American Idol 8 kicked off tonight, January 13 with the Phoenix, Arizona round of auditions. In all, 27 golden tickets were handed out in Phoenix and here are the wannabes who auditioned:

Blind contestant Scott MacIntyre was a standout (see video clip above) in both his back story and his audition.

• Tuan Nguyen, 20, Spring Valley, CA – sang “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and rocked a big afro, but was a no for Hollywood.
• Emily Wynne-Hughes, 21, Los Angeles – tattooed and pierced with colorful hair (hey, she’s memorable), Emily sang Heart’s “Baraccuda” by Heart and was given the yes for the next round.
• Randy Madden, 28, Moorpark, CA – sang “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi which Simon thought was wimpy; he was a no for Hollywood.
• J.B. Anfua, 16, Taylorsville UT said American Idol 8 could really help out his family – he was given the yes for Hollywood.
• Michael Gurr, 17, Meza, AZ – oh my, train wreck! Michael sang “Starts With Goodbye” by Carrie Underwood – kinda? sorta? Naturally, he was a no. (also marks the first time Randy hid behind a piece of paper!)
• Xray, 20, Phoenix AZ – sang “Cactus Baby” and didn’t make it through.
• Arianna Afba, 16, San Diego, CA – Arianna was adorable and smiley singing “Put Your Records On” by Corrine Bailey Rae; she made it through to Hollywood.
• Elijah Scarlett, 22, Phoenix, AZ – This was the guy with the crazy-low voice – he was told no for the next round.
• Lea Marie Golde, 16, Los Angeles – a huge fan of judge Kara, Lea is an aspiring songwriter. She sang “Every Time We Touch,” but wasn’t a strong enough singer to make it through.
• Stevie Wright, 16, Phelen, CA – Said she was named after Stevie Nicks and lived up to the hype, singing “At Last” by Etta James. She was an easy yes to Hollywood.
• Michael Sarver, 27, Jasper, TX – sang “Thank You” by Boyz II Men and made it through to Hollywood. Michael had an interesting backstory, working the 5th most dangerous job in the world, married with 2 kids and wants to make a difference for his family.
• Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell, 20, Chino Hills, CA – You gotta have a gimmick, and for “Bikini Girl” that paid off. She sang a sub-par version of “Vision of Love” by Mariah Carey and even got some coaching from Kara. In the end, she got the yes for round 2.
• Eric “Sexual Chocolate” Thomas, 17, Phoenix AZ – Sang “Ribbon in the Sky” by Stevie Wonder and this was an easy no.
• Brianna Quijada, 22, Tempe, AZ – Sang “Let’s Hear it For the Boy” by Denise Williams and made it through to Hollywood.
• Deanna Brown, 25, Louisville KY – Sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding and had a unique sound. Deanna was given the yes to Hollywood.
• Cody Sheldon, 17, Detroit MI – Cody likes to make horror films and has an emo thing going on – very cute, nice voice on “Wonderful World” by James Morrison, he gets a pass to round 2.
• Alex Wagner Thugman, 19, Studio City, CA – Alex is the self-taught singer who learned in his closet and got sick from the mold in there. Aww. He sang “Baby Come to Me” by James Ingram and was given the yes.
• Scott MacIntyre, 27, Scottsdale, AZ – Scott has an interesting story because he’s blind but learned to play the piano. He sang “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel and was fantastic, making it through to Hollywood. Defnitely one to watch in this competition.