American Idol Joke Contestants Like Bikini Girl swimsuit model Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell

Why Is 'American Idol' Rewarding Joke Contestants Like Bikini Girl?
Somehow, Katrina Darrell and Nick 'Norman Gentle' Mitchell make it through first round of Hollywood Week.

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Winning "American Idol" feels great. But as any contestant will tell you, being on "Idol," especially during the soul-crushing Hollywood Week, does not.

For the most part in the past, "Idol" hopefuls who make it to Hollywood are serious singers who really think they have a shot at winning, with the costume-wearing, prop-toting jokers mostly weeded out during the audition weeks or not given screen time on the big stage in Los Angeles.

But a pair of singers — swimsuit model Katrina "Bikini Girl" Darrell and stand-up comedian Nick "Norman Gentle" Mitchell — who made it through the first round of Hollywood Week on Tuesday night's show called into question whether that maxim is still true and whether prime-time minutes are being squandered on joke acts who have no intention of really winning the competition at the expense of more focused singers.

"As an 'Idol' fan, I was more angry about those two fools hogging more screen time, when contestants I actually cared about were cut," said resident MTV News "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello. "Hollywood Week is supposed to be 'Idol' fans' gift, after a month of shticky auditions. We watch the audition episodes for the comedy. We watch Hollywood Week for the nail-biting, hair-pulling drama. It's disappointing that producers got it wrong this year."

A spokesperson for "Idol" could not be reached for comment at press time.

Darrell has been controversial since the moment she stepped in to audition in Phoenix. Female judges Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi were not impressed with her bikini-and-heels getup, with DioGuardi actually singing down Darrell and calling her a bi---. The male judges, however, fawned over the model and seemingly put her through on looks alone.

Darrell was back in Hollywood, still kissing Ryan Seacrest on the mouth more than the show's host seemed comfortable with, but wearing a short dress and, again, not impressing the female judges. The tension in the room was palpable, as both Abdul and DioGuardi said they initially liked Darrell's take on Faith Hill's "Breathe," but that, in the end, it just wasn't good enough.

After calling DioGuardi "rude" and claiming the new judge was "insecure" in a taped segment before taking the stage, the best Darrell, 20, could get from the professional songwriter was the snide quip "You're a beautiful girl." But, DioGuardi added, "When you started the song, you were better than the last audition. ... You had me there for a moment thinking maybe I was wrong. But actually, I think I was right."

Simon Cowell, normally the stern, all-business judge, was mocked by his female cohorts (who advised the acerbic judge and pal Randy Jackson to bring their stripper poles to the Kodak Theatre for the next round) and made farting noises with his mouth during Abdul's comments. Both men, seemingly crazy for Darrell for more than her just-OK singing, enthusiastically waved her through. It was one of the first instances when Cowell — who is often seen looking away from contestants so as to focus on their vocals only — has so blatantly appeared to judge with his eyes more than his ears.