‘Real Housewives’ Star Britani Bateman Crashes Niece’s ‘American Idol’ Audition

The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’s Britani Bateman is stepping into her role as a supportive aunt.

During the Monday, Feb. 2 episode of American Idol, Bateman joined her 20-year-old niece Carmen Lorell during her audition.

“Britani has always been a very big mentor to me to get out there. She has her own spotlight. She’s living out her dream. That’s why I’m here too,” Lorell said.

Before Bateman, 54, started singing for judges Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan,, Bateman walked into the audition room with a wine glass that she tapped with a knife and declared:  “I have an announcement!”

“Do you know me?” she asked the judges, who looked confused. “I’m Britani. Britani Bateman.”

“This is not about me,” Bateman continued. “This is about my amazing, gorgeous, perfect niece who you’re about to hear. It’s insane.”

Martin went on to impress the judges with her take on Ty Myers’ “Thought It Was Love” — and it brought Bateman to tears.

Afterward, Underwood, 42, complimented Martin on her “really pretty voice” and “range” — but suggested she “put some oomph in there.”

Martin gave her audition another try and this time her aunt — who previously worked on Broadway and released music before Real Housewives — joined in on vocals. Together, they sang “Let Me Be Your Star” from Smash.

The “Play It Again” singer said she needed to “cut loose a little bit” and thought that the piano was forcing her to “act proper.”

“I think that the only way she’s going to understand this thing called roughing up is to put her in a brawl,” Richie, 76, said. “The only way to put you in a brawl is to say yes, so you go to the next level and meet the rest of this crazy class, and you understand what this means.”

Martin left her audition with a golden ticket — meaning she’s advancing to Hollywood Week.

Performing runs in the family. In December, the reality star took the stage for her very own cabaret show in New York City.

“This cabaret feels like opening a new chapter,” Bateman previously told PEOPLE. “People know me from Housewives, but this show lets me step out of that world for a night and just be Britani — no snow, no drama, just fun. It’s a little scary, but mostly exciting to finally show people a side of me they’ve only gotten glimpses of before.”

American Idol airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.