S15.E06: Auditions #6

[MarkHB]

Ryan and the judges search for the best of the best as they make their last stop on the road.

 

Reported: Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco auditions will be included.

 

This is the last audition episode.

[Prairie Fire]

They really gave up on "this episode is focused on audition city X" and went the montage route for these last two audition eps instead. Bad idea, makes it hard to follow individual contestants and puts too much of the focus on the show and the judges.

[Sparkling Beth]

Is "Who's Loving You" the new "House of the Rising Sun"?  Two contestants sang it tonight and I'm pretty sure I recall someone else singing it in a previous show.  Seems like an odd choice to me.  I guess they think it shows off their vocal range, which it does, if they've got one.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Thought that Manny and Jessica Cabral could've been inverted. Manny was a dime a dozen, whereas Jessica had a really special voice. By basically going from her backstory to her singing w/ no in between back and forth with the judges it sort of snuck up on you.

 

Also liked Colette Lush (Gingers Unite!), Jaci Berry, Caroline Byrne (she deserved better than a montaged audition), and maybe Zach Person. Although I think his voice is going to sit on a razor's edge for me.

 

Didn't love Kayce, or the big joke guy. He made Caleb and Adam E. seem subtle in comparison. I think Stephany Negrete may be hard to warm up to...which isn't a good sign for her. Usen can sing, he's just not my cup of tea stylistically. Chynna Sherrod was quietly impressive, but doesn't have much of a backstory so she could disappear in Hollywood.

 

Glad they didn't (and didn't have to) patronize Melany. 

Edited January 22, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Rick Kitchen]

What was the first girl's name, whose family is from Brazil?  She had a nice voice.

 

Cody the stripper (er, belly dancer) wasn't very good.

 

Brian Dale Brown was awful. And yet they cut Mario Barnes.

 

Were we supposed to be all upset about those auditioners who got the no votes and went off crying?  Ryan's voice got all dramatic when he went to break.

 

I liked Rachel Karryn.

 

Red head was annoying before she even started singing.

 

Bruno Mars isn't actually alternative rock.

 

Manny was good. But if Manny was the last person to audition, who were all of those people waiting when he came out?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Here's the S15 master list of successful auditions that were shown. Unless Idol goes way off script for the farewell season then somewhere between 15-18 of the finalists will be on this list. I kept the breakdown by age, but instead of gender I added some loose genre configurations. YMMV on my judgement calls of course.

 

Country Mafia

 

Isaac "Welcome to Bieber Country" Cole, 15

Jeneve Rose "My cello trumps your puny guitar" Mitchell, 15

Lillian "Guns! Fishing! Chickens! Country!" Glanton, 15

Michelle "I was conceived to Kelly's coronation song" Marie, 15

Emily "There's no way you're getting rid of me this year" Brooke, 16

Josiah "I make Scotty McCreery sound like a tenor" Siska, 18

Laurel "You'll probably forget me this season too" Wright, 19

Malie "Harry compared me to a swatch of paint" Delgado, 20

Ryan "You think your job is sh*tty....Nah man" Dillon, 22

Mary "CHAMPION MULE RIDER" Willliams, 23

Shelbie ​"This is my trial run for AGT 2018" Z, 23

John Wayne "Big Cowboy, tiny-ish voice" Schultz, 27

Brooke "Wait...I need to to apologize again" Sample, 28

Reanna "Ready and willing to taser HCJ if necessary" Molinaro, ??

 

Indie/Folk/Soul/Blues Hodgepodge

 

Ethan "The Blues to me is when I get a D in Biology" Kuntz, 15

Thomas "Affected?...you haven't heard anything yet" Stringfellow, 17

Kayla "Why yes, I have been sunburned by a house lamp" Mickelsen, 18

Zach "I'm totally gonna crush instrumental week" Person, 18

Dalton "Revenge of the Guyliner" Rapattoni, 19

Ashley "I borrowed my life philosophy from Rihanna's Diamonds" Lilinoe, 20

Manny "I'm the answer to a trivia question!" Torres, 20

James "I'm a singing Rorschach test" the VIII, 23

Jenn "Brooklyn Space Cadet" Blosil, 23

Kayce "Yes, my name is spelled that way" Haynes, 23

Mackenzie "Hipster Harry Potter" Bourg, 23

Kerry "We'll find out I was too dark for AI" Courtney, 24

Brandyn "Restraining order against HCJ already in hand" Burnette, 25

Chris "The best 'CJ' AI has ever seen" Johnson, 27

Elvie "You can't not root for me, it would be Un-American" Shane, 27

Joshua "I was actually created in AI's secret winners laboratory" Wicker, 27

Adam "Please stop asking if I'm Ethan's dad" Lasher, 28

Amber "I've got soul, a secret crush and a sweet hat" Lynn, 28

Jenna "Yeah, I broke AI's door" Renae, 28

 

