One hundred and sixty four American Idol hopefuls were assembled in Hollywood to begin the next round of the competition. Simon greeted them by reminding them of two things first this season’s American Idol was in the room. The second was that most of them would be going home before the end of the week. The first round consisted of each of the contestants singing individually in front of the judges. Two changes were made to this round for Season 7. For the first time ever, contestants were allowed to play instruments during their round 1 audition. I was surprised at the number of contestants who actually went with this option. I think I was even more surprised at the number of these who just went down in flames. In fact, considering how good most of the auditions were that got these folks sent to Hollywood, I was amazed at just how many of the round 1 Hollywood auditions were just downright awful.

The second change which was the more profound for the competition was that no one was going to be eliminated as part of the first round. Even if the contestant received a no from the judges (and quite a few did), they were given a second chance to prove to the judges that they deserved a shot at being an American Idol. At the end of day 1 alone, 54 contestants had received a no from the judges and would need to make use of this parachute. It was sad to see the contestants forget the lyrics right after Simon cautioned them that this was inexcusable. I was especially disappointed in Cardin Lee McKinley, the Ponderosa waitress when she forgot her lyrics. She was definitely one of my favorites so I was glad that she was going to get a second chance. The highlight of day one was definitely Amanda Overmyer the rock and roll nurse from Indiana. She was awesome again.

Day 2 in Hollywood seemed to produce a higher proportion of quality auditions but in fact 60 more received nos from the judges. Josiah Leming, the kid from Tennessee who lived in his car, had an amazing round 1 audition. He had such a unique sound and it showed so many different aspects to his voice. Even Simon said that of all the auditions this is the one he is going to remember. There was one other contestant from day 2 I wanted to touch on. Remember Carly Smithson, the Irish girl who was disqualified two seasons ago? I love her voice. I loved her audition but, honey needs to brush her tongue. It looked black. It was really distracting.

Day 3 brought the second round auditions and the first round of cuts. Ryan called it thew most vicious round of cuts in Idol history. The second chance auditions were done alone and without accompaniment. The hardest part for the contestants was not getting the immediate feedback from the judges. The contestants were broken up into small groups. After everyone in the entire group had auditioned. The contestants were again divided into two groups; one going home, and one going on. Of the first group up for their second audition, only 2 made it through.

The fourth day was make or break day. All of the contestants who made it through either the first or second audition had a final chance to impress the judges before they narrowed the field to 24. Randy told 16 year old David Archuleta that he was the best audition he heard since they had come to Hollywood. I could not believe that Kyle Ensley made it. He is like the worst of Clay Aiken and Sanjaya combined. Carly Smithson also had a great audition again (and her tongue wasn’t black). I was really glad that Asia’H Epperson made it. When she auditioned in Atlanta I remember thinking that she was going to be one of the strongest contestants this season. The most shocking thing that happened all night was when it was pageant queen Brooke Helvie’s turn. Her audition was going well, and then her voice broke. Randy said no. Then, just to put Paula on the spot Simon said yes. Despite Brooke’s pleas, Paula actually sent her packing. That was the first time this season that I can remember Paula stepping up and being the axeman. Josiah Leming totally blew his audition after sending the band off the stage. The judges sent him through but it was solely based on his previous auditions.

Over the course of 4 days in Hollywood, the judges narrowed the field from 164 to just 50. Tomorrow night, more than half of these will be sent home. By the end of tomorrow only 24 will remain.

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