Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks and Clay Aiken return to help during the auditions, while Kanye West drops by to surprise the judges with an audition.
- Jan 7, 2016
AceShowbiz - The 15th and final season of "American Idol" kicked off on Wednesday, January 6 with auditions in Atlanta and Denver. It was full of surprises as past "Idol" winners Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard, as well as season 2's runner-up Clay Aiken returned to help screen some of the contestants before the judges.
Despite his support for the show, Clay was clearly not a fan of the current judges, Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban. He took to Twitter to slam the judges and blamed them for the decline of the show's ratings during the show's airing.
"Watching @americanidol for the first time in a decade. You never know what you've got til it's gone," he wrote. "Well... now I know why the ratings are down." He added, "Oh good Lord... those boring ass responses from the judges!? Where is Simon when you need him!? That guy need a hook to pull him off stage. It's VERY clear now that @SimonCowell was the reason @AmericanIdol was a hit. I've watched root canals more entertaining than these judges."
Clay's harsh words for the judges aside, the season premiere saw some singing hopefuls sent to Hollywood. 15-year-old Michelle Marie Lecza, whom J.Lo said one of people who "just sing so naturally," got a Golden Ticket, and so did Josiah Siska (18), Lindita (26) and Lee Jean (15) who shared a sad story about losing his brother in an accident.
Jeneve Mitchell lives on a ranch with no power in Colorado, but her family turns on a generator just to watch "American Idol" every week. She sang "Chainsaw" by The Band Perry while playing a cello and was sent to Hollywood.
Sonika Vaid's simple rendition of "Look at Me" by Carrie Underwood also earned her a spot in Hollywood, while Reanna Molinaro, a 23-year-old police officer, pulled a stunt by putting a handcuff on Harry before she sang for the judges. She was also sent to Hollywood.
Shevonne Philidor, Kory Wheeler and Laurel Wright were among repeat auditioners who made it through this time. Married couple Alexandra and Jordan Sasser auditioned together, but only Jordan who got a Golden Ticket.
The last person to audition was Kanye West, who showed up with his wife Kim Kardashian. "I always wanted to rap, but nobody believed in me," he told the judges, before rapping part of "Gold Digger". He, of course, got a Golden Ticket.