Pop/Rock/R&B

 

Amelia "I know, I know...I'll bring a cool sword" Eisenhauer, 15

Cameron "I'll be better in an Emo band" Richard, 15

Gianna "My Mom's tight w/ JLo, and still sort of famous" Isabella, 15

Jordyn "JLo needs me to maintain her everlasting youth" Simone, 15

Krysti "Glory notes? What are those?" Joel, 15

Lee "Please don't let JLo squeeze me. Please." Jean, 15

Rhea "I won the UTR facial jewelry contest AI was having!" Raj, 15

Tristan "Am I a stealth biracial country singer? Maybe." McIntosh, 15

Chynna "Auditioned with a Ariana song, like a boss" Sherrod, 16

Olivia "I have such a cool idea for a stage name" Rox, 16

Harrison "My gramps is around here somewhere" Cohen, 17

Melany "Chemo will make Hollywood week a piece of cake" Huber, 17

Sarah "Sarah Storm would be such a cooler stage name" Sturm, 17

Ameet "Stop asking if I'm a member of HAIM" Kahlon, 18

Jaci "X-men: 3rd Class" Butler, 19

Terrian "My hardscrabble backstory>>>yours" Bass, 19

Andrew "From Russia with musical theatre chops" Nazarbekian, 20

Rachel "Grandpa is my wingman" Karryn, 20

Sonika "Island girl? Martha's Vineyard...really?" Vaid, 20

Avalon "I'm daring AI to not, not give me a makeover" Young, 21

Jessica "???" Cabral, 21

Joy "Put me in coach! I can sing loud!" Dove, 21

Melanie "I made Harry leave and Keith cry" Tierce, 21

Stephany "I'm afraid J'Lo will cut me backstage" Negrete, 21

Bianca "Completely freezing up is my specialty" Espinal, 22

La'Porsha "You'll remember my hair longer" Renae, 22

Usen "You once saw me have a cup of coffee on Blue Bloods" Isong, 23

Daniel "JLo seduction down, who's next?" Farmer, 24

Trent "Farm to table Robin Thicke impression coming right up" Harmon, 24

Caroline "My brother is my security blanket" Byrne, 25

Lindita "Dropped my last name and a few weight classes" 26

Brian Dale "10th time's a charm!" Brown, 27

John Arthur "From Broadway with WGWG skills" Greene, 27

Joshua "Divorce by Celine Dion" Sasser, 27

Korey "Even I know I'm going home before the Top 24" Wheeler, 27

Tywan "Gonna Tankercise in moderation from here on out" Jackson, 29

Jessica "My favorite movie is totally 'The Craft'" Clark, ??

Shevonne "I don't blame you if you missed my audition" Philidor, ??

 

We ended up hearing something close to 75 of the 190 successful golden ticket winners.

[niklj]

No more bad auditions and gimmicks?

No more crowd shots?

No more shots of J.Lo, Keith, and Harry getting out of their cars?

No more golden tickets, "you're going to Hollywood," and family fakeouts?

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

(Otherwise this was a pretty boring episode.)

 

I'll be even sadder at the end of Hollywood Week, it's always been my favorite part of Idol.

[viajero]

I kind of liked Jessica, Manny and Colette, but on the whole i think the people who got through the previous night were better.

[Padma]

Here's the S15 master list of successful auditions that were shown. Unless Idol goes way off script for the farewell season then somewhere between 15-18 of the finalists will be on this list. I kept the breakdown by age, but instead of gender I added some loose genre configurations. YMMV on my judgement calls of course.

 

......We ended up hearing something close to 75 of the 190 successful golden ticket winners.

Thank you so much for the list! I was surprised how many of your descriptors really did help me remember the singer. (I usually don't know anyone's name until a few weeks into the live shows).

 

Hard to believe that we saw less than half of the people who are going to Hollywood. Hopefully, some of the best ones weren't shown.

[GreyBunny]

Red head was annoying before she even started singing.

 

What she said:  "Redheads will be extinct by 2030."

What I heard:  "I don't know shit about genetics."

[BogoGog24]

I agree with whoever said they should have switched the first 2 auditions. Manny was solid but not "final audition worthy" at all. Didn't the judges even say the first girl had some Kelly in her voice? Come on, that would have been perfect!

I'm going to post my full thoughts on each contestant later today when I have more time.

[Kromm]

She's always been dreadful, but this season in particular I've begun to really be bothered by how J. Lo NEVER SHUTS UP.  She talks during EVERY audition we see. Every last one.

(to be clear, I mean in the MIDDLE of the audition, while people are singing)

[Primetimer]

It's a wrap on American Idol auditions for its 15th and final season, and the talent has never looked...talented-er.

Read the story

[Kromm]

I agree with whoever said they should have switched the first 2 auditions. Manny was solid but not "final audition worthy" at all. Didn't the judges even say the first girl had some Kelly in her voice? Come on, that would have been perfect!

I'm going to post my full thoughts on each contestant later today when I have more time.

Yeah, I don't get it at all. Why hype some special "final audition" then show a really mediocre performance?  If they didn't get that stellar performance they'd been anticipating out of whoever went last (not that the sequences we see are very honest anyway) then THEY still control the edit. Just don't put in crap in the previous shows about a special "last performance".  Because you know... we've got bullshit detectors.

[marketdoctor]

 

Yeah, I don't get it at all. Why hype some special "final audition" then show a really mediocre performance?

 

Because it made us stay until the end, and they didn't waste a good performance?  Or maybe the Seal can't swallow us all up if a reality show shows one full minute of something that actually happened?  Or they wanted to mess with us...because one way to tell a good lie is to mix in as much truth as you can.

 

As to why the producers didn't save one of the best of the last third or so of contestants for the Special Last Audition, my guess is they thought of doing that, but didn't want to bias the voters because....HA HA HA HA!  No, my guess is it just worked out that way.

 

I wonder if the reason we saw so many 15-year-olds was because they're hoping for a 5/10/25 years later show, and the 15-year-olds that try out, especially if they make it to Hollywood, have slightly more chance of turning famous.  That's going to be my last cynical comment about the auditions until they bring this show back in a few years when 15 million viewers is seen as much higher than anything else Fox has, rather than a decline.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

Ginger Lush for the win.

[BogoGog24]

They chose a lot of 15/16 year olds because they're easier to mold and there's a chance for a bigger growth arc than some of the older/more experienced ones. It also probably creates more drama/train wreck potential for Hollywood week since they'll be more prone to nerves, etc. At least that's my theory anyway. I don't think they care about how famous any of them will become, they just want to create good TV.

I don't even think Manny was actually the last audition. When they showed him walking out it looked like there were other people in the holding room. Just stupid.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I'll be even sadder at the end of Hollywood Week, it's always been my favorite part of Idol.

 

You made me very depressed just reading this sentence.  I fucking LOVE Hollywood Week.  I love it, I crave it.  I'm sick for it.  Oh god no.  

[Qoass]

I always keep the Hollywood Week episodes on my DVR because it's interesting to watch them again after the finale to see how the producers' hopes line up with the final result.

 

Let's hope there's some new addition next year to make us all feel better.

[BogoGog24]

Ok my thoughts on each contestant last night:

 

Girl whose parents are from Brazil - Really strong vocal. She's the type who could win. They should have shown her audition last.

 

Horse rider guy - Man was he awful.

 

Scooby Doo Impersonator - WTF???? Why did they put this train wreck through???? I suspect the only reason they put him through is because he'll provide some entertainment in Hollywood, I guess. He sounds like he might have a decent voice if he just cut the theatrics. The whole thing was ridiculously over the top, way overdone, and one of those performances that Simon would have called "self indulgent." At least if they are going to put jokes like this through, they cannot say later to halfway decent contestants that should have gotten through "We're only looking for the BEST this year." Clearly you're not if you put guys like this through. 

 

Star Dress Girl with Dog - She reminded me of  a Katy Perry wannabe. She looked genuinely shocked when the judges told her she wasn't good. 

 

Girl Who Had Cancer - Ok well good for her that she is now cancer-free and that she's trying to go out for something she really enjoys. The judges kind of had to put her through because of that and she deserves to at least have a bit of fun in Hollywood. That being said, her voice wasn't anything super special to me. I really found her to be pretty average. If not for the backstory, I'm not sure she'd have gotten through.

