American Idol, how do they audition so many people in 2 days at each city?

Question

They say there are like 10,000 people at each city...or more and there are 3 judges. If auditions are about 5 minutes long, you can get maybe 10-12 people in an hour. That makes about 100-120 people in an 8-12hrs. day. How do they cut people? Do they have other judges or other hoops they have to go through first?

Answer 1

They hand out paperwork and take it up.(That is where that number comes from.)

Everything is first come first served.

Many are interviewed or should I say screened. of those some are sent into see the judges. They give you only 2 minutes. That allows them to see 360 people a day, 720 people in two days and the rest are just not seen.

In the screening all they want to know for certain is that you are there to win the contest and that you are not insane or dangerous.

Answer 2

It's a mirage. The huge crowds you see gathered by the thousands at the arena are the FIRST auditioners. These folks perform for multiple teams of associate producers who cut the crowd down to about one-third. There is then a SECOND set of auditions for the associates when the herd is further cut down to a number which is feasible for the final, televised auditions with Paula, Randy, and Simon over two 12-hour days. The exterior shots of 18,000 original hopefuls and the local finals with the Big 3 can happen weeks removed from one another, and usually do. It's an example of logistics vs. reality and the illusion the television network wishes to instill. The audition schedule is common knowledge in the cities hosting auditions, like Birmingham, but not something that the producers talk about freely.

Answer 3

There are at least 3 auditions in front of other judges before the TV judges see the finalists. Obviously, the best and the worst are sent to them.

Answer 4

The 3 judges you see on TV aren't the first judges.

Those people go through numerous screenings and then they make it through to the TV auditions.

Answer 5

I have wondered this myself but I am sure there is an elimination process before the contestants even get to the final 3 judges.

Answer 6

Yes, I've heard the same. The trio never sees ALL the contestants..prior judges pick ones that are "representative" of the applicants (in most cases, representative of the really bad ones)....and these few are who Paula, Randy and Simon see. I have heard that of each bad one we see, there were 200 more even worse..... I don't blame them for doing this this way...there is no way that those three people could possibly see that many people....

Answer 7

That is because they only chose like 1/4 or 1/2 of all those people. Thats why some poeple say they tried for 3 years and finnally got in. Luck is in it.

Answer 8

well I know a few years ago my friend went out there and was sooo angry. she waited for days. they hand out wrist bands to 500 ppl...the first 500 which includes the person trying out and whatever family or friends they have with them. so they may have 10,000 people show up but they don't all get in and only half of them are actually trying out. then they have two sets of judges to get through. so we really see nothing when it comes to what is actually going on.

Answer 9

I dont imagine so. I recon someone chooses about 500-six hundred people for them to guage and the perfect ones go by ability of from that! How ought to anybody watch 80,000 people in 2 days?? Thats amost no longer attainable!!!

Answer 10

I've never auditioned, but on Fantasia's Lifetime Movie she has to sing for a non famous judge even before they gave her a number. So it makes me think that they purposely let some really bad people through to make good televison.....