by Paula Love

Created on: April 27, 2009

It was June, 2002 and Fox viewers were seeing promos for a new music-centered reality program called American Idol. The selling point of those early episodes, before pop culture was saturated with Idol references, was the alarmingly torturous auditions of the first rounds.

Theoretically speaking, the job of the judges is to narrow down the field of competitors so that by the time the viewers vote, the only contestants left should be the best of the best. In practice however that isn't always the case. Each season seems to have a small pool of contestants who obviously do not possess the level of talent necessary to be considered some of the best singers in the country, often usurping those more deserving of a top spot.

It's possible that the judges make a lot of poor decisions, but it's more likely that this scenario is purposely created in order to grab ratings. The formula works well, as fans get just as excited about the bad performances as they do about the good ones. Here is a look at some of the most gleefully agonizing voting round performances ever.

Nikki McKibbin - Always Something There to Remind Me

This performance of the 1980s staple by The Naked Eyes was surprisingly not what got Nikki McKibbin eliminated. The vocals were off-key and accompanied by embarrassingly awful choreography. Instead of playing to her strengths, this song highlighted the trouble Nikki has with her lower register. Despite the proclamation by all three judges that Nikki was out of her league at that point, she survived that elimination and the following, to put her in third place during season one.

Elton John Night - Season Three

With the exception of George Huff, LaToya London, and Jennifer Hudson, this was perhaps the worst night in Idol history. Most of the nine performances were terribly off-key, but the worst of the worst were red headed crooner John Stevens singing "Crocodile Rock" and Camile Velasco's rendition of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," the latter of which was elimination-worthy. Elton John night was a perfect example of why the judges always stress "song choice."

Kevin Covais - Part Time Lover

Kevin earned the nickname "Chicken Little" because of his round, youthful, bespectacled face. His youthful look played a big part in why this Stevie Wonder tune was the worst possible choice for him. "Chicken Little" singing about illicit love affairs is wrong on many levels, and he lacked the soulful voice necessary to pull off a Stevie song.

Bobby Bennett - Copacabana

This is what

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