 

3 Girl Montage - Out of the three girls who were montaged, I really only liked the first girl who sang with her grandpa. She had this very nice jazzy voice. The second girl who sang with her brother to me was nothing special or memorable and the last girl screeched the notes of Brave. None of them must have made it very far to be montaged. Although frankly it's rather unfair that they montaged 3 decent singers who made it through and spent so much unnecessary time on joke contestants, a few of which didn't even get through. I'd be so pissed.

 

Kelly Clarkson Lover - This guy gave me creepy stalker vibes. He wants to marry Kelly? Doesn't he know she's already married? Ick. I think he's probably a big fan but they told him to amp it up so his audition would be shown and they'd have an excuse to show more of Kelly. Glad he didn't get through, he completely butchered that song. He didn't seem too upset after he lost though.

 

Chyna Girl With Guitar - CT represent! Well I sort of liked her take on the Ariana Grande song, but I agree with others who say it was a bit boring. I kind of lost interest after a few lines and then got back into it during the chorus. I don't think she'll go far.

 

Chicken Farm Girl - This was another WTF moment. Ok her song was cute and pretty well written, but her voice just wasn't there. Pitchy as hell and like JLo said, there was no melody. I could tell she was really nervous while singing and this is exactly why she should NOT have gone to Hollywood. Probably only put through for fodder purposes and I suspect she'll be a Day 1 cut. WTF was Keith thinking saying yes? Oh and her heavy accent really grated after about 2 minutes.

 

Teen Drug Guy - I thought this guy was one of the best of the night, WTH? Why did Keith say no to this but yes to that country girl mess? His voice is strong, very radio friendly, he reminded me a bit of Rob Thomas. And I really felt, like JLo said, that he was singing from his experiences and really emoting the song, unlike SOOO many of the others they put through. 

 

Blues Guitar Boy - I really liked him! His voice needs a lot of work but he's a fantastic guitar player, going to give Adam Lasher a run for his money? And I really dug the vibe of the song he sang too. He's a really great musician, great guitarist. But his voice really needs work.

 

Redheaded nanny - I really liked her a lot too, one of my favorites of the night. Strong voice, quirky personality without being too annoying or over the top. I hope she goes far. The comparison to Carrie made no sense to me though. Their voices sound nothing alike and I don't think she made quite the same spark that Carrie did when she first entered the audition room. Hyperbole much?

 

Avalon Young - Sorry, I wasn't feeling her as much as other people did. Her voice is ok but nothing special IMO. That giant guitar annoyed me for some reason. I don't know, I just don't like her voice, something about it is too cutesy or affected.

 

​Background Actor - He was decent but needs some work IMO. I didn't like how he didn't stick to the melody of the song. He sounded out of tune a lot of the time. I think the judges thought he was better than he really was.

 

Green haired girl - I liked her voice but she was confusing to me. She says she's in a punk rock band but then she sings a Bruno Mars song? I guess maybe she thought her audition wouldn't be shown or she wouldn't get as far if she did punk rock? If people thought Jax last year was obnoxious with the X tattoo on her face, this girl is REALLY obnoxious with that face paint (and all her band members have it too, ugh). Plus her entire band living in her parent's house? Think these guys need to start looking for real jobs.

 

​Stephany Pageant Girl - OMG you can tell JLo was seething over her! LOL Her voice really wasn't impressive, honestly. I did agree with JLo that she didn't seem to be feeling the lyrics of the song or be thinking about what she was singing about. There was a huge disconnect for me. She has the look and she is very pretty but that's about it. A passable voice that could probably sound great with autotune, which let's be real, is all it takes to be a pop star these days, so she could do it. But in terms of the show and real talent, she's a dime a dozen pageant bot singer. I am tickled that JLo is seething with jealousy over her though. This girl is a poor man's Pia Toscano, IMO and will be lucky to even make it that far.

 

Manny - I already spoke about Manny in a previous comment, his audition was solid but not "last audition ever" worthy. 

 

Other:

The birthday party for Harry seemed really staged, IMO. Not the party itself (obviously it was planned) but all of their reactions seemed rehearsed or done over again for the cameras. It didn't come across as genuine. The only part that seemed real was when they gave him that reptile thing he wanted.

