American Idol Saves the Best for Last

By Jennifer Hudock on February 4th, 2010

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Idol traveled to seven cities this season in search of the next “American Idol.” We’ve journeyed along the way as Simon, Kara, Randy and a slew of celebrity guest judges ranging from Neil Patrick Harris and Avril Lavigne to Victoria Beckham and Katy Perry, and we’ve seen some pretty bizarre and amazing things this time around. They’ve been saving the very best of this season’s auditions on the road to Hollywood.

Jessica Furney didn’t quite make it when she auditioned in season eight, as her song choice didn’t quite reflect the power of her voice. This time performed “Footprints in the sand,” co-written by Simon Cowell, in hopes that her choice of song would better reflect her voice range. There’s also a bit of hope that choosing wisely would influence the judges, and it worked. Amanda Sheckman has a wide range of voice talents, from ventriloquism to imitation. As she auditioned, Kara and Victoria Bekcham had a hard time connecting with her as she sang, but Simon thought she was a little too dramatic. Despite her connection to theatre, all four judges gave her an enthusiastic yes.

Lacy Brown was in the top 50 in season eight, but when it came down to her and another contestant, she was dismissed. She wasn’t about to let that discourage her. Persistence paid off, and she got a second shot at Hollywood. Stephanie Fisher, on the other hand, who was in her seventh audition, still couldn’t impress the judges enough to go on to Hollywood. Stephanie claimed Victoria Beckham was making her nervous, but even when Victoria turned away, Stephanie couldn’t get it together.

At 6′8″ Adrian Chandtchi wanted to prove to the American Idol judges that it doesn’t matter what size you are, it’s the sound of your voice that matters, but despite the size of his heart, his voice wasn’t enough to send him on to Hollywood. Michael Lynche, on the other hand, was both big and had a powerful voice to match, and all four judges wanted to see the father-to-be go on to the next round.

Didi Benami auditioned in honor of her best friend, Rebecca, who passed away four years earlier. Battling her emotions, she stood before the judges in hopes of going on to Hollywood. Performing “Hey Jude,” the emotion and power of her voice overwhelmed her at the end of her audition. All four judges saw her potential, and Didi was given the golden go-ahead to hit Hollywood.

Many of the contestants who manage to make it into the spotlight on American Idol have been through a lot, and sixteen year old Aaron Kelly was no different. After being adopted when his parents struggled to raise him, he impressed the judges with his shy, yet endearing personality. As he exited the audition with his golden ticket, he smiled at the camera and said, “I might get to be a role model someday.” Awe. Unfortunately, along with the good singers, there seemed to be even more people who can’t sing and don’t even know it. It’s always a disappointment to have the judges say, “You just can’t sing,” but those are the breaks on the road to Hollywood. Up against amazing talent, even those who can kind of sing aren’t going to make it to the big time.

Idol has been promising all week that they were saving the best for last, and as they allowed Hope Johnson to tell her story, I admit I had hope that she could sing. Growing up poor, music was her escape, and she wanted nothing more than the judges to see her potential. A Cinderella story waiting to be recognized, an excited Hope bounced out of the audition shouting the words, “THIS IS RIDICULOUS!” Ridiculous in a good way, Hope.

Out of over 100,000 potential candidates, only 108 were chosen to go on to Hollywood, and next Tuesday Ellen Degeneres joins the judges to kick off the eliminations. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait.