.” But Mawmaw and Pawpaw had taken them in and in recent years his mom had gotten clean and was on hand for the audition, as were Mawmaw and Pawpaw. That joy was tinged by the fact that his brother had been “having a hard time the past year” and Moore was worried about him going down the same path their mother had.

That informed his song choice, Luke Combs’ “Where the Wild Things Are,” a song in which a man laments the loss of a fast-living brother. He wasn’t far into it before the judges began exchanging appreciative looks.

What Carrie Underwood said: “You’ve got some power in that voice.”

What Luke Bryan said: “I think there’s a story in that voice. That song kind of showcases a lot of parallels in your life, and a lot of people’s lives, so I enjoyed it. Good job.”

What Lionel Richie said: “I felt the passion, I felt the pain. You’re carrying a lot inside but your blessing is that you can actually deliver it in a vocal [that] is touching. I enjoyed your performance. I thought it was just smokin’.”

What else Carrie Underwood said: “You have a very powerful voice, you were telling a story, you were connecting with us, which is hard to do. But you did it.”

The verdict: The judges brought Moore’s family in before they delivered their verdict, which was three “yes” votes and a ticket to Hollywood.

What else happened? Moore got a good ride, which included mocktails served to him and his wife by host Ryan Seacrest, as a small thank-you for going to Nashville to audition instead of taking their planned holiday cruise. But several contenders got true glamour moments, with segments dedicated to their backstories, and some got predictions from the judges that they’d make the Top 24 or even (in the case of Lashon from Miami) the Top 12.

These getting extended segments included Brajawn Upshaw, a postal worker who squeaked through on a 2-1 vote; Bryson Quick, who sang a countrified version of Pink Floyd’s “Time” and made it work, then got to go on stage at the Grand Ole Opry with 2021 “Idol” winner Chayse Beckham; North Carolina teen Carson Webb, who got at least one of the judges clogging; and MKY (“Mikey”) a Los Angeles singer with a Chicano heritage and a flair for Motown melody.

There was a montage of “no” votes. There was Josh King, a pianist and vocalist whose obvious gifts were undercut by his lounge-act tendencies. Richie attacked him on that score after a dubious rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” and the judges challenged him to take a stab at “My Girl” without all the florid touches. It was a fight and results were mixed, but King will be back after a 2-1 vote.

And there was an actual joke number, with Sophie Powers rocking a Billie Eilish look as she delivered a profane original in a monotone. Was it a put-on? Was it a satirical guerilla punk attack on the superficiality of “Idol?” Either way it was at least a palate cleanser.

Red Clay Strays alert: Maybe it’s too early to call it a trend, but Alabama’s fastest-rising band is having an impact on “Idol.” Moore has said he sang the Red Clay Strays’ “Wanna Be Loved” in his first virtual audition. In Sunday’s episode, 14-year-old Kase Tippens sang “Wondering Why.” The judges told him it wasn’t his time, but they let him down easy and it was still a showcase moment for the tune.

What comes next? For Moore, it’s the highly competitive Hollywood round, where the field will include at least one other contender from Alabama, 17-year-old Crews Wright of Samson, who particularly impressed Lionel Richie last week. For “Idol” viewers, it’s more first-round auditions, airing at 7 p.m. Sunday on ABC. Previous episodes also can be seen on Hulu.