 

The scene at the end where they turned off all the lights and did a callback to all the previous winners got me so bad. And count me in the group of those who LOVES Hollywood Week! It's always been my favorite part of the show. So sad. :(

[Sparkling Beth]

Agree with most of what you said, BogoGog24, but couldn't figure out if you were joking when you called the animal a reptile.  It's a little monkey.  Unlike JLo, I thought it was adorable.

[BogoGog24]

Agree with most of what you said, BogoGog24, but couldn't figure out if you were joking when you called the animal a reptile.  It's a little monkey.  Unlike JLo, I thought it was adorable.

Yeah, that's right, I couldn't remember exactly what the animal was.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I'm reading all of these reviews and either I actually slept through the first part of the show or else these auditioners were so forgettable that I remember only a handful of the ones that BogoGog and others mentioned. Or else my TGA-created short-term memory retention issues were out in full force last night. 

 

A birthday party for Harry? Totally missed that. 

 

And a few people have said something about being sad about Hollywood Week ... HW is also my favorite part of AI ... they ARE still having HW, right? Massive slashing cutdown first thing, group meltdowns, green mile and all? 

[MrsMoltisanti]

Who was Stephany Pageanty girl that JLo was supposedly seething with jealousy over? I watched the whole show and did not see a part that resembled that. What the heck would JLo have to be jealous over? Was that just an interpretation?

[BogoGog24]

Who was Stephany Pageanty girl that JLo was supposedly seething with jealousy over? I watched the whole show and did not see a part that resembled that. What the heck would JLo have to be jealous over? Was that just an interpretation?

https://youtu.be/yW6gZCkCIdQ

It's a well known fact that for literally years JLo has disliked any female contestant who is young, pretty, and a better singer than she is. She's given unfair critiques over the years to female contestants like Haley Reinhart and Jessica Meuse because of that. You can just see on her face here she hates this girl. I mean look at her. What's not to be jealous of?

[kazb0t]

Is "Who's Loving You" the new "House of the Rising Sun"? Two contestants sang it tonight and I'm pretty sure I recall someone else singing it in a previous show. Seems like an odd choice to me. I guess they think it shows off their vocal range, which it does, if they've got one.

I've never heard of Allen Stone or "Unaware" before but now after 6 episodes, I know every damn word. Seems like the go-to soulful song

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I agree with the above posters who said Manny was a weak final ticket.

 

Worse, though, was they did an exceptionally poor job in edit building up the finality of that moment.  That final moment of them at a pristine desk and cleared-out audition space was lacking all connection to genuine emotion.  It was as sterile as anything I can ever remember seeing in the entirety of the series.  Really, really bad TV.

 

Anyway, I am truly sad that this piece of Idol is not only merely dead, but really most sincerely dead.

[MrsMoltisanti]

I dont know about the jealousy thing. If its a well known fact and I am just hearing about it then....guess I dont pay athat much attention to the whole JLo staring down the pretty girls factor of the show and I dont have references come to my mind

I also just watched the clip again in case I did miss something and I saw all three judges have pensive looks at times because of her singing. Could they all be jealous or just concerned that she tries too hard and they don't think she has to oversing? There are always many ways to interpret things as we add our own take on things every year.

Edited for early morning brain fog typos

Edited January 23, 2016 by MrsMoltisanti

[BogoGog24]

Well at the end when she says yes she's sizing her up and down with her eyes, which is not the usual way she reacts to contestants. I don't know, given that in past seasons she has been known to treat some female contestants unfairly that happened to be very beautiful and very talented singers, this is sort of why I think she doesn't like Stephany either. We'll know for sure as the show keeps progressing and seeing how JLo reacts to her.

[Guest]

I was actually surprised JLo and Harry told Stephany she looked amazing.   I thought she looked like she was in a superhero costume.

[ari333]

https://youtu.be/yW6gZCkCIdQ

It's a well known fact that for literally years JLo has disliked any female contestant who is young, pretty, and a better singer than she is. She's given unfair critiques over the years to female contestants like Haley Reinhart and Jessica Meuse because of that. You can just see on her face here she hates this girl. I mean look at her. What's not to be jealous of?

 

I don't think it is a well known fact or even a fact. (imo) I am just going by my watching of this show, but JLo puts thru (voted yes, and sometimes 'yes' as the deciding third vote) young, beautiful, talented females. To me, if she denied and pulled a no on a couple of them, or did not like a performance,  that is not a pattern. It's a critique and those are subjective.  She is one of the most beautiful women in the world imo. She doesn't have to fear any of these kids.... just bc she's a little older or for any other reason (imo)

 

I enjoyed this eppy and am looking forward to Hollywood week considering the talent so far.

