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What Happened To Fantasia's Brother's 'Idol' Audition?
If you pay attention to the message boards and spoiler sites for "American Idol" then you'd know that there has been a lot of talk about season three winner Fantasia Barrino's brother, Ricco. Ricco tried out for "Idol" this year at the Dallas auditions, which aired last night. He was expected to be on the show. There had been a false report that he had made it to the Hollywood rounds but as it turned out he was cut in Dallas and never got the golden ticket.
On a conference call last week, someone asked Simon Cowell his thoughts on Ricco,
"He was terrible. Absolutely dreadful…. he can't sing. I remember thinking, 'Oh great – Fantasia's brother has come in,' and it was all fantastic until he started singing and then I think we disputed the fact that he really was Fantasia's brother because he hasn't got his sister's talent."
I asked Nigel Lythgoe about Ricco on Monday and he too had some pretty negative comments,
"It just shows you that talent doesn't flow in one area in the family. Fantasia was probably at the front of the cue when talent was handed down by God and her brother was in the back. He missed out."
Ouch!
Now, as a producer it sounded like the type of story they would definitely be telling on "Idol." We even pre-booked him for an interview for our show this morning. Last night we watched and watched... and watched. Nothing. No Ricco. Not even a mention of his name at all in the show.
So, what happened?
I'm being told that the reason it didn't air is because Fantasia intervened. Though he doesn't have a record deal, Ricco is working his way to be a professional singer. He's put out a few singles and has a pretty good fan following as a hip hop artist. The story I'm being fed is that Ricco was very upset at what happened at the audition. He felt he messed up and his nerves got to him. He didn't want it to air and portray him negatively since he really is a singer, so he called up Fantasia and asked for her help. I'm told she made some phone calls to the "Idol" folks and asked that he be taken out of the show.
I have a hard time believing that Fantasia, who was a winner four seasons ago, has any pull over what the producers do with their show.
So, take this one with a 'dish of salt.'
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for Ricco to call me back. I'm told he was in the recording studio last night and is currently sleeping. (I told you he was a singer!) So, if he does I'll update you on what he said.
What happened to Access Hollywood on KCTV 5 at 6:30 CDT out of Kansas City?
i freakin love yuh tasia!!2 dha fullest!@