Secret Rituals of American Idol Auditions Exposed
Richard Rushfield wrote an article for The Daily Beast covering the myths and reality of audition process of American Idol.
"... when the contestants ultimately are to appear before the judges on camera, a producer announces to the assembled: 'Some of you are here because you are really good. Some of you are here because you are really bad.' (Whether anyone who is terrible realizes that the disclaimer applies to him or her is another question.)"
Vote for the Worst covered this a couple of years ago too.