[ZTAngel]

A girl in my sorority tried out a few years ago when AI came to Orlando. She had an amazing voice but she was cut during the second round (I think there's 3 rounds during the actual try-out stage...before Hollywood). From what I heard from her and have read on the AI message boards, the producers are looking for a particular type of person to put on the show. For instance, they love people who have unique background stories. They cut people with great voices if they don't fit what the producers are looking for. Although AI is a talent contest, it is also a television show. A normal, everyday person with a good voice doesn't create television ratings the way that a redneck girl with an ok voice and a locked-up daddy (a la Kelly Pickler) does.

I'm guessing this was the reason only a few people from each city have been making it through. I'm sure there were a lot of people in Seattle and Minneapolis who could sing but just didn't have what the producers were looking for.