Behind the Scenes at San Diego American Idol Auditions

Enlarge Photo

Throughout six successful seasons, it's a surprise that the mother of modern reality TV shows, FOX's American Idol, never held auditions in sunny San Diego. However, that decade of bad luck changed July 30th, 2007 when the first round of auditions for the seventh season of American Idol aired at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego.

Local San Diegan Kimberly Llarenas, 26, was just one of tens of thousands of aspiring performers to show up for San Diego's American Idol auditions. A recent graduate of San Diego State University with a BS in Computer Engineering, Kim has always had an underline passion for singing and a dream of one day becoming the next American Idol.

Season 7 of American Idol is not scheduled to air until January 2008, but we got the chance to get up close and personal with Kim to learn the inside scoop on the range of San Diego contestants, audition tension and what to expect on next season's showing of American Idol. San Diego: get ready for true Idol insight.

Q: What inspired you to attend San Diego American Idol auditions?

A: I really enjoy performing in front of a crowd. Growing up, I didn't care if I was good or not. My parents used to dare me to sing and dance.

Q: Have you auditioned for American Idol before?

Yes. The last time I auditioned for American Idol, I had to travel to Denver. I met the three judges in Denver, but not in San Diego.

Q: How were the auditions organized? Why didn't you meet the judges?

A: San Diego American Idol auditions were organized by rounds. The first round is judged by the producers, who are really involved behind-the-scenes. The second round is the executive producers, like Nigel Lythgoe. And the third round is the famous entourage, that I never met.

But, I still got to audition. My sisters Karen (22) and Keshia (16) were with me. We all had the chance to sing a song. They also asked us to sing together.

It took awhile for the producers to decide if we would get through. They said, "If you take one, take all three. If not, no one gets taken."

They eventually put down their clipboards and said, "Sorry, ladies. We're going to have to pass."

Q: Did you three stick around the audition area after the decision?

A: No. You have to do the walk of shame right on out.

That's actually what the producers call it. If you don't make it to the next round, you go through the walk of shame. If you make it, you go through the walk of fame.

I liked seeing all the people. It was very random. There was a guy in an oversized sombrero and a girl in nothing but a bikini that always got the crowd cheering when she walked by.

Q: How did the crowd discover who made it at American Idol, San Diego?

A: There's no public announcement or anything. No Ryan Seacrest. The walk of fame is a stairway, though, and you can easily see who made it through. Also, the winners hold a yellow ticket.

Q: Did the American Idol staff entice the crowd to perform in-line?

A: Oh ya, they did. There was one incident where the camera crew started harassing everyone, "So who doesn't know how to sing?"

A few people actually raised their hands.

Q. Were auditions for American Idol in San Diego how you expected?

A: Well, it was a 14 hour wait. How do you like that? It was massive; I was told 24,000 San Diegans auditioned. I thought it would be more organized—the producers would just leave half of the time, making the wait even longer.

They gave you free tambourines and bandanas. It was promotional stuff for future FOX talent shows like The Next Great American Band.

Q: What is the most important thing you took away from the San Diego competition?

A: I guess I learned that if it's my time, it's my time. If not, there will be future opportunities better for me.

Q: What are some of your future goals?

A: Right now, I have a manager to help me meet producers and songwriters, but a lot of the songs are just not me. I'm hoping to learn how to write my own music because maybe that's the only way I can actually put my heart into a song.