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Over the span of nine seasons, "American Idol" has become a full-on cultural phenomenon and gifted the world with such music stars as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert. But we all know there's a flip side to that coin: "Idol's" so-bad-they're-hard-to-watch auditions, which fans gawk at, and sometimes immortalize, year after year. Some of these aspiring contestants fit into the "shameless attention-seekers" category, while others are simply misguided -- and then there are the just plain freaky ones. In honor of the season 10 premiere of "American Idol" tonight (Jan. 19), here are Billboard.com's picks for the top 10 "American Idol" trainwreck auditions, from "Bikini Girl" to William Hung.
American Idol Season 10 Main Page
10. Nick "Norman Gentle" Mitchell
"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"/"Amazing Grace" - Season 8
Nick Mitchell, known to "Idol" fans as Norman Gentle, also burst onto the scene during Season 8 with his sparkly shirt and sweatband, flamboyant personality and diva-esque performances. His alter ego Gentle's over-the-top theatrics were a turn-off for Simon, who wished the singer would take the comedy out of his act -- "I don't want you to be funny, I just want you to be serious," he said. But the rest of the panel was sold on Gentle and put him through to the Hollywood round, where he made it to the top 36 before being sent home.
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