And The Top 10, Too: From Chicken Soup For The American Idol Soul
Excerpt from Mandisa
American Idol Top 10, Season 5
It was the evening of January 17, 2006, and I was on cloud nine. The premier of American Idol’s fifth season was about to air, featuring Chicago, my audition city. My friends, Chance and Jennifer, were hosting an American Idol premier party for me. They had made a fabulous feast and lit candles throughout the house, and more than twenty of my closest friends had gathered to celebrate and watch my debut. As I chattered excitedly with my friends, I felt like royalty. Chance had “crowned” me with a plastic tiara, while other friends had printed almost a hundred brown T-shirts that said, “Mandisa is my American Idol All Hail the Diva,” beneath a shining star.
The amazing thing was that none of them had even known whether I was still in the running. I already knew I’d been selected for the Top 44, but I hadn’t been able to break my silence and share the news with my friends until tonight. When I did, the room erupted in cheers. I told them I wasn’t sure if tonight’s show would include...