Oh yeah. I just threw down — threw down my list of the 12 Best American Idol Auditions of All Time, that is. (Click here to read it.) You’ll note there are some controversial choices (including a couple of contestants who never even made the finals) and some big-name omissions (sorry, not every champ made the best first impression). Either way, though, I figured all you Idol junkies would want a forum to discuss your own Top 12 lists, and to unleash your inner Simons (or Paulas) regarding my selection. Let the fun and debating begin in the comments section below!
UPDATE: Technical issues with the gallery have been resolved. Click through the whole thing, then come back here and throw down.
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Slezak, there are issues with the link. You’re working on that right now, aren’t you?
Link’s still not working… Slezak, I wanna compare notes! Let’s get this fixed!
If you remove one it works… til about half way, then each entry says “SHELL” — which prolly means yeah, b*tch is still writing it.
LOL
Okay, I couldn’t read the text, but I’m very glad that my all-time best, Paris Bennett, made the top of the list. I know she never lived up to her early promise, but that audition was fantastic. It made me wish there was a slot where I could put quarters into my TV to make her keep singing.
Shell?
Anyway missing:
John Adams
Matt Rodgers
Ebony Joyner
Eliot Yamin
Bo Bice
Stephanie T: I see your Elliot and Bo, and I raise you Chris Daughtry’s “Letter” audition.
Slezak: Guarini? Really? Three words: over. the. top.
Sounds good. Yeah Guarini is too much. Clay Aiken perhaps.
I don’t think Elliott’s and Bo’s auditions even aired.
I’m not a Claymate by any stretch, but his audition should probably be mentioned. People were legitimately shocked to see that he had talent, just based on his appearance.
Clay’s audition was surprising, because he looked so unpolished, but the vocals were not all that and a bag of Doritos.
I actually really liked Julia DeMato’s audition (“Unbreak My Heart” I think) and although not amazing, I remember being completely shocked when they set up Scott Savol to be a delusional goof and then he had a really good voice.
I’ll prolly get crucified for this, but I really liked Blake’s audition last year. Cute and funky guy, cool beat-boxing, and warbled very nicely when the judges asked, “but can you sing?”
Vocal powerhouse? No. Fun to watch throughout Season 6? Oh yeah.
I do not agree with the list. Where is Clay Aiken?
And in my opinion – best ever was Jory Steinberg singing “Chains”. Seriously still gives me chills (check it out on You Tube). How she then got cut the first round – I will never understand. What a voice.
I was waiting for Kat McPhee…
Um, where’s Melinda Doolittle? Like, for real, where is she? Clearly, Slezak, you have disappointed me. Her audition was one of the best I’ve ever heard since Season 1. And you’re trying to tell me something like Justin freakin’ Guarini’s so-so audition was better? Are you on crack?!
Yeah, why not the Clay Aiken audition, from before they turned him from a cute little geek with pipes into something that makes me throw up in my mouth a little every time I see him (which reaction was already in full swing by the time they had him in a tux singing Mack The Knife allegedly to prove that he wasn’t a lounge singer…) I have to chime in, though, for Sean Michel, the dude last year who, as he put it, looked like Fidel Castro, Osama bin Laden, Jesus or a homeless bum, and who sang a Johnny Cash song with some foot stomping thrown in for good measure. His image was so out there, his personality so low-key (nearly comatose), and the song so cool and unexpected, it was so much fun! I wish he had been there for Bon Jovi night! Google this guy’s audition and then imagine a Blake Lewis/Sean Michel duet of “You give love a bad name”… Heaven!
i had a hard time trying to find latoya london’s audition – perhaps it never made it to air? i can’t remember! but i’ll throw two divas into the mix, instead.
jennifer hudson: http://youtube.com/watch?v=tCiNwzs7PHI
and mandisa:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tCiNwzs7PHI
chills from the beginning.
Mario Vasquez — amazing audition. Goosebumps.
All I can say is thank god Taylor Hicks made the list. His is the only audition that I remember clearly. Whether or not he should have won is up for debate, but the absolute magic that appeared as soon as he started singing is the definition of the “IT” factor that we hear so much about but find so difficult to explain. Thank you for including it.
Really? Where is Melinda Doolittle? Even Randy said that it was one of the best auditions he had heard in ANY season. Serious, there is more nuance in her audition that anything Frenchie had ever done.
I really, really loved Blake’s audition last season. He just had such a cool vibe, from the spiked up hair to the beatboxing. He definitely caught my attention. I remember going into the top 24 he was one of the few people I remembered from the auditions and was curious to see what he would do. Also, his dad was so adorable! It was so sweet when they were talking about how proud they were of each other. I would also put Sean Michel up there. Loved his audition, and was bummed that he didn’t make it past Hollywood.
I was hoping Tamyra Gray was going to appear near the top of the list for her soaring take on “Vision of Love” that would have been a wake-up call in any season. It sounded way too easy for her to sing. Also, Jennifer Hudson’s melisma-tastic audition of Aretha Franklin’s “Share Your Love” was phenomenal.
Nice inclusion of Kelly’s audition. She may not have pulled out all the vocal stops that she proved capable of, but it was a refreshing. How could you not put it higher based on personality alone, though? No one has acted so immediately likable in an audition since.
I agree with Melinda Doolittle. I’m not an AI devotee per se, but I did catch the episode last season when she auditioned, and from that moment on I rooted for her to win, and was sorely disappointed that she was voted off. That I can remember her name right now over whoever it was that won last season speaks volumes.
Well, since they did not show Elliott’s audition, except for 15 seconds, we really don’t know if his audition would have been included on your list or not.
Obviously Elliott Yamin.
Clay Aiken
There was a girl in season 5 who sang “Fallin” by Alicia Kays. She was kinda frumpy, somewhat chubby and a stay at home mom. She was phenomenal! I was really rooting for her but she didn’t even make the top 24.
Two Words: Melinda. Doolittle.
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That is all.
Mikalah Gordon, Antonella Barba, and Mario Vasquez were all showered with praise during their first auditions, and all were quite fabulous! Porcelana Patino was my favorite non-finalist audition.
Neither of them made it anywhere, but I was a huge fan of Sean Michel and Tami Gosnell who sang “Whipping Post,”
amy adams is here but no melinda doolitle…are you kidding me?
oh, and where are elliot’s and clay’s auditons? this list sucks. what did you do, pull names out of a hat?
YES, where is Frenchie’s record deal??? She should have recorded band of gold, not what’s-her-face.