LAST EDITED ON 02-06-06 AT 07:02 PM (EST)

I read in the dallas morning news that the judges never went to Austin.... Instead they flew some people from Austin to San Fran...

Ryan was there for promo shots....

anybody else hear this?

AI response was they did not think that wasa big deal....

ETA: here's the story....

A common complaint of reality-show contestants: "I was edited badly."

Austin can now chime in – as long as it's not #####'s Tessie Reid screeching the tune.

"What is up with Austin?" judge Randy Jackson asked after a series of performances that went well beyond "pitchy," the common Idol putdown. What was up is that these audition episodes at the start of the season are designed to emphasize the deluded.

"It's not over," Paula Goodspeed said after butchering "Proud Mary." "I'm not going to stop singing because you don't like my voice."

"How did she get through the metal detector?" Simon Cowell wondered, referring to her braces.

An attempt to parody the rejected with a black-and-white mini-movie about zombies was even lamer than it sounds.

A dozen hopefuls were put through to the next round, but only five of them were shown performing. This parade of the sour-voiced has become a rote exercise, yet the huge Idol audience keeps coming back for more torture.

It took a good quarter hour before the first genuine talent hit the stage: Jason Horn, a 28-year-old Longview funeral director who put a look of bliss on judge Paula Abdul's face as he ripped into "You Raise Me Up." He sounded like an immediate contender.

Bedford's Ricky Hayes, 21, a Texas A&M-Commerce student, also stood out with his range and effortless delivery. Two other local yokels – Dallas model Ashley Jackson, 20, and Tyler's R.J. Norman, 21 – scored passes to Hollywood.

Kevin Mitchell, a 27-year-old from Longview, wasn't so lucky. Not particularly good or bad, he was only included because he played up his resemblance to Randy. "My brother from another mother," Randy joked.

Host Ryan Seacrest set up Austin for a fall with his introduction: Could the city live up to its reputation? Not on this show. Leading into a commercial, he promised more "bum steers." And coming back from a break, he asked: "Have we saved the best for last? No."

Tessie Reid's appearance was teased throughout the episode. It turned out, predictably, that there "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to avoid the 17-year-old's frightful emissions.

"I don't think I can do this anymore," Simon said afterward.

After one more of these ridiculous installments, Tuesday from Boston, 175 semi-semi-semi-finalists begin the competition for real.

E-mail mmendoza@dallasnews.com