Hopefuls Pack Heinz Field To Audition For "American Idol"
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Thousands of wannabe superstars converged on Heinz Field today in hopes of eventually getting that golden ticket that will send them to Hollywood.
After a two-day registration period, the auditions for popular reality television show "American Idol" were held at Heinz Field. The auditions got underway around 11 a.m.
Chris Bohinski, from Wilkes-Barre, lost 80 pounds for his audition.
"I was always a star," he said before heading into Heinz Field.
The age range for the competition is 15- to 28-years-old, but that didn't stop Beverly Wheeler of McKees Rocks.
"So, they called the producer over and he says, 'Tell me one reason why I should let you sing,'" said Wheeler. "I told him, 'I'm gonna rock this place.'"
Those who make it through today's round will sing for the producers one more time in a few weeks. If they make it through that round of the competition, they'll sing for the actual judges of the show.
People have traveled from far and wide for this opportunity because Pittsburgh is the only audition site on the upper East Coast for the show's 11th season.
Earlier this week, Patrick Lynn who is the supervising producer of the show said the search for the next American Idol is like looking to find lightning in a bottle.
"So far this year, and we're only four cities in, this is our biggest crowd and it's all north of 12,000," said Lynn of the Pittsburgh auditions.
With the thousands of people heading over to the North Shore early this morning to get over to Heinz Field, there were some traffic back-ups and delays. So, local officials are asking people to have patience and allow for some extra travel time.
RELATED LINKS:
Heinz Field
"Idol" Hopeful Talks About His Experience So Far
"Idol" Hopefuls Line Up At Heinz Field For Shot At Stardom
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