From the Archives: Season 6 Auditions

I actually posted two separate times during the auditions for Season 6 of American Idol. I'm contemplating making regular posts during the auditions for Season 7, because what else am I going to write about in during the auditions? I haven't quite worked out the format, though. It'll probably evolve like all my postings did, into something somewhat coherent and perhaps entertaining for one or two of you out there. Anyway, here are the audition postings for Season 6.

From January 19, 2007:

The Circus Is Back in Town

A lot has been made over the virtual freak show that has been the first two episodes of American Idol. Even America's most respected and self-appointed arbiter of good taste, Rosie O'Donnell, has commented on how cruel the judges have been to some of the contestants. This coming from the same person who insulted Asians, then excused her actions by saying in effect "that's just me!"

But getting back to the issue at hand, I watched the first two episodes and I could not help but wonder why some of these people even bothered to show up. I'm not talking about those who were a little off key or got nervous singing in front of the judges, I'm talking about those that were really, really bad. Dogs howling in pain bad. Deaf people cringing bad. People that I can sing better than bad. Why would people, thousands of people in fact, who clearly cannot sing show up the audition for a singing competition? Some of them even travelling thousands of miles to do so?

There are some, I suppose, who did it on a dare, as in "I dare you to go on that show." Perhaps they got a 6-pack of Bud out of the deal or a night in the sack with their favorite hottie. Them I can understand, and congratulations go out to them for a job well done. And I'm sure there were those who were only looking for their 15 minutes of fame or perhaps were hoping to duplicate the lightning strike that was William Hung, who was so bad that he's made a career out of it. Understandable, I guess, but honestly, how much lack of self-respect must someone have to seek notoriety by embarrassing themselves while millions of people are watching. Don't these people have any shame?

The ones that really get me, though, are the ones who really think they have talent when it's plainly clear that they do not. These are the ones that sing really bad and then argue with the judges when they have the audacity to point out that they were really bad, then storm out shouting obscenities at the camera, claim that the judges are crappy judges of talent, and declare that America hasn't seen the last of them. Either these people are very good actors or they are in need of some serious therapy, or drugs if they aren't already on them. I question the very sanity of these people.

Now, I'm sure that the producers feature the freaks and geeks during the auditions because it makes for great television (37 million viewers justifies this decision), but that doesn't explain the very low passing rate of the first two auditions. I believe in the Minneapolis audition 10,000 showed up but only 30 or so passed to the next round. Do the math, that's a 0.3% passing rate. The admission rate to MIT is higher than that. Can you believe that more applicants get into MIT than get on to American Idol? And the Seattle passing rate was even lower.

Sometimes the people who live in this country amaze me.

And from February 6, 2007:

Yet Another Cliched Title Using the Word "Idol"

I feel somewhat validated now that I've learned that I'm not the only person who thinks that some of the auditioners on American Idol appear to be delusional. Today's edition of USA Today asked psychologists the same question in this article. The professionals were much more kind to these crazy people than I was, but then perhaps that's why they get interviewed by USA Today and I just rant on a blog read by maybe 5 people.

Sadly, unlike last year when to me the auditions of Taylor Hicks, Paris Bennett, and Kellie Pickler really stood out as being good (Kellie mostly because she was cute, but she did have a good audition), no one's audition has really stood out thus far this season. Maybe they've saved the best for tomorrow's "best of the rest" show, or maybe the producers have come to the conclusion that the freaks and geeks who fail the auditions (and the judge's comments about them) are bigger rating winners than the real singers. I know that Chris Daughtry was still more or less unknown until the live semi-finals when he suddenly emerged as one of the favorites to win. My Mom is still upset about how that turned out.