On Idol, things aren't always what they seem

I love JetBlue ... kind of. I've been sitting on the tarmac for close to five hours now in a snowstorm, and while that sucks almost as much as standing in line at Disneyland with kids or having a girlfriend that stops everything for a text message every five seconds, they do have cable TV and a bag of chips for every seat. What American could want anything more? I take that back.

Some guy behind me just let out some nasty smell and it's pretty foul in here now. Whatever the case, though, I got to see American Idol's "Going to Hollywood" Part Two, and the overriding thought for both yesterday and today is how things aren't always what they seem.

I know you're smart enough for me not to have to tell you that; I believe in you America. But, maybe I've got some insights to help you along in your journey to seeing past all the dramatic music and the "I'm sorry, you're not going to go ... home, welcome to the Top 24" verbiage.

There were a lot of people I was happy to see leave the stage tonight; like Tommy and Amanda from yesterday, for example. You can't fake a douche bag. You can smell 'em from a mile away. But you can fake the intensity and the sequence of events in the story -- and, I have a feeling Idol was pretty liberal in their editing. They are a reality show after all.

Obviously the tears are real. And I think all the jumping and shouting for joy is sincere, but giving us the idea that forgetting the lyrics means leaving the show is exaggerated. Things haven't changed much since I auditioned and there were only a handful of people who managed to remember their lyrics on the day of our group performances. I know I forgot mine, along with most of the other finalists. I think it'd be safe to say that showing Bailey forgetting her words was convenient for the storyline, and likewise for Antonella. I'd bet the majority of the others were in the same boat.

I don't remember things being as tense in the holding rooms for us as they seemed to be this season. Although, I do remember a camera crew and producer walking in periodically to remind us that this was a tense situation and to act accordingly, and then they'd shoot some b-roll footage.

We partied a lot. I'm not sure why to be honest, since it was our hopes and dreams on the line. Maybe because we had a lot of Hawaiians (and they're fun), relaxed people or we just needed to let off some steam. Whatever. But, the point is that those moments were a little contrived for us and I'm suspicious of what I'm seeing this year.

It's probably a good thing to question TV magic. You don't want to end up like one of my old roommates in college, who swore that everything you see on Star Trek is real. He was an interesting guy. Maybe I could get him to audition for Idol ... Hmmm, I'm glad that's all over now though, and I'm ready watch the Top 24 and pretend like I actually vote.

[Jon Peter Lewis was a contestant on the third season of "American Idol." He has just released his debut album, "Stories From Hollywood." Visit his Web site, jonpeterlewis.com.]

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