American Idol just closed out another seasonal round of auditions, and there's an impressive amount of talent now headed to Hollywood for the actual competition. As is the case with every season, though, there were some hopefuls who didn't make the cut, even though they absolutely deserved to advance.
American Idol's fourth season onABC has already felt like it might be more difficult season to guess the winner than in past years, in part because the singing competition left quite a few popular acts behind in the auditions while arguably less talented artists advanced. Here are three of the most egregious snubs of Season 4 that I hope, at the very least, get a chance to make it to Hollywood next season (barring some mid-season twist that allows for redemption auditions).
Jackson Snelling
Indiana native Jackson Snelling became the man of his house at a very young age after his father died of a heart attack, caring for his mother and autistic brother. Snelling even wrote an original song to gently remind his brother during hard times about what happened to their father, and he performed the song with all the appropriate emotion, sounding great throughout. Unfortunately, the judges felt Snelling's performance was good, but that it could be better if he further developed it ahead of returning for another audition next year. Lame decision, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
Ace Stiles
One of the most notable snubs from this season's auditions, Ace Stiles brought something unique to the American Idol auditions that had yet to be seen in the competition, and I don't mean him being a transgender teen. Now that auditions are over, I can confidently say there wasn't a single other audition like Stiles' that was shown on TV. For a show that really seemed like it broke the mold two seasons ago with a unique talent like Alejandro Aranda, one would think prioritizing original acts would remain part of the process. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case, and the show passed on Ace the same night it put through a Pitbull impersonator that had fans raging.
Jeremias Williams
I've watched Jeremias Williams' American Idol audition a couple of times since he was given a "no" to Hollywood, and I still can't figure out what happened. I think with the two other contestants mentioned on this list, there's an argument that both had room for improvement, but that can be said for most of the people who actually made it to the Hollywood round. Conversely, Jeremias' performance of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man" is technically perfect. He hit all the right notes and looked confident while doing it, yet the judges felt like it wasn't enough, and I can't help but think Williams was sent home because he didn't do what they wanted with it, rather than his performance being objectively not good.
Now that the auditions are completely over, I guess there's no point in complaining about all this any longer, but here's hoping all three return for another shot next season. In the meantime, American Idol airs on ABC Sundays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Hollywood week is just around the corner, and pretty soon, it'll be time for the live shows, and TV history has shown it can only get more complicated from here.
