I was watching the syndicated Idol rerun show and half the people who get vetoed by two or more judges make some sort of “I’ll show them!” comment. Of course most of these people are Calvinist contestants (i.e. preselected if not predestined to be damned and allowed to audition before the trinity strictly because they’re awful), but of course some are good and just not really 'Idol’y (more Broadway or twangy-country or hip-hop), and many who audition who really are very good never make it to the judges because of looks or their particular type of talent. (A former student of mine who had a tenor that would make you cry and could hold a note for eleven days was told he had the best voice they’d heard in the auditions, but at a week-under-seventeen and about 6’2/39 pounds/a voice that was more operatic than pop he wasn’t right for the show and never got passed through to the Three.)
So I was curious: have any big acts come along in the last few years who auditioned for Idol but were shown the door? I’m not referring to those like Clay Aiken or David Archuleta or Bucky Covington etc. etc. who’ve made the show and done well without winning, but those who never made the show at all.