I've been a musician for almost 11 years now. I started out as an 11-year old that wanted to learn guitar, and ended up as a solo artist by the age of 14.
Before my auditions for both "The X Factor" and "America's Got Talent," I performed tons of concerts with a program called School of Rock, which led me to my transition as a solo artist. By the time I was 14, I knew how to play guitar, bass, and keyboard. I was also a vocalist.
My first big achievement as a solo artist was when I got asked by Ed Sheeran to sing with him (if you wanna know the story, here's my TikTok about it). After that, I had my first solo concert at a restaurant in my state, and eventually got nominated for the Colorado Solo Artist Award. Three times.
I used to watch "The X Factor" and "America's Got Talent" religiously, dreaming of being on that stage in front of the judges. When I got word they both were going to be holding live auditions in my state, I quickly signed up.
So, what is the audition process like? If you have seen either of these shows your guess would be that you perform in front of the judges, right? Like there's not-so-talented singers and performers that audition, so it can't be filtered, right? Nope. You're wrong. Let me tell you how it really is.
For both "The X Factor" and "America's Got Talent", the first few rounds of auditions are actually in front of producers.
For "The X Factor," they set up a ton of small black boxes (picture below) where you go in, sing for a producer, and they either give you a ticket, meaning you are going to the next round, or they say no. Fun fact: they're also very picky about appearance; I had braces at the time and the producer didn't even pay attention to my singing and was on her phone the whole time, leading me to believe I got a no because of my appearance.
X Factor Audition round 1Abbey Macias
For "America's Got Talent", you pick a time (morning or afternoon) to audition and you show up. Most of it is a waiting game to audition. You then go into a room with a handful of people and one-by-one audition for a producer. If I recall correctly, they film it. They do not give you a definite answer right away, instead you have to wait a week or so for an email. I got mine when I was at school, and broke down crying in the hallway.
Zoe, a girl who auditioned in the same room as meAbbey Macias
Both of these experiences were really heartbreaking for me, but it didn't discourage me in anyway. What it did do was show me the reality behind these "reality competition shows," and honestly? It's upsetting.
Yeah, these shows get AMAZING talent, no doubt about that. Think about it—Fifth Harmony, Emblem3, One Direction, etc. BUT when the "audition" episodes air at the beginning of the season, there's those few people that are just a cringe fest.
People laugh at them, and I'll admit, I used to laugh. But now, I just feel sorry for them. These people that aren't actually talented that you see auditioning in front of the judges were led on by producers for multiple rounds of the real auditions, making them think they actually had talent...making them think they were actually good, when in reality, they're not. Imagine the heartbreak they feel when they hear so many producers say "yes" just for the judges and audience to laugh at them and make them feel bad.
I could've auditioned for American Idol last year, they were in my city for auditions. People told me to, but I didn't because I don't support the way these "reality" competition shows work. I get that if you throw in the people with no talent, your ratings might be higher, but the way they go about it is absolutely, 100% messed up. No one should ever be led on and lied to just to be humiliated on live TV for ratings. I no longer watch these types of shows, and honestly, neither should you.