The really talented girl that they said no to was Saveria and she was singing her original song “Tell Me This Is Real” so go show her some love!

American idol: I was born at a very young age so life’s been hard

The girl they said "no" to was better than almost anyone they said yes to, especially than that Jamaican lady. But yeah, she clearly needed to work on her life story. She was terrible at that.

I remember when a girl quit her job to be on American Idol and Simon helped her get it back cause she couldn’t sing

Judges: So tell us a little about your self Me: So I’ve had a really hard life... I wear men’s Nike’s... Men’s thirteen sized Nike’s

Random person auditioning: Hi, I'm- Lionel Richie: come here *gets up and walks up to them *

Old American Idol had those sob story moments every so often and I think that actually made them more powerful... now every contestant has something terrible happening and they carry so much less weight

"mom, dad, could you abandon me so I can win American Idol?"

American Idol: I'm very rich, but when I was a young boy my parents were gunned down in front of me as we were leaving the theater. Anyways this is my original song Bat of Darkness.

american idol: my mother died before i was born. i started using crystal meth at 3 months old. my dad stabbed me to death at 4 years. i was president of a small african country from 10-13. i learned what “singing” meant at 68.

American Idol stories: It all started on the day of my birth...both my parents failed to show up

Reminds the episode of the office when Andy tries out for America’s next a cappella sensation and he says “is this a show about the resiliency of the human spirit or is it a singing competition”

It's been hard for me. My parents died the day I was born a nine-tailed demon fox was sealed inside me which caused the whole village to ostracized me. One of my only friends betrayed me and left the village to obtain more power. I'm hoping by joining American Idol....maybe he'll come back.

This is like, an incredibly real thing though. My friend auditioned for America's got Talent. All they did was ask about her story, what hardships she's been through in life, etc. She was specifically told she had the talent but not the story

honestly want to see simon cowell and gordon ramsey in the same room dissing each other

American idol contestants: “ I got cancer when I was a little sperm, my mom died the day before I was born. When I figured out I was human at age three I fell into a great depression and tried to poison myself with my feces. I became king of the last surviving Aztec group, they tried to sacrifice me so I killed them all. When I was the age of 12 my pet dodo bird Jimmy died from my horrible body odor. When I was 35 a Nazi named Karen broke into my house and killed all my family. And that’s the end of my story.”

it's hard to root for any of the contestants when all of them have a tragic backstory. Like, they can't all be underdogs. It really just becomes a contest to see who had the worst life rather than who has the most skill/talent

Why does everybody need a sad story to be inspirational i don’t get the “ oh you need to see the dark to enjoy the light“ I think this is romanticizing the people who really suffered some hard stuff...

Any girl younger than Katy Perry Katy: I see so much of myself when I look at you

I remember very specifically someone sang "If I Was A Boy". He had a lovely voice, and it was clear to anyone with half a brain cell that the song was very important to him personally. The whole time he sang, the judges were just talking to each other about how weird it was and didn't even listen to his performance. It was heartbreaking to watch this guy open up to the whole nation only for fucking J Lo to ignore/dismiss him and then send him away for "a distracting song choice". It fully cemented my dislike for a show I loved as a kid.

Judges: "What's your story?" Well, uh, when I was in fourth grade, I got accused of stealing some kid's lunch money. They held a class trial and everything. No one believed me when I said I didn't do it, I couldn't stop crying. The only one who came to my defense, surprisingly, was the kid whose money was stolen. He pointed out that they couldn't find me guilty without hard evidence. He learned that from watching his dad, who was a really famous defense attorney. But then just a few years ago I saw my old friend's name in the news, and he'd become a really ruthless prosecutor! I tried to get back in touch with him, but he would never answer my letters or my calls or my emails, so I thought maybe if I became the next American Idol then he'd have to acknowledge me.

Wow imagine Katy Perry’s shock when someone tells her that air is made of gas

Every single contestant: yeah my mom died before I was born...

One of the reasons I love the British reality TV show "The Great British Bakeoff" is that they show very little backstory. Up until recently the only backstory they would show would be in the final episode with just the 3 remaining finalists and very rarely would the backstories be sensationalized in a harrowing or inspirational way. It's just about baking, and why sensationalize baking? It's just cake.

14:19 This girl has legitimately amazing voice, pitch, tone and personality. Cannot believe they passed on her, that gotta be the most insane dumb shit.

“i get insecure” “*w h y*” “cause i dont look like other girls” “*N O*” katy perry solving everyones problems😌💫

A girl from my hometown passed up on being on American Idol because they wanted her to use a fake sad backstory

I really wanna see this hppen: Judge: So tell us about yourself. Contestant: I ws born with a condition called Homochromia. **gasps** Contestant:... Contestant: It means my eyes are the same colour.

