Weirdest contestants: Mary Roach
Mary Roach was a contestant on season 4 of American Idol, singing I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King.
She failed to move the judges with her off-key voice and wild arm flailings.
“Honestly one of the worst I’ve ever heard in my life,” Simon said to Mary’s surprise.
Simon then dared to question: “What made you audition for this competition?”
Mary replied: “All my friends told me that I was an awesome singer.”
The audition took a further turn when she casually mentioned that she has a ton of different voices, to which Randy asked if they were all in her head.
The “voices” then went off on the judges, bashing them and their decisions.
“Not only can you not sing a note in tune, but you also have one of the weirdest voices I’ve ever heard in my life,” Simon concluded.
Weirdest contestants: Steven Tyler
Years before he would take his place on the panel, Aerosmith legend Steven Tyler shocked Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey, Keith Urban, and Randy Jackson in 2013 by performing in drag.
Steven put on a dress, blond wig, and bright red lipstick for his big break. But his famous face was instantly recognizable.
Going under the moniker Pepper LaBeija, the Dream On singer was dreaming if he thought he could pull a fast one on the judges.
Although he never actually sang anything, the rocker did manage to squeeze one of his fake breasts to make it honk.
He then threw it at Randy Jackson.
As the judges roared with laughter, Pepper ripped off his wig and mooned the judges.
Weirdest contestants: Larry Platt
General Larry Platt was a true groundbreaker in season 9.
The 75-year-old auditioned in Atlanta, singing his own memorable song Pants on the Ground, which criticized young people who wear their pants lower than their waist.
Larry, who at the time was 62, was ineligible to continue due to being over the show’s age limit of 28.
Although he was quickly dismissed, Pants on the Ground rose in popularity, receiving over 150,000 hits on iTunes and over 10million views on YouTube.
It peaked at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Larry even performed it live at the 2010 Grammy Awards.
Weirdest contestants: William Hung
Perhaps no former contestant is as well-known as William Hung.
William skyrocketed to fame in 2004 after his entertaining audition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs” on American Idol aired.
The Hong Kong native performed before the singing competition’s original judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and longtime host Ryan Seacrest.
Though his rendition did not earn him the Golden Ticket to Hollywood, he went on to become an entertainer and motivational speaker.
And most recently, he became engaged to his girlfriend Hannah.
Katy Perry shares new career move
Earlier this month, Katy Perry shared that she was exploring a new career path.
Ahead of Easter, Perry revealed she was collaborating on a shoe collection with the candy brand Peeps.
She shared the news on Instagram, where fans asked for new music.
“We want some new songs!” wrote someone.
“Why are you doing this to us? What about your music?” wrote another fan.
Scripted auditions allegations
Over the years, people have shared their experiences auditioning for the American Idol judges, who currently include Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
Even past judges have said parts of the show aren’t “real.”
Former judge Mariah Carey once told Australia’s Kyle and Jackie O radio show that her “non-existent feud” with fellow judge Nicki Minaj was manipulated for ratings.
She went as far as calling the show “so boring and so fake.”
“You have to make up things to say about people,” she said. “Half the time the performances are good.”
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