American Idol has been the starting point for dozens of singing careers since 2000, but not everyone is a naturally talented performer, giving way to plenty of hilariously entertaining failed auditions. Season 20 recently ended with Noah Thompson declared as the winner. Between all of the fans and viewers voting for him throughout the season, 20-year-old Noah has one more person to thank for his journey: his best friend, who encouraged him to audition.
Noah isn’t the first American Idol hopeful to audition thanks to the encouragement of others, and luckily, he immediately won over current judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. Not everyone has had a positive audition process, however, especially during the early seasons of American Idol, which featured original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. There have been plenty of potential contestants who have wanted a ticket to Hollywood, but simply didn’t have the vocal chops. Others had budding talent that was recognized. However, they were asked to improve their craft and then return.
While a lot of American Idol hopefuls take their rejections with humility and poise, not everyone has been so quick to accept rejection, which has turned some ordinarily average auditions into moments that have been forever immortalized due to their ridiculousness. From refusing to leave the room, to arguing with the judges, to going off on tangents that require sleuths to decipher, here are some of the most entertaining American Idol failed auditions ranked.
Darwin “Misha” Reedy (Season 6)
While Darwin had the confidence, passion, and interesting backstory that an American Idol contestant needs to go far, she was unfortunately missing the most important part: the voice. Appearing with short blonde hair, thick glasses, and red lipstick, Darwin explained that she was encouraged to audition by her mother. Not only did Darwin and her mother share the same look, but Darwin’s mother stood listening to Darwin’s audition at the door before being allowed into the room. She chose to sing PCD’s “Don’t Cha,” which was a little more than off-key. While Darwin took her rejection in stride, the judges (and viewers at home) were amazed by Darwin and her mother’s close relationship, with the two looking and acting more like twins than mother and daughter.
Sarah Goldberg (Season 6)
Realistically, the singing aspect of Sarah’s American Idol season 6 audition wasn’t terrible, despite the 20-year-old declaring that she’s never sung before. That being said, Sarah’s audition has gone down in history for everything that happened before and after she covered Selena’s “Dreaming of You.” As soon as Sarah took off her cowboy hat, it became evident that this was not going to be an average audition, and things quickly dissolved into chaos when Sarah got emotional over the judges critiques. The audition only spanned a few minutes, but that didn’t stop Sarah from covering the five stages of grief: denial (saying she’s a good singer), anger (telling Randy not to tell her what she already knows after backtracking), bargaining (asking for the judges to teach her how to sing), depression (crying), and acceptance (finally being escorted out by security).
Keith Beukelaer (Season 2)
Like Simon with Sarah, it’s a shame that Paula was not able to judge this episode of the American Idol season 2 auditions, because she missed meeting the memorable Keith Beukelaer. From his unexpectedly high-pitched voice to his dramatic arm movements, Keith’s cover of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” left Simon and Randy beside themselves. While Simon provided viewers with another minute of entertainment by asking Keith to perform another song, Randy barely kept it together behind his paper. Unsurprisingly, Keith did not advance, but he did become known regardless. What’s better is that 10 years later, Keith re-auditioned for Simon when he appeared on The X Factor in 2013. Keith performed a rendition of Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby’s Got Back,” and did so well enough that Simon, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, and Paulina Rubio sent him through to the next round. While Keith’s vocal ability has improved, he has retained the same bubbly personality.
Leroy Wells (Season 4)
Can you dig it? That’s the question Leroy Wells had for Simon, Paula, Randy, and guest judge Gene Simmons when he appeared on American Idol season 4. With his infectious personality and loud voice, Leroy charmed the judges with his performance of ODB’s “Got Your Money,” although there wasn’t a lot of singing actually going on. Instead of focusing on making sure he impressed the judges as a singer, Leroy made sure that everyone in the room was happy and ready to dance. Paula, Randy, and Gene had the time of their lives trying to understand Leroy, and even Simon cracked a smile. Between showing off his grills, constantly asking, “Can you dig it?” without context, and owning every inch of his tiny stage, Leroy may not be a singer, but he is definitely remembered as a natural entertainer.
William Hung (Season 3)
William Hung’s American Idol season 3 audition was an entertaining failure at the time, but William has since become a celebrity in his own right. Performing a rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs,” William’s personality was endearing, but not enough to send him to Hollywood. Paula was clearly enthralled by William’s confident yet off-key performance and his positive attitude, but that didn’t stop Simon from criticizing the then-student with, “You can’t sing, you can’t dance, so what else do you want me to say?” Unlike those previously mentioned, William took the rejection in stride, and while fans recognized his audition as a failure, they couldn’t get enough of William’s lovable personality. This is why William appeared on American Idol season 20 with a repeat performance of “She Bangs,” and earned a standing ovation for the effort.
Ian Bernardo (Season 6)
Everything about Ian’s audition during American Idol season 6 was ahead of its time, minus the singing talent. Between Ian’s thick New York City accent, off-the-cuff remarks, and misplaced overconfidence, Ian’s rendition of “Gloria” was a miss vocally. Luckily, Ian made up for his singing with a plethora of quotes and interesting facts (including the casual admission that he has two therapists) and chinchilla fur to show off his “wealth.” While Randy and Paula found Ian amusing, Simon failed to so much as smile, and even called the New Yorker “boring,” which was one of the only times that Simon was wrong. After being escorted out by security, Ian couldn’t help but drop more left-field quotes that fans still remember today, including, “Paula Abdul didn’t even talk of my behalf. She’s sitting there like she’s in the middle of World War 80.” Now that American Idol has been renewed for season 21, fans will have to wait to see more new entertaining auditions.