My friend auditioned for American Idol and she has a beautiful voice. When she auditioned, the judges literally told her she sounded too "perfect". Her audition wasn't aired. She doesn't have a tragic backstory so I guess having a relatively normal life isn't good enough

Doofenshmirtz would obviously win because 1: his tragic backstory. 2: his excellent singing. 3: his beautiful looks.

Girl: because... I don’t look like the other girls Katy Perry: NOOOAOOO Edit: y’all this was supposed to be a joke about Katy Perry not the girl who had to say she was fat on tv

Honestly… Lionel constantly standing is one of the funniest things I’ve seen. Especially when he speaks like a motivational speaker.

That couple singing shallow is definitly straight out from some Ilumination animation

i auditioned for american idol when they came to boston a few years back. it was a really last minute thing and i wasn't expecting much because i didn't really get a lot of time to prepare when i decided to go but just wanted to do it for the experience. waited in line for hours. right before we auditioned, a group of us saw an excited girl running to what looked to be her father and hugging him, crying because of how happy she was because she was moving on. we all thought it was a really sweet moment. then we saw someone working redirect her back and had them shoot that moment, like, three more times. then they break you off into sections and wait in another line to be auditioned, but you can hear the people who are going before you. there were SO many talented people, and the only people i heard them let in were three very obviously bad singers. two of them seemed to be just messing around and one seemed more serious. i wasn't even upset about not moving on because i didn't really expect to, but it always bothered me that they chose people who wouldn't get far at all in the show just for entertainment factor rather than people with actual talent who care about music and want to pursue it. i feel like the whole "bad american idol auditions" trope has been taken way too far when you're taking three bad people out of a pool of the fifty that were standing there. that's just my opinion though

The whole sob story thing also goes for America’s Got Talent, which is why I stopped watching it.

Judge: “What’s that spark that brought such a passion?” Contestant: ”Well honestly I think I was just born with enough talent to make something like this a hobby. I grew up in a fair town with kind neighbors and two wonderful parents, still to this day I live with no regrets from any hardships.” Judge: “d i s g u s t i n g”

you can tell at the 14:00 mark that katy wanted to say no but the producers wouldn't let her.

If I ever go on American idol, I will use that Spongebob backstory😐

My problem with tragic backstories for those singers is this: everyone has had hard things in life happen that they had to go through. But someone like me, someone who doesn’t want to talk about it, wouldn’t have as much as a chance just because they don’t feel like giving the world a sob story. People that are silent about their past might not have it easier, they just don’t like telling the world about it.

Part of what made the older seasons inspiring was that going up in front of the judges was a risk. They might tear you to shreds, and the producers used to hype people up so their reactions were more genuine when they did get torn apart. There are no stakes now, it's just another typical "reality" show that feels formulaic and scripted.

Scott's audition at the end was the best song and performance.

This show feels like a parody of a show

the only memorable thing about american idol was simon cowell case closed

20:28 I Love the Fact That He Had to Include Lionel Getting Up From His Seat Whenever He's Impressed Into His Song

12:49 THEY SAID NO?????? THAT ACTUALLY MAKES ME SO MAD SHE SOUNDS SO FUCKING AMAZNIGGGG UGGHHHH

When there was no “what’s up strugglers” it felt like a part of me went missing

I'd probably watch American Idol again if it went back to a show where they made fun of people.

Alejandro is a great example of someone who walks up, barely says a word, and blows everyone away without any story.

I would love to see someone troll the judges by using that Spongebob backstory.

No one is talking about “pants on the ground”?!?! One of the most iconic moments of the 21st century

Remember in season 8 when “family-friendly” sponsor AT&T didn’t want openly gay Adam Lambert to win so they devised a way for a ton of Kris Allen fans to send thousands of text votes at once?

I actually auditioned for both Idol and America's Got Talent as a teen and experienced the behind the scenes horrors. It was nothing like you see on the show.

I remember replaying and loving the Shrek 2 DVD interactive game that was based off of American Idol, guest starring Simon Cowell. You would select which performance to hear from all of the characters and Simon would critique each one. You could select the winner at the end and if you were to select say the three blind mice, Simon would announce; "And the winner is....ME! For showing up to judge this competition" I still have a soft spot for the whole game, seventeen years later

Did they really say "no" to that girl with the guitar? What's wrong with their ears?! Her voice is beautiful!

American Idol Judge: So tell us why you’re here. Me: At age six, I was born without a face

"i was diagnosed with something bad, but i'll still be a ray of light"

Most of the winners don't even have a tragic backstory. They are all adults who's struggling which is pretty normal when you are starting out.

why is nobody talking about how good the song was at the end, I’m actually shocked. what a bop

At 11:02 i thought this man was just like "I'm going to perform an original... alright thanks" and just left

I’M SO GLAD SOMEONE ELSE REMEMBERS BO BICE. My child brain was a big fan of alliterations. When I heard about Phillip Phillips, I almost dropped dead

I love Katy Perry because if you screengrab her face in any of the clips she looks like she has so many regrets and doesn't want to be there which is honestly such a mood

Remember that time Katy Perry kissed a person without their consent on live TV?

