It takes a lot of guts to sing Simon Cowell’s favorite song in front of him, but unfortunately one American Idol contestant didn’t do it justice when he auditioned for Season 6 of the show.
Nicholas Zitzmann was 27 years old when he tried out for the show with a performance of “Unchained Melody.” Is his audition the most cringeworthy one in the history of the show? Check it out and decide for yourself.
Nicholas Zitzmann Sings Simon Cowell’s Favorite Song
Nicholas called himself “a self-taught musician.” He said he chose to sing “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers because of its wide range of notes, insisting he could hit all of them. When judge Paula Abdul pointed out that it’s Simon’s favorite song, Nicholas replied, “That’s what I’ve been told.”
He also told the judges he’s “a leader,” which would apparently make him a good American Idol. However, his audition was less than impressive. Nicholas definitely didn’t hit all the notes he said he would. Eventually, Simon Cowell stopped him from continuing.
“What the bloody hell was that?” Simon asked when he was finished. He called it “one of the worst I’ve ever heard,” adding that it was “almost nonhuman.” Randy Jackson agreed that it was “not pleasant,” and later called him “a strange guy.”
How Did Nicholas Respond To His Rejection?
Nicholas took Simon Cowell’s criticism pretty well, compared to many other contestants. He told host Ryan Seacrest he’s not sure when he’ll sing again, saying “maybe next year.” He added that he’d “review the tape” to see how he should improve.
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However, Nicholas later uploaded a 10-minute response video accusing the show of editing his audition to make him look worse than he really was, saying he “met all my goals for the performance.”
Nicholas’ audition has gone down in history as one of the worst ever on American Idol. Even he admitted “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” in his response video, so we guess he got what he wanted.
