VIDEO: "Barney Dominatrix" Hits American Idol Dallas Auditions
Jan. 28 2010, Published 5:24 a.m. ET
Last season, American Idol watchers were given the bikini girl and on Wednesday night, the show’s Dallas auditions brought them the “Barney dominatrix.”
The contestant, who was given the nickname by judge Randy Jackson, is Texan student Erica Rhodes, 23, a former child performer on the Barney show. Yes, the show with the purple dinosaur. Intent on leaving her childhood days behind her, Rhodes went in front of the judges wearing black leather and carrying a whip.
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Good thing for her, she had a smooth voice that won over the judges- and clearly had an effect on Simon Cowell!
“What’s the big dream here?” Simon asked her. Under his breath, he slipped in the sly- and naughty - line “I know what mine is.” As the judges got control over their laughter over the Brit’s semi-inappropriate comment, Rhodes made her plea, “I want people to know that Barney kids grown up.” Neil Patrick Harris, the guest judge for the first day of auditions, didn’t miss a beat and pointed out her that version of growing up was for them “to be dirty little girls.”
Harris was a great follow-up to spicy Katy Perry who also exerted her authoritative opinion. The show gave an ode to the actor’s head-butting with Simon in a slow montage that included some of their most memorable differences of opinion from the day. Still, the two have more in common than they think. At the beginning of the show, Harris proclaimed that his goal was “to shatter the dreams of thousands.” Sounds like someone we know!
Day one of Dallas brought other shining stars besides the leather-clad Rhodes. Dockworker Lloyd Thomas got Simon’s blessing as his favorite audition of the day and teacher Kimberly Carver had Harris to thank for handing her a golden ticket despite Simon’s protests. “Thank God for Neil Patrick Harris,” Carver said afterwards. “I have to go back and watch Doogie Howser.”
The final contestant of the day was Dave Pittman whose Turrets Syndrome did not affect him only when he sang. Good thing the judges liked what they heard!
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The second day was markedly more subdued. Christian Spear, a sixteen-year old who survived leukemia, got the judging panel’s whole-hearted endorsement.
One downer? Guest judge Joe Jonas who barely spoke a word!
With 31 contestants plucked from Dallas and headed to Hollywood, the show will set its sites on Denver next week.
