Taking risks has sometimes paid off in “Idol’s” 15-season run. But in the case of Danny Gokey’s Season 8 cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On,” that was not the case. Attempting to bring a rock edge to his performance, Gokey simply ended up releasing some unbearable screeching on stage.
Sanjaya Malakar was already Season 6’s biggest joke by the time he came out sporting a “ponyhawk” for a tepid rendition of No Doubt’s “Bathwater, but that doesn’t make it any less awful.
Future “Voice” coach Miley Cyrus proved her chops as a singing competition judge all the way back in “Idol’s” ninth season when she warned Paige Miles that her performance of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds” was “pitchy.” Judging by the final performance, she hit the nail on the head.
Season 10 contestant Jacob Lusk seemed to put more effort into his dance moves than actually hitting the right notes during his performance of Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown’s duet “No Air.”
Better known by his nickname, Chicken Little, Season 5’s Kevin Covais had everyone wishing the sky would fall just to bring an end to his awkward (to put it mildly) performance of Stevie Wonder’s “Part Time Lover.”
“General” Larry Platt became a viral sensation when he auditioned for Season 9 with his own single, “Pants on the Ground.” The song was later parodied by the likes of the “Today” show, Jimmy Kimmel and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.
The most infamous performance in “American Idol” history goes to Season 3-auditioner William Hung, who turned out an enthusiastic — if not technically proficient — rendition of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs.” The audition became so iconic that Hung achieved a minor degree of fame, releasing three albums between 2004 and 2005.
For some reason, “American Idol” producers thought it was a good to objectify the show’s most competent judge, Kara DioGuardi, for some cheap laughs. After she slammed the Season 8 contestant later dubbed “Bikini Girl” over sub-par vocals on Mariah Carey’s “Vision of Love,” DioGuardi was compelled to perform her own rendition of the song on the season finale — in a bikini.