American Idol has turned into a dollar store version of the voice rather than just being American Idol.

I always used to love the audion parts of these shows. There used to be 3 groups, the terrible ones, the amazing talent ones and the inspirational if not the most talented ones. And that last group was rare which made it all that more amazing when it happened. Now it's mostly that which cheapens it. Another thing that they do is, if they show someone's story or linger on them before they go on, you know they're gonna be good or go through and it ruins the seconds before when you get to guess how it's going to go. It's so formulaic that it just sucks the joy out. ps. I'm still pissed that Adam didn't win

Am I the only one that heard hickory dickory dock in the middle of the video?

that girl without the backstory was literally so good and better than almost all of them

"Lionel's out here auditioning for a TED talk..." LMAO. The man has not really had to share the stage since the 70's. Best way to not be a part of a trio is to get up and make the camera follow him.

Am I the only one obsessed with the wall behind him.

I like to imagine Lionel Richie talks to people on the street like he does on this show. Grabs their shoulder, points aggressively, and gives a speech about directions to Chipotle.

American Idol Contestants- *I was born at a very young age.* Judges- 😢😫😩😭

They're copying the Britain's Got Talent format. There's actually a British comedian that faked a sob story and made his way on to BGT and through the auditions just because of his sad, sad, (made up) story.

Scott: I’ve never played an instrument. Also Scott: Immediately proceeds to play a keyboard.

10:52 that beat was fire 🔥 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Nobody: Scott: singing with autotune on american idol

"Yeah my goldfish killed itself" "Bro, you're going to Hollywood"

His American Idol song brought back Lego Movie memories

Put that finger away, Lionel. There's kids is the back!

The only good thing about American Idol was the fail compilations on KZfaq

i was half expecting to click this video and scott being like: "so yeah haha, funny story, i was almosT ON AMERICAN IDOL"

Scott??? That song at the end??? That was kick ass brother. Fairly new to the channel so I'm not familiar with all of your talents, but it's clear you have a lot of pockets you can enter. Heres to future success for you my man. Glad to be a part of the ride. Peace and love.

Masked Singer contestants are pre-recorded in a studio, that's why they sound so good on stage

Scott: “This one is for you, grandma.” ***starts piano but stops*** Scott: “Oh, did I forget to mention my grandmother, who was my grandmother for most of my life, was just killed about five seconds ago in a tragic fiery car crash, caused when she ran over my dog? Okay, now my original song... AMERICAN IDOOOOOOL!”

so we're just not going to talk about how Scott is actually a really good singer

I remember watching "The Voice" for the first time with my mom. After like the fourth person was introduced in a long-ass video diary sob story, I was like. "Why does everyone have a tragic backstory?" And she legitimately said, "They aren't tragic they're inspiring." As a woman cried on the TV about how her mother died and was the only one that believed in her. I was like ...wut???

“And here comes Lionel” killed me😂 I wish I found this video sooner

Scott's hat makes him look like the little boy who lives across the street and asks you to play whiffle ball before school

I get really insecur- WHY? *sniffles* because I don’t look like the other girls NO!

starting out the video with “this video is leaking with juice” was... to say the least, jarring

I only ever watched clips so I can tell u: it's not nostalgia talking, they really were the best trio

I think it's fair to say that they're giving disadvantaged people an opportunity when others already had that opportunity, because not everyone has money or vocal training. But at the end of the day, it's about talent, and people who aren't even averagely good shouldn't advance. Also, someone can lose their mom and still have a bunch of opportunities to become famous. Having something bad happen to you does not automatically make you less privileged or less advantaged. So yes, it is quite annoying that they seem to *only* choose people with sad backstories and say no to extremely talented people who don't have a tragic backstory.

"My mom died and..." Judges: You're in!

Seriously, I love the songs that Scott does! There may be a lot of editing, but the sound is honestly fantastic.

the only experience with american idol i've had as a british person is this one random A.N.T farm episode where chyna got stuck in a windmill

Imagine going into American Idol as a normal ass dude.

Contestant: I was born at a very young age Judges: You're so brave. Thank you for telling us.

The singing at the end was a lovely surprise.

The girl that they said no to goes to my college in Canada. It was a big deal. But no sob story. She’s established and “no” lol

They’re afraid to be “too harsh” or offend someone. And it makes me sad. I miss the old American Idol when criticism was encouraged, and the judges were more concerned about the VOICE not so much about the look of the artist or their story. Everyone has a sad story, everyone goes through dark times.

"You are. A bird, girl" great song Scott

I love the hexagonal stuff I see in the backgrounds of your videos, like the shelf and the wallpaper.