American Idol Betting: Dallas Auditions Produce Odes (and Oh-Nos) to Kelly Clarkson

Kady Malloy, 18, was one of the bright spots in a painful set of auditions in Dallas. (Courtesy of Fox.com)

The American Idol judges went back to the site that delivered them their first superstar. Instead of the next Kelly Clarkson, they discovered a whole bunch of Frankensteins.

One after another singers, jokers, transvestites and karaoke demons did their best to murder “Since You’ve Been Gone” or “Beautiful Disaster.” None of the Clarkson wannabes stood out, but neither did many others.

Host Ryan Seacrest and the producers did their best to turn a 44-year-old Vegas lounge lizard named Renaldo Lapuz into a water-cooler topic, a tactic that showed they’re more interested in finding the next William Hung at this stage than Jordin Sparks’ successor.

It may be a reason why the ratings are down. Lapuz’s singing didn’t make you cringe enough to be memorable, but his adoration of Simon Cowell was definitely weird. His performance ended a night with few highlights.

The most notable performers receiving golden tickets were 18-year-old Kady Malloy, who Cowell predicted “big things for” before sending her on the way to Hollywood, and good ol’ boy Colton Swon, who’s a Chris Daughtry type.

The Bodog Sportsbook already has a plethora of American Idol bets available for wagering, including what city will produce the winner of Season 7. Atlanta is the 2/1 favorite at the moment, while Dallas is second with 5/2 American Idol odds. The Fox show’s auditions continue in San Diego next week, and the Beat will have a report ready.