Entertainment

Is There An 'American Idol' Romance Blooming?

by Laura Rosenfeld

Oh, American Idol, how you always manage to bring together such lovable duos, whether it's From Justin to Kelly, Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken, or the Davids. This season, we've got one more to add to the list: Idol's Jena Irene and Caleb Johnson, who just made it to the Top 6. During last Wednesday's performances, we learned Irene asked Johnson to be her prom date, and he, not surprisingly, said yes.

The pair already have amazing chemistry when they perform together. They looked like old pros singing Bryan Adams' and Tina Turner's "It's Only Love" two weeks ago. And if you didn't get chills when they hit that last note during their flawless rendition of The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" during last week's show, you basically have no soul. But now the question remains: Are they more than just duet partners?

Well, we already know Irene and Johnson are besties offstage. In an interview with HollywoodLife.com, Irene said she and Johnson are "like the same person" and that they get along so well because they have the same "dirty and twisted" sense of humor (whatever that means). Johnson told Synergistic Productions he and Irene connect over their love of rock music and Irene's "amazing" personality. The pair also apparently have a secret handshake where they lock pinkies and kiss their respective hands, which they performed after Irene got down on one knee to "prompose" to Johnson.

One reporter over at Detroit's local FOX station even asked Irene in a post-show interview if there was something more going on with her and Johnson since they perform so well onstage together. Irene said she couldn't hear the question, even though she had no problem responding previously. When the reporter repeated it, she thought the interview was over and signed off. Very. Interesting.

But, Irene did make it clear in this week's "My Idol Journey" video that she's on the market. "If I had a Mustang just for a day," she said in the video, "I'd take my non-existent boyfriend, park the car, and make out a lot." Playing hard to get will come with age, perhaps?

For now, it looks like Irene and Johnson are playing the "We're just friends" card, which is probably for the best. Performing in front of millions of people every week while trying to win the biggest prize ever is enough pressure.

Irene's prom is slated for May 30, just a little more than a week after the Idol finale. Barring something completely crazy happening, we're likely to see Irene and Johnson duke it out in the finals. Here's hoping the results don't make prom more awkward than it's already going to be. Have fun, you two.

Image: Frank Micelotta/FOX