Watching the audition episodes of Season 8 makes me think about my own experience trying out for American Idol in 2004.  What you see on television is quite deceiving!

Disclaimer: It's possible that the rules and processes have changed since 2004, but most of this content should still apply and give you a behind the scenes look at auditions.

Myth 1: You're not allowed to line up earlier than what's stated on the website

My husband and I tried out for American Idol in 2004 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco.  I don't recall the actual dates so I will just use placeholders for this article.  Let's say tryouts were supposed to be on August 15th.  The website stated that you weren't allowed to line up until 7am August 14th (the day before tryouts).  That was not the case!  We happened to drive by the Cow Place on August 13th and about a hundred people had already lined up.  We went back to our hotel, got our stuff and got in line around 7pm on August 13th (two days before tryouts) and there were already a couple hundred people in front of us.  By 3am August 14th (still 4 hours before you were officially allowed to get in line), there were thousands of people already in line. 

Myth 2: You get to audition if you show up at the right time and right place

I figured that as long as we showed up the day we were allowed to get in line, we would get to try out.  That's actually not the case.  They can only see so many people perform.  I'm not sure if everyone that showed up actually got the chance to try out, but I think 10,000 people showed up.  It's possible though that the 10,000 number may have included people that were there just to support the people auditioning.  Obviously to make it more impressive, American Idol would want to advertise the largest number possible.

We had been in line for about 10 hours and had to stand up around 5am on August 14th and get as close to each other as possible since there were so many people and the line was sprawling out past the massive parking lot into extended parking.  We stood there for about 3 hours before they opened the doors.  That day we were simply going to get our coveted wristband which supposedly was the ticket to a guaranteed audition.  Without a wristband, you would not be able to try out.  Once we were inside the Cow Palace with our wristbands, we went in and found seats and had to sit in the same order that we had been in outside in line.  While sitting there, they told us what would happen the next day (the official day of tryouts), time to return the next day and then we got to leave.  I think we left around 10am so we had the whole day to practice and be nervous!

Myth 3: If you have talent, you'll progress to the next step in the process

Just because you have an excellent singing voice doesn't mean you'll make it to round 2. Round 1 was literally 1-2 minutes of singing on the floor of Cow Palace with tons of people around you.

There were 10 long rectangular tables placed side-by-side across the length of the Cow Palace floor. Each table had 2 people sitting there who would judge your first round of auditions. In front of each table, people were lined up in rows of 4. Person 1 would step forward and sing for 1-2 minutes and step back. Then person 2, 3 and 4 would follow the same routine. Once all 4 people had sung, one of the judges would ask specific people to step forward and she would cut their wristbands off and tell them they didn't make it. Anyone who did make it got a piece of paper and at the bottom of it, there was one of the names of the producers on it telling you which one you'd be singing for next.

There were probably about a hundred people that had auditioned before me and none of them got selected. Most of them had excellent singing voices. I know that because I could hear them singing and practicing while in line and was extremely impressed. I am actually a very bad singer and decided to try out to see if I could make it on tv as one of those funny bad singers that cannot sing well at all since I was waiting in line supporting my husband who is a good singer.

Well because I'm a bad singer and was being a little dramatic while singing "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes, I made it to round 2. My piece of paper had "Nigel" written on the bottom of it with a smiley face and others had "Ken" written on their papers so it seemed like they were splitting the singers for round 2 between the two producers. Wrong! Turns out I got to sing in front of Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick, but that must have been their way of flagging bad singers!

Myth 4: I must sing well if my mother and my friends tell me that I do

Don't be in denial and don't believe everything your mother tells you!  People typically know if they sing well or not, but if you're not sure, sing in front of complete strangers and see what they say!

Regardless, be prepared for some harsh criticism if you try out and make it to rounds 2 and 3.  When I sang in round 2, Nigel told me that if I had children with William Hung, even our children wouldn't be able to sing.

Myth 5: You get to choose the song(s) that you'll sing

Did you ever see all those people in the audition shows singing songs like the Star Spangled Banner just absolutely butchering it and/or forgetting the words? I seriously would say to my husband, "Why would they sing that song if they don't know the words?" I really didn't understand it but so many people would do that. Well turns out, they make you sing other songs in round 2 and sometimes it'd be the National Anthem!

Myth 6: Everyone gets to sing in front of the judges

Until I tried out for American Idol, I actually thought that every person we saw on tv was singing in front of the judges (Simon, Paula and Randy). Most of them weren't!

They record your auditions in round 2 in front of the producers. A lot of the really bad singers that were showed on tv, but not in the same camera shot as the judges were actually being filmed in round 2! Sure some bad singers do make it to the judges in round 3, but most don't.

1. If you're going with a friend who is trying out, make sure you both have a set of car keys or transportation options independent of each other. My husband didn't make it past round 1 so he had to leave immediately. I made it to round 2 and I had the car keys so he had no way to get back to the hotel or to come get the keys from me.

2. Be yourself. Don't try to act or dress the way that you think the judges want to see you. Sure, some folks with crazy gimics do make it to rounds 2 and 3 just because of that, but most don't.  Focus on your singing and song choice!

3. Be prepared to sing songs other than the ones that you prepared. If you make it to round 2 and 3, you will most likely be asked to sing other songs like the Star Spangled Banner, etc.

4. Be prepared to fight for yourself! If you really believe you deserve a chance to sing in front of the judges, then fight for it! Remember you're ultimately trying out for a television show and they tend to like feisty people.

5. Show personality! You may be a great singer, but if you're a wallflower or just assume your voice will speak for itself, you're wrong! There are tons of excellent singers that get passed up because they don't show any personality. If you are one of those singers who happen to actually get the golden ticket to Hollywood, you will not last long without showing personality and getting the judges and the tv audience to connect with you!

6. Knock the chip off your shoulder before you try out! Even if you're a good singer, you could get rejected and or critiqued unfairly or harshly.

7. Forget the theatrics!  If you're trying out, then you must know by now that Simon hates singers who are too theatrical or cabaret.