Sixth Season Premiere of American Idol prompts parties among BYU‑I Students
American Idol’s sixth season premiere brought BYU‑Idaho students together to watch four hours worth of evening television Jan. 16 and 17.
The episodes showed Tuesday and Wednesday and were two hours each, featuring part of the auditioning process contestants must go through to be on the show. The first episode was filmed in Minneapolis, Minn., and the second in Seattle, Wash.
Courtney Curtis / Scroll Staff
Jaimie Alston, a freshman from Mesa, Ariz., focuses on the television screen above her as she and her roommates watch American Idol together.
Hopeful contestants from all over the country came to sing for the notoriously critical Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. However, for this season, the pop star Jewel joined the ranks to take part in the judging.
Contestants ranged from an urban-Amish
man to a self-proclaimed crack baby
whose mother still struggles with drug problems. One man dressed head to toe in red, white and blue, and an immigrant woman from Colombia came to take part in what she believed to be the American Dream.
BYU‑I students held American Idol parties, where they would jokingly chat above the singing on the television over snacks.
It was a fun little get-together. A couple of my friends hadn’t ever seen the show so it was cool to see their reactions,
said Rosie Parsons, a freshman from Long Valley, N.J.
Some had different reason for attending Idol parties.
I mostly just came for the food,
said Stephen Boren, a senior from Sandpoint, Idaho, I don’t usually watch American Idol — only the first few episodes because it’s fun to make fun of the people who can’t sing.
Others found humor in the show as well.
I thought it was funny when they cried,
said Kathryn Lindenlaub, a freshman from Goodyear, Ariz. If someone is going to be on the show, they’ve probably seen it before and they should know that [the judges] are mean to everyone. Also, [the contestants] should know that if [the judges] say you can’t sing, it’s probably true.
Showings for the rest of the auditions will take place Jan. 22 and Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. on Fox. Those episodes will feature auditions that took place in Memphis, Tenn., and New York, N.Y.
Past American Idol winners for the five seasons include Taylor Hicks of Birmingham, Ala., Carrie Underwood of Checotah, Okla., Fantasia Barrino, of High Point, N.C., Ruben Studdard of Birmingham, Ala., and Kelly Clarkson of Burleson, Texas. 
