If we want to look for consistency in the world, we can be assured music will always exist in some capacity. For centuries, music has evolved through sound and genre evolution, and ways in which we're able to consume music. Through the years, there have been several noted examples of how listeners have consumed music.
The Eighties brought MTV to the forefront of culture, and the Aughts saw the rise of reality television. With American Idol's premiere in 2002, the world was now able to search for the next musician or pop diva! Nearly two decades since its premiere, American Idol has its share of bizarre performances; We're looking back at the performances that have gone too far!
11 'Bikini Girl' Was Stripped Of Talent
If Twitter had been as popular as it is today at the time of Katrina 'Bikini Girl' Darrell's American Idol audition, it's safe to say there would have been a chance 'Bikini Girl' would've been a trending hashtag!
Katrina Darrell was brought back for the season's finale performance after having an ice-cold reception from the judges at her audition. The performance turned heads as judge Kara DioGuardi joined Darrell on stage, dressed in a bikini. DioGuardi later confessed to feeling incredibly "humiliated" by the performance.
10 Sanjaya's Hair Was For The Birds
Sanjaya Malakar quickly became one of the most memorable contestants of American Idol's sixth season, and later the show's history. Malakar's popularity was boosted by the help of the website Vote For The Worst, and also had a memorable little gal in the audience championing her favorite; Remember 'Crying Girl?'
Malakar memorably performed Bathwater by No Doubt while rocking a hairstyle described as a 'Ponyhawk.' Some may think the hairstyle and the performance went too far; the judges were aghast over his rollercoaster performance!
9 Danny Gokey Turns A Dream Into A Nightmare
Danny Gokey was a favorite during season eight. Part of Gokey's appeal to fans may have had to do with his outspoken devotion to his faith, even incorporating gospel music into his performances on the show!
Gokey ambitiously aimed to take viewers to church when he attempted a cover of Dream On, the beloved early tune from Aerosmith. Gokey was feeling confident enough to tackle Steven Tyler's signature vocals, but the performance fell flat; Perhaps his vocals eventually will develop to Tyler's vocal range!
8 Kellie Pickler Experienced A Drop In The Bucket
Kellie Pickler's precious country gal image made her an early favorite in season five, exhibiting great success with her country covers!
Although Pickler could nail a country performance, the idea was briefly 'scrubbed' if you will, when she performed Sara Evans' Suds In The Bucket. The judges were surprised by her song choice, explaining they believed Pickler was "So much better," the performance seemed to oversaturate every element of a country music diva. Despite the judges' lukewarm response, she was safe for the week.
7 Melissa McGhee Felt A Little Superstitious
Melissa McGhee was an early favorite for season five's hypothetical signature "rocker grrrl" singer, however, McGhee experienced a tough situation when she was confronted with singing songs of a legend in the history of soul music: Stevie Wonder!
Wonder is known for his beautiful and crooning ballads, and McGhee tackled one of Wonder's signature tunes, Lately. She not only forgot the lyrics during her mentoring session with Wonder, but she stumbled through them on stage.
The struggles McGhee went through took the performance too far.
6 Kristy Lee Cook Tries To Bring Country To The Brits
When you think of the idea of bringing in 'The Fab Four' into a twangy territory, it may feel nerve-wracking to imagine the results. Kristy Lee Cook ambitiously took on The Beatles' Eight Days A Week for American Idol's tribute to one of Britain's biggest bands of all-time, and the performance seemed to be all over the place.
The judges' reactions to the performance seemed to echo that idea. Simon Cowell even went so far as to describe the performance as "Horrendous."
5 Joshua Gracin's 'Jive' Wasn't So Smooth
When a contestant has a go-to genre they are both defined by and excel at, it seems like a good idea for the contestant to stick to the area where they are able to thrive. This notion wasn't in play when Josh Gracin, a country singer from season two, took on the tune Jive Talkin' by legendary disco dudes, The Bee-Gees.
The resulting mashup of country and disco sounds took the performance off the rails, with Gracin sounding visibly uncomfortable through the performance.
4 Kevin Covais Encounters A Full-Time Mess
Kevin Covais won the hearts of 'Idol' fans globally early on in season five for his babyfaced looks and his so-sweet demeanor. Covais paired his 'good guy' looks with crooning vocals during his American Idol run, but his fan-favorite status didn't stop him from experiencing a not-so-soulful performance of Stevie Wonder's Part-Time Lover.
Covais, who was also lovingly nicknamed "Chicken Little" by his fans, earned a giggly, but positive, response from Randy Jackson, but was met with quite the opposite response from Simon Cowell.
3 John Stevens Goes To The Swamp
Taking a legendary and upbeat bop about crocodiles, remembered as one of Elton John's most beloved singles, is a big job, and season three contestant John Stevens believed he was ready to tackle John's monumental hit.
Elton John, himself seemed to be aware before Stevens took the stage, of the bold choice he was about to make, pointing out the fact Crocodile Rock is well-known for being a novelty song.
The ensuing performance took the notion of a novelty song too far and fell flat.
2 Paige Miles 'Mile-Long' Performance
Paige Miles didn't 'define the odds' when she made the decision to tackle the legendary power ballad Against All Odds by Phil Collins. Her journey to the stage for the final performance didn't start out with promise; Mentor Miley Cyrus seemed to be cautiously optimistic about Miles' performance, giving Miles, who had a cold, "The benefit of the doubt."
Doubt didn't begin to cover it; Miles struggled through the performance so much, to the point where judge Randy Jackson called the performance "Terrible."
1 Renaldo Lapuz Becomes Our Whole Family
Everyone loves a song with the power to unite fans and brighten the mood! Renaldo Lapuz took this notion to the next level in his season seven audition for the show when he sang an original song called I Am Your Brother. I Am Your Brother was a positive ode to close connections, with the judges joining in for an impromptu dance at Lapuz's audition.
The over-the-top positivity didn't end there; Lapuz returned for the finale! Wasn't it time to put the act to sleep?