 

I also liked the HC Bday party and the little animal on his head.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ari333

[BogoGog24]

I don't think it is a well known fact or even a fact. (imo) I am just going by my watching of this show, but JLo puts thru (voted yes, and sometimes 'yes' as the deciding third vote) young, beautiful, talented females. To me, if she denied and pulled a no on a couple of them, or did not like a performance,  that is not a pattern. It's a critique and those are subjective.  She is one of the most beautiful women in the world imo. She doesn't have to fear any of these kids.... just bc she's a little older or for any other reason (imo)

 

I enjoyed this eppy and am looking forward to Hollywood week considering the talent so far.

 

I also liked the HC Bday party and the little animal on his head.

The treatment of Haley Reinhart in season 10 is, IMO, one of the biggest examples of it. Other fans of the show have noted the way she tends to treat some of the females. It's definitely been a known thing ever since her first season judging. Anyone who could be viewed as "competition" she tends to critique more harshly than the female contestants who are, say, not very attractive, not thin, not sexy, or not a pop singer. Not saying she has any reason to be jealous of anybody, she's gorgeous and has a way more successful career than any of these people can ever hope to have, but that doesn't mean she still doesn't ever feel jealous of anyone. It's perfectly natural for most women to feel threatened by younger, beautiful women.

[ari333]

Ooops. never mind.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ari333

[marketdoctor]

 

I guess maybe she thought her audition wouldn't be shown or she wouldn't get as far if she did punk rock?

 

That's what I would think.  They tend to like pop, country pop, pop rock, and...country rock pop.  AI is looking for what they can package, which is why the backstories matter.  

 

I'll miss the auditions.  If there really were other people going to the judges after "the final audition", then it's a complete fail (except for the person who can say for years he was the very last person on AI, setting himself up for a lot of punchlines.)

[BogoGog24]

That's what I would think.  They tend to like pop, country pop, pop rock, and...country rock pop.  AI is looking for what they can package, which is why the backstories matter.  

 

I'll miss the auditions.  If there really were other people going to the judges after "the final audition", then it's a complete fail (except for the person who can say for years he was the very last person on AI, setting himself up for a lot of punchlines.)

Either way she had to have known she wouldn't get far, no matter how she tried to package herself. If punk rock is really the genre she wants to do, she should have just stuck with that. Staying true to your roots is better than trying to be something you're clearly not. No matter what she sang I don't see her making it to Top 24 and I don't think America would vote for her, simply because of the image, it's not typical Idol material. Might as well stay true to yourself and bang out a punk song before you get axed so at least some people might hear what she can really do and check out her band post-show or something.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I didn't notice J.Lo disliking Stephanie , just being honest, but I DID notice that she really really didn't like the laid back Hawaiian chick that turned off some people here (I liked her) while Harry and Keith put her through.

 

After watching this episode J.Lo seemed to like and put through a lot of attractive females so now I don't know what to think.

Edited January 23, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[Kromm]

The treatment of Haley Reinhart in season 10 is, IMO, one of the biggest examples of it. Other fans of the show have noted the way she tends to treat some of the females. It's definitely been a known thing ever since her first season judging. Anyone who could be viewed as "competition" she tends to critique more harshly than the female contestants who are, say, not very attractive, not thin, not sexy, or not a pop singer. Not saying she has any reason to be jealous of anybody, she's gorgeous and has a way more successful career than any of these people can ever hope to have, but that doesn't mean she still doesn't ever feel jealous of anyone. It's perfectly natural for most women to feel threatened by younger, beautiful women.

"Known thing" implies there's no subjective judgment of the situation going on.

I won't say I've never seen J Lo come down on a pretty girl, but I think I've seen her glowy and praising (the singing) of plenty of them too.

This is not to say J.Lo, who after all is not all that good a judge of talent, hasn't made some spectacularly stupid, inconsistent judgments in her tenure. She has. It's just hard to say why.

[Ketzel]

I am amazed (not) at the number of 15-16-17- year-olds getting Golden Tickets. If nothing else, maybe this last season of AI will stop Gwen Stefani on The Voice from clutching her heart and shrieking in disbelief over the talent of teenage singers, as if they were as rare as unicorns. Did anyone over 30 make it to Hollywood?

