American Idol Recap: Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey Fight At Auditions

Home
American Idol
Mariah Carey
Nicki Minaj
American Idol Recap: Nicki

American Idol is back and in full swing. Get ready for a season of new judges, hidden talent and a lot of tone deaf contestants. Sounds like fun, right, HollywoodLifers?

The twelfth season of American Idol kicked off Jan. 16, and with it came new judges Nicki Minaj, Keith Urban, Mariah Carey,and the beginning of weeks worth of drama. I wonder if Ryan Seacrest and Randy Jackson know what theyre in for?

The two-night premiere started with my personal favorite part of the whole show: the auditions. Lets take a look at the judges, Americas next stars and some people wed rather forget.

Who Was Terrible

The auditions are all about separating the good from the bad and there were plenty of em in New York City.

Fifteen-year-old James Bae admitted he sings in his room in preparation for his sure-to-be filled concert halls. This Bie! lieber at! tempted to sing Justin Biebers One Less Lonely Girl, but the outcome reminded me less of the Biebs and more so of former Idol auditioner William Hung. Although the judges broke Jamess heart with four nos, he claims he wasnt disappointed because in the end, Nicki Minaj kissed me. So really, the day wasnt a total waste, right?

Self-proclaimed ladies man Benjamin Gaisey squeaked with every step he took. No it wasnt his voice it was the plastic, red jumpsuit he wore to his audition. As if that wasnt enough, Benjamin wore a wonderfully horrible Tom Jones-inspired wig, too. After performing a weird mash up of love songs to Nicki and Mariah, he got a resounding no. Was he a serious contender? No way. Was he entertaining? Heck yes.

Queens native Albert Chang works in a medical office, but he has dreams of being a singer. And they will remain just that dreams. The 25 year old sang/mumbled a disturbingly high-pitched version of Phantom of the Opera. I was confused, scared and horribly entertained. Lets just say it was hard for both Nicki and me to keep the laughs contained.

Who Impressed Me

But not to despair. Not everybody was completely and utterly tone deaf. There were some rays of hope!

Doting Mariah fan Tenna Torres didnt just bring her voice to the auditions; she also brought photos of her and Mariah taken at a camp she attended as a child. Tenna rocked the entire panel with Carole Kings Youve Got a Friend and got four yess. Solid start to the night.

Christina Isabelle strolled in with a voice I will never forget. After her rockin performance of Summertime, she took a sigh of relief and said, I cant believe I just did that! Me neither! With the power of Christina Aguil! era and the soft tone of Norah Jones, Christina is someone to look out for. Nicki even said, I think youre going to go really far in this competition. Agreed.

So we all know American Idol uncovers hidden talents, but did you know it saves foreign superstars? Former Israeli pop singer Shira Gavrielov released her first CD at 17, had a No. 1 hit in Israel and got four yeses from the American Idol judges. Looks like second chances do exist!

Brooklyn native Frankie Ford went from singing for quarters on the train to singing for some of Americas biggest stars in one day. With a round of yess from the judges, Frankie got his golden ticket. And just like that, Frankie goes to Hollywood.

Country and Jersey arent two words I normally associate together, but 17-year-old blueberry farmer Sarah Restuccio made me reconsider. Sarah rocked both Carrie Underwoods Mamas Song and Idol judge Nickis Super Bass. I think there is a new meaning to Jersey girls.

The Turbanator has come. No, this isnt a bad Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, its the nickname of Idol-hopeful Gurpreet Singh Sarin, who matches his colorful turban to his outfit. Gurpreet showed off his classical Indian musical training and got a golden ticket in the process. Look out for him and one of his 40 turbans in Hollywood.

Smooth, soul singer Ashlee Feliciano inspired Nicki and trust me, thats hard to do. Not only was her familys back story of adopting and fostering medically complex children inspiring, but also her voice was noteworthy. As Ashlee sang Corinne Bailey Raes Put Your Records On, it was hard for me to remember the show has a full season to go and cant just end right here with her.

Hearing-impaired Angela Miller was another of my personal favorites of the night. Angela has suffered hearing problems her whole life! and even! has 40-percent hearing loss in one ear but trust me, youd never know it. She belted out Mamma Knows Best and provoked smiles from all four judges and myself.

Did Nicki Minaj & Mariah Carey Get Along?

Lets be honest: We all were dying to see the battle of the divas, and Nicki and Mariah did not disappoint. From making faces at each other, calling each other unpleasant names and arguing over who is more fabulous, lets just say no one wanted to be in Keiths seat!

Notoriously divalicious Mariah made it clear it was still all about her. Id rather look at pictures of myself, Mimi said she flipped through pictures of her and a contestant from a music camp. Nicki responded appropriately with rolled eyes.

But Mariah wasnt the only diva on set, as Nicki seemed to have forgotten she wasnt Kate Middleton. From time to time, she switched into a British accent for no reason at all. Mariah quickly attempted to put Nicki in place saying, Were not going to do the British thing. Oh, but we did, Mariah.

Although Keith joined Randy on the bland bandwagon, Nicki and Mariah made sure to make up for the guys boringness.

Overall my personal favorite moment was when Mariah called Nicki out for not knowing a quote from Mean Girls. Oh the horror.

Is the next Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood or Phillip Phillips among one of the 41 contestants from NYC who made it through to Hollywood? Can we count on Nicki and Mariah to keep us entertained all season? Guess well have to wait to see!

Caitlin Miller

More American Idol News on HollywoodLife.com:

American Idol 2013: Season 12 May Be The Best Ever

Mariah Carey Officially An American Idol Judge For $18 Million

American Idol Premiere Preview The Judges Go Down To Georgie

Take Our Poll

American Idol: This May Be The Best Season Ever Jan16 New judges, new season and a new attitude just might be the right Read Article Mariah Carey Shares Adorable Photo Of Mini-Me Daughter Monroe Dec21 Like mother, like daughter! Mariah shared some precious pics of her Read Article Mariah Carey Shares Precious Pic Of Moroccan Scott On Instagram Dec13 Roc is getting so big! The diva superstar tweeted the adorable photo on Read Article Mariah Carey Does All I Want For Christmas Is You On Jimmy Dec05 Mariah teams up with Jimmy Fallon & The Roots for an epic acoustic Read Article Jordin Sparks On New American Idol Judges & How To Win Nov30 Jordin knows how to win American Idol and what its like to Read Article

Nicki Minaj Explodes On Twitter At Ex-Idol Judge Over Nov26 Nicki is striking back at Steven Tyler after the former American Read Article Nicki Minaj Has Nip Slip On BETS 106 & Park Nov20 While talking to a live audience on November 19 as she promoted her new Read A! rticle