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Josiah Leming is remembered not for auditioning in a bikini or rapping about sagging pants, but for being genuinely talented. And for crying. After pouring his heart out in a pre-taped sob story during Season 7 auditions, Leming leveled the judges with a rendition of Mika’s “Grace Kelly.” He was booted from the show prior to the live semifinals for refusing to sing a recognizable version of “Stand By Me,” but in the end he was validated with a record deal with Warner Bros., who released an underrated EP and full-length album. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Warner Bros.) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Instant 'Idol' I...Whether they were huge talents or horrible trainwrecks, these “American Idol” hopefuls made a lasting impression. Click through to see the show’s most memorable auditions. -Jeff Royer
(Photos: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
William HungWilliam Hung showed up to audition for Season 3 with a terrifically terrible rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs,” utterly tone deaf and rhythmically stunted. He left one of the show’s biggest stars, a meme-on-legs who would go on to sell more albums than some “American Idol” champs. (Sorry, Lee DeWyze.) He went on to sign a major label deal, released three albums and starred in two (Hong Kong) movies before launching a decidedly less glamorous career as a technical crime analyst. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: William Hung) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Jane CarreyThe first pseudo-star of Season 11 was Jane Carrey, daughter of comedian Jim Carrey, who showed up to audition for “Idol” in San Diego and exceeded all expectations by being … at least decent. After giving Jennifer Lopez a panic over her age – the former Fly Girl remembered seeing Jane when she was a toddler visiting dad on the set of “In Living Color” – Carrey launched into a version of Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About” that got a yes from the trio of judges. The 24-year-old waitress is now ready to take her first steps out of her famous father’s shadow. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Michael Becker , Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Bikini GirlKatrina Darrell showed up to audition for Season 8 in a eye-popping two-piece that would earn her the nom-de-“Idol” of Bikini Girl in media outlets around the world. While the judges weren’t impressed with Bikini Girl’s singing, Simon Cowell was visibly moved by certain other assets she had on display. Sadly, Darrell’s stint on “Idol” was a short one. The good news for fans of her music (Why not?) is that Bikini Girl is still singing, and recently released a video of herself covering the song “Big Spender.” In a bikini. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Larry PlattHe was 34 years older than the “American Idol” age limit, and he couldn’t sing, but “General” Larry Platt still managed to turn himself into a phenomenon with his Season 9 audition, where he debuted his original anti-saggy-trousers anthem “Pants on the Ground.” The song became an instant novelty hit, and was covered by everyone from Jimmy Fallon to Brett Favre. His repeat performance during the season finale nearly stole the show from William Hung, and definitely stole the show from Lee DeWyze. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Josiah LemingJosiah Leming is remembered not for auditioning in a bikini or rapping about sagging pants, but for being genuinely talented. And for crying. After pouring his heart out in a pre-taped sob story during Season 7 auditions, Leming leveled the judges with a rendition of Mika’s “Grace Kelly.” He was booted from the show prior to the live semifinals for refusing to sing a recognizable version of “Stand By Me,” but in the end he was validated with a record deal with Warner Bros., who released an underrated EP and full-length album. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Warner Bros.) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Ian BenardoA true reality TV star, if only in his own mind, Benardo wowed audiences of both “American Idol” and “So You Think You Can Dance” with equally atrocious auditions. His time on “Idol” was short – he was dismissed immediately after his audition, with Simon Cowell proclaiming it to be “rubbish.” He made enough of an impression on producers, however, that he was invited back for the Season 9 finale, during which he crashed Dane Cook’s performance and was dragged off stage. He later filed a $300 million discrimination lawsuit claiming the show’s producers tried to exploit his sexuality on the show by asking him to “gay it up” for the camera. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Sherman PoreAnother “Idol” hopeful who remained undaunted by the show’s 28-year-old age limit, this silver-haired crooner petitioned successfully to earn the right to audition for Season 6 in honor of his 20-year love Melissa, who had passed away two days prior from ovarian cancer. His tragic story earned him an instant fan base, and despite the fact that he didn’t make it past the “Idol” auditions (he WAS 36 years over the age limit), he was booked on shows like “Larry King Live,” inducted as a celebrity ambassador for the City Of Hope, and signed to the Z Entertainment label, which released an album of standards in honor of Pore’s late love. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Renaldo Lapuz"I am your brother, your best friend forever..." Arguably the best song to emerge from Season 7 was this original number from Renaldo Lapuz, who delivered it with such dramatic flair during his audition that Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Ryan Seacrest decided to join in. But not even Lapuz’s flamboyant hat could woo Simon, who dismissed the “Idol” hopeful, but not before giving him a loving embrace. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Darwin Misha Ree...This enigmatic blonde has the distinction of being rejected by Simon Cowell on two different shows. First, she freaked him out during her Season 6 “Idol” audition, during which she revealed that she’d written a novella based on the cantankerous judge. Her practically note-less rendition of the Pussycat Dolls song “Don’t Cha” stunned Cowell, who said simply, “That was, for me sitting here, appalling.” Undeterred, Reedy shows up four years later on the set of Cowell’s new show “The X Factor” for another serving of rejection. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Chris MedinaMedina captured the hearts of “American Idol” viewers during the Season 10 auditions with the tragic tale concerning his fiancée Juliana Ramos, who suffered a brain injury in a car accident shortly before the two were to walk down the aisle. With Juliana in tow, Medina took to the stage and wowed the judges with his version of The Script’s “Breakeven.” He made it to the Top 40 before being cut from the show, a moment that went down in reality TV history due to Jennifer Lopez’s tearful meltdown. His consolation prize: His Juliana-inpsired single “What Are Words” became a radio hit in Norway and Sweden, where he is now a huge pop star. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Michael Becker, Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Derek StillingsThis headband-sporting New Yorker wowed the judges in Season 1 with his billy goat warbling of an original composition. His wounded-bird dance moves didn’t help, either. After being dubbed by Simon as "the worst singer in America” (the first person to win that award from Cowell!) he shuffled on home as one of the show’s first anti-heroes. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Keith BeukelaerSinging through a nasal cavity located somewhere deep, deep inside his tone-deaf head, Beukelaer delivered unforgettable renditions of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” that made Randy hide his face in embarrassment. “Last year I described someone as being the worst singer in America,” said Simon. “I think you’re possibly the worst singer in the world.” And a star was born. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Scat GirlWhile the name Jacqueline Roman may not be familiar to “Idol” viewers, the name Scat Girl surely is. Her perky audition for Season 3 consisted of an unintelligible scat version of “Route 66” that had even Paula laughing uncontrollably. Simon summed up the performance as “musical murder.” -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Mary RoachRoach may go down in history as the most psychotic “Idol” hopeful of all time. The unstable singer took to the Season 4 audition stage eager to show off her style, which she described as “pop-rock meets Broadway meets jazz and R&B." She then stunned the judges with a version of “I Feel the Earth Move” that looked and sounded like a mean-spirited “SNL” parody. She described her performance as “not too shabby,” while Simon characterized it “one of the worst I ever heard in my life.” Things went downhill from there. After discussing the multiple voices in her head, Roach stormed off the set and issued an expletive-laden diatribe to Cowell and guest judge Mark McGrath. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
James LewisYou know your audition isn’t going well when Simon is the nice one. The judges had little brotherly love for this Philadelphia native, whose low bass warbling reduced Paula and Randy to tears during his Season 7 audition, and not in a good way. His rendition of “Go Down Moses” sounded like someone pulled the plug on a record player. “Singing - this is not your thing,” Randy said, after regaining his composure. -Jeff Royer
(Photo: Fox) The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