Edited January 23, 2016 by Ketzel

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It seems we have seen less than half the Hollyweird contingent.  It makes sense to me that to grab the interest of the tweens, AI would show us a bunch of kids like them from the jump.

[BogoGog24]

I am amazed (not) at the number of 15-16-17- year-olds getting Golden Tickets. If nothing else, maybe this last season of AI will stop Gwen Stefani on The Voice from clutching her heart and shrieking in disbelief over the talent of teenage singers, as if they were as rare as unicorns. Did anyone over 30 make it to Hollywood?

The age limit of Idol is 28 so no, no one above 30 made it. There were some 27-28 year olds though. Also last year's winner was 28 when he won,

[Ketzel]

The age limit of Idol is 28 so no, no one above 30 made it. There were some 27-28 year olds though. Also last year's winner was 28 when he won,

Ah, thanks! For some reason, I thought AI had a higher age limit than that.

[MarkHB]

Ironically, I had never heard of Allen Stone either, until I saw him because his opening act was Haley Reinhart.

[Kromm]

Ironically, I had never heard of Allen Stone either, until I saw him because his opening act was Haley Reinhart.

Allen Stone's been around on the fringes for years. Not a star, but a talented guy who his fellow musicians love. 

 

I first heard/saw him on Daryl Hall's music show. Here's part of that...

 

[sleepyjean]

Who was Stephany Pageanty girl that JLo was supposedly seething with jealousy over? I watched the whole show and did not see a part that resembled that. What the heck would JLo have to be jealous over? Was that just an interpretation?

 

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about JLo, and I'm not particularly biased about her. This season is the first time I've seen her as a judge, so I don't have a lot of context. What I observed was her giving the girl a legit critique. I didn't see anything even close to hate. Not even mild dislike. She did glance at the girl's shoes and back up at her face, but I didn't see that as "looking her up and down." I think the chick was wearing some ridiculous shoes and I suspect she was jumping up and down a bit more than we saw in the edited clip. I would've been afraid for her ankles too!

[ari333]

I don't have strong feelings one way or the other about JLo, and I'm not particularly biased about her. This season is the first time I've seen her as a judge, so I don't have a lot of context. What I observed was her giving the girl a legit critique. I didn't see anything even close to hate. Not even mild dislike. She did glance at the girl's shoes and back up at her face, but I didn't see that as "looking her up and down." I think the chick was wearing some ridiculous shoes and I suspect she was jumping up and down a bit more than we saw in the edited clip. I would've been afraid for her ankles too!

 

This is how I perceived it as well.

[PamelaMaeSnap]

And since everything is subjective anyway, one person's (okay, probably more than one) using Haley Reinhart as an "example" of JLo not liking an auditioner because she was gorgeous and talented is another's person's (okay, MY) detesting Haley Reinhart from the get-go because I found her grating and unappealing as a performer.

[BogoGog24]

The last thing I'll say about the topic is that the judges in general were harsher on some of the females like Haley and Jessica Meuse in their seasons than they were on other contestants, especially the males, even if they each did the same things. For example a female would get told to move around more while a male that stood behind a mic stand every time would get called an artist. Go on any board for Idol like MJs or TVLine and you will see lots of comments about this or about JLo unfairly treating certain female contestants. Just from my own interpretation when I saw JLo watching Stephany she didn't seem to like her, was quick to criticize her, and she seemed reluctant to say yes. That's not the usual way she reacts to contestants, usually she is falling all over herself with the goosies. I got the sense it was jealousy, just a personal opinion. Anyway, I think this is going rather off topic.

[bluepiano]

It's a well known fact that for literally years JLo has disliked any female contestant who is young, pretty, and a better singer than she is. She's given unfair critiques over the years to female contestants like Haley Reinhart and Jessica Meuse because of that. You can just see on her face here she hates this girl. I mean look at her. What's not to be jealous of?

 

I've always felt that JLo has a much tougher standard for attractive women. it's not that her critiques of these women are unfair in themselves, but they're such a contrast with the way she titters and gushes over cute guys with minimal talent, or gets warm and maternal with some of the "plain" women. I actually didn't think Stephany was that great. A good voice but no sense of melody. Yet JLo got all intense in way you couldn't help but notice. I think she grudgingly gave her a "yes" only because she knew the guys were going to. (Probably based in part on looks, if we're being honest) That she was Hispanic may have made it particularly hard for JLo to take..

