9 Most Shocking ‘American Idol’ Auditions of All Time

Nowhere have there been higher highs and lower lows musically than the American Idol audition stage.

The singing competition, which now airs on ABC, has helped spark the careers of some of music’s biggest stars, including Grammy winners Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson, but it’s also caused viewers across the country to cringe countless times.

Keep scrolling to see the best and worst of the series as we take a walk down memory lane all the way back to Season 1.

Carrie Underwood

Before claiming the Idol title in Season 4, Carrie Underwood was just an Oklahoma farm girl who had never flown in a plane before.

But her sweet demeanor was hiding a killer voice, which she showed off to the judges with a rendition of “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”

“I really wanna go to Hollywood really bad,” Underwood said, not knowing she would go on to bigger and better things, including a 2007 Grammy win for best new artist.

William Hung

The Ricky Martin tribute heard ’round the world hit the Idol audition stage in Season 3 of the show.

UC Berkeley civil engineering student William Hung became an instant viral hit when his off-key version of “She Bangs” won over America, but it couldn’t get him a golden ticket to Hollywood.

“You can’t sing, you can’t dance, so what do you want me to say?” Judge Simon Cowell said at the time.

Kelly Clarkson

Watching a young Kelly Clarkson tell Ryan Seacrest that she was planning on becoming a fashion designer if the whole singing thing didn’t work may seem shocking now, but no one was more shocked than judges Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul during the show’s inaugural season.

Then 20 years old, Clarkson’s performances of “Express Yourself” and “At Last” blew them away, and her spunky personality immediately endeared her to America. The singer now has three Grammy wins and 17 nominations to her name, and even hosts her own talk show!

Bikini Girl

American Idol hopeful Katrina Darrell immediately made her mark on Season 8 when she showed up to her audition wearing nothing but a bikini and a bad attitude.

Coined “Bikini Girl” right away, she and judge Kara DioGuardi got into a sing-off when it came to Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love,” which led to some serious shade being thrown at the judges’ table. Darrell did get her golden ticket to Hollywood, but was cut during the next round of auditions.

Clay Aiken

Who thought that out of the mild-mannered Clay Aiken would come a powerhouse voice that would propel him all the way to the American Idol finals?

On the second season of the show, the confident 23-year-old shocked the judges with his rendition of “Always and Forever.”

After blowing the judges away with his voice, even Cowell admitted he didn’t see that performance coming, telling him, “You don’t look like a pop star, but you’ve got a great voice. So now what.”

‘Pants on the Ground’

General Larry Platt never had a chance of making it to Hollywood with his original song, “Pants on the Ground,” which lamented the low-rise jeans of the day’s youth, but he did become one of the most memorable parts of Idol Season 9.

The 62-year-old, who was 34 years older than the show’s age limit at the time, cracked up 2/3 of the judges’ panel with his soon-to-be-viral song, but Cowell was not impressed.

“I have a horrible feeling that could be a hit,” he said, walking away.

Jordin Sparks

At only 16 years old, Jordin Sparks’ age proved to be no indication of talent, as she immediately blew away the judges during her Season 6 audition performance of “Because You Love Me.”

She went on to win Season 6 and has since released five studio albums. She’s also shown off her acting skills on the stage performing on Broadway in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical In the Heights.

Simon Cowell Gets Soaked

Cowell’s harsh criticism proved to be too much for one Idol reject during Season 3. After the acid-tongued judge couldn’t stop laughing at 18-year-old Jonathan Rey’s bizarre rendition of Shakira’s “The One,” saying, “I think we’re going to have to cancel this competition — that was terrible,” the teen walked up to the judges’ table as if to shake hands, but instead picked up a cup of water to throw at Cowell.

Security soon dealt with Rey, but he went down in Idol history as one of the few to get their revenge on Cowell.

Jennifer Hudson

Fresh off a stint on a Disney cruise, Jennifer Hudson stunned the judges with her confident rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Share Your Love with Me,” which Jackson said was the best he’d heard in the show’s three seasons so far.

Hudson shockingly came in seventh place on that season, but since proved herself a true idol, with two Grammy wins, eight nominations, a talk show, and an Oscar-earning role in Dreamgirls.