Double post.

The judges don't see all the people. They have people screen the contestants first. The only people allowed through are those who are really bad or those who might have a chance. The mediocre or dull people get cut before they even see the judges. Even people with good voices get cut at that point if they don't have what the producers are looking for in terms of appearance or personality.

I HATE guys with long hair - the borderline androgeny gives me the creeps.

He had a killer voice, though.

so i guess the secret to moving onto the next round is to act all crazy and sing with a bad voice during the screening process (make them think you cant sing and that you will be made a fool of in front of national tv). then, sing good while with the judges.

That one girl was SO good though - the one with long dark hair (weird hairline) at the very end.

Not only that, but not everyone who "sees the judges" really does see the judges. My sister-in-law has a friend that tried out for last season (but he was doing it as a joke, he knows he can't sing). They actually showed him on TV, supposedly in front of Randy, Simon, and Paula, but he told us that he never actually saw them. The footage was just spliced together, in such a way as to make him look like an idiot (i.e. showing him with a blank expression after being asked a question). After hearing that, it makes me wonder how many of these people are actually performing for the judges.

That's very interesting.....

I never actually thought they would do that.

That's why you rarely see the camera's pan from behind the contestant and focus on the judges unless they are doing a segment on him/her.

Most of those montages are spliced together and mixed in with judge reaction from other performances.

They got kind of sloppy this year though. When they did the "Lady Marmalade" montage with the judges looking "surprised" some of the contestants shown auditioned before the judges with different songs. I think Ultra-Tan girl was actually shown wearing something different from her original audition. But the producers probably pulled her in for the next day to get her singing Marmalade.

/AI dork-dom

There's a serious lack of eye candy in the male portion of the top 24 here...

I agree kddani... although I think that Ace guy is at least semi-cute... and the dean martin guy... i forget his name.

I'm sooooooo glad that pickering girl made it! I really like her voice & personality

Aren't there like 3 of them? ;)

I gotta root for the underdogs... Taylor the grey haired guy and the young kid that looks like Charlie Brown. Yeah... they probably won't last long if they make to the top 12, but it'll be an entertaining ride.

The girls all look and sound the same this year... I think.

Ace will be pimped as the Constantine of season 5 and the producers will probably let him stay a little longer this time. He'll also be billed as the bad boy heartthrob for all the tweens.

Even though the guys aren't much eye candy this year I have more favorites out of them then the girls.

My husband and I ABSOLUTELY love Chris!! We hope he goes all the way. I also like Tyler (the white haired guy) and of course Kellie. She has a GREAT voice, is so cute, and has had such a tough life that I think it would be great if she had a happy ending. I also gotta root for my fellow Illinoisian David...he lives in the same town my in-laws live in. And I give major props to Mandisa for telling Simon her feelings without stooping down to his level!!

Can't wait to see next weeks episodes when America starts voting!!

Is it on tonight?

I think it resumes next week

My early favorites:
- Taylor (grey haired guy)
- Bald, side burns guy
- Paris
- Brown haired girl whose mom is a singing coach

My favorites:

Paris
Katharine (has the singing coach mom)
Taylor (the grey haired guy)
Chris
Lisa
Kellie
Mandisa