 

Brian, The Scooby Doo guy, was a joke audition. Wasn't it?  How can they put him through when Mario, the blind guy, couldn't get a single yes? The judges pretend there are standards, but the standards change for every performer. I can only think it was a sympathy vote for a guy who had tried out 10 times and never even gotten to sing for the judges. (Which tells you something right there).

 

Even the girl in the star dress was better than him. Though she was pretty clueless. Could she not figure out that singing while holding her dog,  in matching outfits, would make it hard for the judges to take her seriously?

 

The first of the three montaged girls, who auditioned with her grandfather, was good. The other two were meh. Actually, the guitar playing of the Dad that JLo thought was hot was the best part of that audition.

 

I never feel too sympathetic to the contestants who go to pieces over not getting a golden ticket. Especially when they say things like, "this was my only chance." I get it, everyone wants to win the lottery. But if you are really passionate about music, what about taking the old fashioned way of learning your craft playing in small venues, and developing your talent, even if it takes years. And getting to Hollywood week is not winning the lottery. Even most people who make the tour quickly fade back into obscurity.

Edited January 25, 2016 by bluepiano

[BogoGog24]

I've always felt that JLo has a much tougher standard for attractive women. it's not that her critiques of these women are unfair in themselves, but they're such a contrast with the way she titters and gushes over cute guys with minimal talent, or gets warm and maternal with some of the "plain" women. I actually didn't think Stephany was that great. A good voice but no sense of melody. Yet JLo got all intense in way you couldn't help but notice. I think she grudgingly gave her a "yes" only because she knew the guys were going to. (Probably based in part on looks, if we're being honest) That she was Hispanic may have made it particularly hard for JLo to take..

Brian, The Scooby Doo guy, was a joke audition. Wasn't it? How can they put him through when Mario, the blind guy, couldn't get a single yes? The judges pretend there are standards, but the standards change for every performer. I can only think it was a sympathy vote for a guy who had tried out 10 times and never even gotten to sing for the judges. (Which tells you something right there).

Even the girl in the star dress was better than him. Though she was pretty clueless. Could she not figure out that singing while holding her dog, in matching outfits, would make it hard for the judges to take her seriously?

The first of the three montaged girls, who auditioned with her grandfather, was good. The other two were meh. Actually, the guitar playing of the Dad that JLo thought was hot was the best part of that audition.

I never feel too sympathetic to the contestants who go to pieces over not getting a golden ticket. Especially when they say things like, "this was my only chance." I get it, everyone wants to win the lottery. But if you are really passionate about music, what about taking the old fashioned way of learning your craft playing in small venues, and developing your talent, even if it takes years. And getting to Hollywood week is not winning the lottery. Even most people who make the tour quickly fade back into obscurity.

Regarding your post about JLo, exactly. I have noticed over the years that the judges in general will be harder on some of the females than the males for doing the exact same thing. I remember in season 13 that Alex Preston stood behind a mic stand with an instrument every freaking week and while he gave great performances each week, I don't recall the judges ever saying he should lose the guitar for a week or get out in from of the stage and move around. Jessica Meuse, a frequent guitar player, was told she needed to move around more. In the same season Harry criticized Emily whatever her name was for the subject of the song she sang while Sam Woolf sang a song about domestic violence in a bar and never got questioned.

In season 10 Scotty McCreery (who I genuinely liked) sang basically the same song every week and I don't think the judges ever called him out on it, while Haley (who I liked a lot but wasn't even an obsessed fan) would give an outstanding performance week after week and get raked over the coals and get told to try even harder.

I feel like they put the Scooby Doo Guy through for laughs in HW. They need some fodder to ensure the ones they want go through and they need others to create drama or good TV moments. Remember in season 11 in P2's group they had that cowboy guy? And how Heejun was making fun of him to the camera? Stuff like that I'm guessing is what they want.

I agree about the people who act like Idol is their only shot at the music industry. There's other shows like *cough* The Voice and AGT or YouTube.

[Kromm]

I agree about the people who act like Idol is their only shot at the music industry. There's other shows like *cough* The Voice and AGT or YouTube.

YouTube is its own thing, and the Voice is to a large part by invitation only, but it didn't occur to me until now that AGT's auditions are now going to be extra-flooded with crappy singers who previously might have deferred going to them in favor of Idol.