In March 2011, I decided to audition for “The X Factor,” which is a talent show searching for a new singing superstar. Simon Cowell wanted to bring this show to the United States after seeing much success with it in the United Kingdom. The grand prize was a $5 million recording contract.
Auditions were held in Los Angeles, CA at the L.A. Sports Arena; an indoor stadium known for hosting concerts and prestigious sporting events. People hoping to try out were told to begin lining up outside the arena on March 26, 2011 to obtain a wristband for an audition spot.
Day 1
The first day began early in the morning on a Saturday. The long line of people hoping to receive a wristband was filled with wannabe pop stars with little experience as well as veterans of the music industry who had tasted success in the past.
Once we had filed into the line, we stood stagnantly in the cold and darkness of the early morning. Finally, after a few hours, the line began to move. It took me about five hours to finally get my wristband. We were then instructed to come back for the first round of auditions the next day.
Day 2
We were told once again to line up outside the stadium. Before we were allowed to enter, organizers of the show wanted to film some exterior shots of the crowd before everyone headed inside for their auditions. We were told to dance and look lively, even though most of us were anxious just to get inside the arena to begin the first round of tryouts.
Once inside, we were instructed to find our assigned seating number that came with our wristband. People were taken down in sections onto the main floor of the stadium to begin their auditions. The celebrity judges were not present during these earlier rounds. Instead, producers sat inside booths that were slightly smaller than an average office cubicle. People who journeyed inside these booths were instructed to sing a cappella. After just a few seconds of singing, they were either told that they would be advancing to the next audition round, or that they had been eliminated from the competition. The singers who advanced were taken through one hallway; while the people who were eliminated had their wristbands cut off with a pair of scissors and were instructed to leave the stadium immediately.
Finally, after about six hours, it was my section’s turn to go down and audition. Once I finally stepped inside the booth, I was met face to face with a producer and her assistant. The producer kindly asked me a few questions about myself and then instructed me to sing. I sang a rather hokey remixed version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” The performance thankfully was amusing enough to advance me to the next round.
After the audition, I had to wait in two other long lines to fill out a series of paperwork. I was then instructed to come back to the same stadium the next day for the second round of auditions.
Day 3
Once again, we were instructed to form a long line outside the stadium and wait before we were allowed to enter. The sun began to poke through the clouds that day and warm up the temperature, which made waiting outside in the heat much more difficult.
After several hours, I finally made it back inside the arena. We had to wait inside a hallway located just outside the stadium’s main performance area. We were told that we would be called in by groups to go onto the main floor inside the stadium and audition one by one for a producer inside one of the booths. During the waiting period, many singers demonstrated their amazing vocal abilities in the holding area.
I later realized I had been sunburned by the blistering sun outside, and my skin looked like a bright red tomato. I didn’t anticipate that we would have had to wait outside for so long considering that there were not as many people present for the second round of auditions.
After my group was finally called, it was my turn to enter the booth; sunburned face and all. The producer asked me to sing the song I had sang the day before. As I once again nervously sang my way through the remixed version of “The Star Spangled Banner,” I could feel the fatigue from the day catching up with me; making it difficult to fully articulate. The producer stopped me mid-song and told me I had been cut. Somewhat relieved, I left the booth and prepared to make my journey home.
On my way out of the arena, I met up with a fellow contestant who had also just been eliminated. He expressed his joy to finally be going home after the long audition process. I also shared in the sentiment.
Concluding Thoughts
Even though the experience was enjoyable, I do not believe that I would ever try out for this or any other reality show in the future. The lengthy audition process is not something I would want to go through again, although I am grateful for the experience.