American Idol debuted its fifteenth and farewell season with auditions in Atlanta, GA, and Denver, CO, Wednesday night, and there were a few surprises along the way.
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Idol's premiere flashed back to the franchise's beginning in 2002 and re-lived some crowning moments for viewers. Ryan Seacrest even shared footage of his very first season on the air when he worked with co-host Brian Dunkleman and rocked very spikey, platinum-blonde hair.
While American Idol can't help looking back at all its success and emotional moments in nostalgia, the competition must go on.
One big (widely spoiled) surprise of the night was Kanye West performing a censored version of his hit "Gold Digger" for judges Jennifer Lopez, Harry Connick Jr. and Keith Urban.
A then-pregnant Kim Kardashian stood in the wings with her fingers crossed in the hopes Kanye would make it to Hollywood. The whole audition made the judges laugh and they gave him a golden ticket. Kim actually asked Ryan if they could keep the ticket and he assured them it was fine.
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A standout performance belonged to Shelbie Z, who previously competed on The Voice's fifth season. Shelbie was on Blake Shelton's team and had a memorable performance for the "Knockout Round," however, she was part of a very large cut when narrowing the Top 20 down to the Top 12.
On American Idol, Shelbie sang Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" and the judging panel was very impressed with her. Her pipes are powerful, and Harry pointed out she'll be one to watch out for because it will be tough to find better singers than her when she gets up onstage. Shelbie received a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Michelle Marie Lecza, a 15-year-old who is a Super Fan of the show, sang "Blue" by LeAnn Rimes and had excellent pitch. Her spunky sequin-dress wearing personality also roped the judges in and earned her a golden ticket.
Another girl who really impressed was Sonika Vaid, a 20-year-old from Martha's Vineyard, MA. She sang a sweet rendition of "Look At Me" and Harry gushed about how beautiful it was, calling it "a perfect performance" and "a God-given gift." Harry noted she was the first person he watched this season who made him think, "She could win this whole thing."
A memorable moment from last night's broadcast was when married couple Jordan Sasser and Alex Sasser decided to audition one by one with their three-month old baby in the room. The couple was incredibly perky and cheery, which if anything, cost them the opportunity. Alex, the mother, got the boot for being too cutesy, but then her husband made it through after he wowed the judges with a rendition of "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Celine Dion.
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When the couple had to reveal the big news to their family, Alex was cold and pointed out Jordan made it through and she didn't. She then barked at Jordan for playing with their baby while she was trying to sing, basically blaming him for her failure. Alex cried and dramatically stated she was never good enough. Hopefully American Idol doesn't ruin their marriage.
The next part of American Idol's special two-night premiere airs Thursday at 8PM ET/PT on Fox.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski