CARIBOU, Maine — Dustin Mancos, owner of Winnie’s Restaurant in Presque Isle and a resident of Caribou, had the experience of a lifetime last month when he auditioned for one of the most famous music competition shows in the country.
During the first week of September, Mancos drove over 12 hours from northern Maine to Buffalo, New York, to audition for “American Idol,” the famous reality show in which contestants compete week after week for a shot at first place and a major recording contract. Mancos did not get a chance to audition in front of the current crop of celebrity judges — Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan — but he did have experiences that he won’t forget any time soon.
“I left on a Friday night and drove nonstop to Buffalo except for when I stopped for awhile in New Hampshire. I got there 10 minutes before the auditions started and then I had to wait 7 ½ hours with everyone else for a one-minute audition,” Mancos said.
Although the TV audition episodes emphasize contestants’ performances in front of the celebrity judges, Mancos noted that his audition process was unlike what most people watch on TV. First he had to submit two online videos — one that was a singing audition and another in which he introduced himself, stated where he was from and why he thought he could be the next “American Idol.”
Mancos recalled that in Buffalo, the auditions took place in a large outdoor tent, where five low-level producers for the show were put in charge of judging select groups throughout the day. All contestants had to sing acapella unless they played their own instrument, which Mancos did not.
Despite his love of music, Mancos said that before his audition he had never sung in front of anyone except his employees at Winnie’s. In Buffalo, he sang “Down on the Farm” by Tim McGraw and remembers being so nervous right before his audition that he nearly forgot the lyrics.
“Ten minutes before I auditioned I got out my phone and started reading the lyrics. Then this girl behind me, whose name I found out was Cassidy, tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Put the phone away and just sing,’” Mancos said. “So when my turn came I just started singing and then it was over.”
Though many “American Idol” contestants dream of a career as a famous singer, Mancos noted that such never was his goal with the audition. He enjoys music as a hobby and said that people have commented on him being a good singer, but it was the question of “What if?” that motivated him to submit that first audition tape.
“I think it’s a good thing for people just to do something crazy, something that scares them and makes them uncomfortable,” Mancos said. “I didn’t want to look back in 10 years and think about what could have happened if I had auditioned.”
Since the cut-off age for “American Idol” auditions is 28, Mancos, who is 26, plans to submit an audition tape for every season during the next two years to see how far he can go. If he were to audition live again, he said he would likely practice singing in front of more people to get their feedback and work on his acapella skills.
But even if he never sings in front of the famous judges or on TV, Mancos thinks the experience of going to the Buffalo audition was more than worth the long, agonizing wait, especially because of the people he met.
“I met a guy who used to sell furniture in Caribou and now lives in New Hampshire,” Mancos said. “It’s funny to think how small the world is and how no matter how far you go, there are people who can travel the same road as you.”
