Judges Turned Down a Blind Contestant

Some might remember Mackenzie from season 3 of “The Voice” in 2012, but with a few more years under his belt, the understated singer-songwriter turned in a smooth medley of J-Lo, Keith and Harry songs. Harry says he’s smart to do that and says it was charming and he has a quiet thing that’s interesting. They rewarded him with a golden ticket to the Hollywood rounds, which will be broadcast next week. She’s predominately a dancer, and she’s self-conscious about her performing skills as a singer.

Amelia Eisenhauer, 15, from Tennessee, brings a Samurai sword with her to the audition…though she doesn’t bring it into the judges’ room, opting for a fiddle instead as she belts out “Many Rivers To Cross” by Annie Lennox.

Jenna Renae is a cute 23-year-old from NY, and she plays piano and soulfully sings Eric Paslay’s “She Don’t Love You”. Not only was he creative in his choices, but he also had a attractive voice.

Andrew and Aaron Birdwell are self-proclaimed “nerds” and brothers from MI, and they do the unexpected: they audition by performing a duet!

Mario Vons was born with a degenerative condition that left him totally blind by age 10, and after a pissed-off rebellious period that almost left him institutionalized, he ended up a high-energy happy-go-lucky man who sings Natalie Cole’s “Inseparable” to honor his grandmother. She decides to leave it out of her audition. The judges all said no to Bond, and he did not advance. He was on American Idol season 4 toting a guitar, a headband, and really long hair.

Adam Lasher was one of those contestants, and the other was Emily Brooke. “You got so much better”, Lopez instantly said when Brooke finished singing.

Who were your favorites, and do you agree that a lot of middle-of-the-road talents are moving on this season?

Wednesday’s new Idol will take the judges across the country with auditions from Atlanta, Georgia; Little Rock, Arkansas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Francisco, California in hopes of discovering that one diamond in the rough. Sound off in the comments, below.