'Idol' Recap: Hollywood Week Round One

by Bronwyn Berger-Hughes Feb 11th 2011 at 10:43AM

American Idol Hollywood Week Contestants

Hollywood Week kicked off on 'American Idol' last night. See our favorite moments from the show.

Hollywood Week is where the real competition begins on 'American Idol,' and this year there's a lot of talent trying to stick around. This first day of Hollywood Week had the contestants battling in a sudden death style round based solely on their individual performances. Each grouping on the stage has 10 hopefuls being given the chance to sing a capella a couple lines or bars of any song of their choosing. They are stopped and given no feedback by the Judges. After all contestants have sung the judges deliberate to pick who will continue. Five are given the opportunity to continue and five are sent home at the end of the round.

Our resident 'Idol' addicts, Kate and Bronwyn, are ready to share their favorite (good or bad) moments from Hollywood Week beginning with last night's individual auditions.

Favorite Hollywood Week Sudden Death Round One Moment

Bronwyn: This part is so brutal to me, I think it's unfortunate that for some of the contestants it was a matter of the group they were put in. But this is how 'Idol' has always operated and it seems to have worked for all other seasons. That being said my favorite moment was one of the sadder moments last night. Nick Fink and Jaqueline Dunford were Jennifer Lopez's "favorite couple, ever" during the original auditions. But last night Nick chose to sing a song with a slow build. when Randy cut him off before he could really get going, I knew this was going to end badly. And it did. He didn't want to leave the auditorium and even tried to continue to sing to show his worthiness on the way out. Jacqueline, however, showed a great talent and was an easy pass through decision. The question is, will their love truly withstand this test!

Kate: One of my favorite contestants so far this season is Chris Medina. When we first met Chris, he told a story about his fiancée's horrible car accident that left her with a serious brain injury and in a wheel chair. They never got married but he still cares for her. Not only am I cheering for him because of the hardships he's faced but also because he's a fantastic singer. His performance last night continues to make me a Chris fan. I can't wait to see what he does next.

Check out clips of our favorite moments below and then see tons of clips from all the auditions and more. 'American Idol' airs on Fox on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8PM ET.