by Gina Scarpa

 

The audition process is finally over on American Idol, with things wrapping up in Denver this week. Last night's "Road To Hollywood" special featured the highs and lows in the audition room over the seven cities that Idol visited - Boston, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Orlando. Most of this week's best and worst did hail from The Mile High City with a few other representatives mixed in. Here's a look at the standouts from the last week of auditions on American Idol.

BEST

 

Aaron Kelly, Chicago
If you saw this kid's audition, you'd understand why people are already comparing him David Archuleta. He's young, he's cute, he's humble, and of course, he has a great voice. Aaron has that background story that fans will remember (at the age of 1, his aunt and uncle adopted him and his brother after social services took them away from their parents) and he's got the look that young female fans will vote for. After performing "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus, he received a unanimous vote to go to Hollywood. Not gonna lie, I'm still partial to Archie.

 

Kimberly Kerbow, Denver
I like Kimberly... and not just because she sang one of my favorite songs, Ingrid Michaelson's "Way I Am". Pretty girl, cool voice, very hip. Everyone seemed to like her but she'll most likely have to do a lot more to stand out in Hollywood against everyone else. Simon pointed out that she was wearing a wig, while Posh and Kara noticed it too. Not sure what that's about.

 

Hope Johnson, Dallas
Don't get me wrong. Hope is a good singer but some people are making a bigger deal of her than need be. She's extremely pretty, very sweet, and one of the most likeable contestants we've seen this season. Hope comes from a poor family but she has dreams of making it to Hollywood. Her performance of "I Hope You Dance" was strong and Kara made a good point when she said that there was something interesting about her.

 

Haeley Vaughn, Denver
Haeley is a girl with a dream: to be the first black country/pop mainstream singer. It's a big one but perhaps not entirely out of reach. She performed Carrie Underwood's "Last Name" (good vocals, cute girl) and the judges took to her right away. From what I saw, she's no powerhouse vocalist but for now, she had the right combo of talent, looks, personality, and story to get her through to the next round.

WORST

 

Ty Hemmerling, Denver
Just when you thought you'd never have to hear the words Bikini Girl again, comes Ty Hemmerling, aka Bikini BOY. Oh yeah, he came into that audition room with a skimpy two piece and butchered Billy Ray Cyrus's "Achy Breaky Heart". I bet you thought it couldn't get much worse that the original but, oh, it can. Two lines in, the judges walk out... can you blame them?

 

Kenny Everett, Denver
I knew I was going to enjoy this audition right away when he said, in his interview, that his singing was "a public service to others". He also described himself as the male Mary J. Blige. If Mary J. had a tone deaf brother, it would be this guy. The riffing was awful and to make it worse, he threw his shirt on the ground (no worries, he had another one underneath it) that had me worried this was turning into a different kind of show. It was a big time no from the judges. Kenny's response? "You gotta be kidding me." They most certainly were not.

 

Stephanie Fisher, Denver
You have to give Stephanie points for determination. This Idol reject has tried out seven times and seven times, the judges have told her that she can't sing. Stephanie tried to impress the judges with "Fever" and "Baby Love" but failed miserably. She asked if she could have a few minutes to get "un-nervous". Simon told her it would take years - ha!!

 

Adrian Chandtchi, Denver
Adrian, aka Beautiful Man Flower (name self-given), stands 6'8 and has quite a strange soprano voice. He performs "Can't Help Falling In Love" and, as Simon says, he's not the most horrible singer but come on, Idol is not for him. The judges are nice and I'll be nice, too, because Adrian is a sweet guy. But was it good? No.

 

Be sure to tune in to American Idol next week in Hollywood (with Ellen Degeneres), Tuesday at 8pm ET on FOX.

 

(Image courtesy of FOX)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

For more American Idol links, visit SirLinksALot.net