Ben Mulroney leads countdown

Kicking off its second season with a coast-to-coast countdown, Canadian Idol returned to primetime television Tuesday to begin its nationwide search for the country's next pop superstar.

The premiere episode showcased the first batch of sacrificial singers ready for slaughter from Ottawa and Toronto. Back to working the chopping block were judges Farley Flex, Jake Gold, Sass Jordan and Zack Werner.

"Last year, I was just picking good singers. Now, I know it takes more than that," Gold explained as auditions began.

The first stop was Ottawa, where judges heard 1,000 auditions and handed out 22 gold tickets to Toronto to winners to move on to the next level of auditions.

Ottawa auditions

Armed with a megaphone, roving reporter Jon Dore was back to meet and greet the new crop of wannabes who showed up to impress -- and depress -- the judges.

First up was Ottawa native Anastasia Filippova. Dressed in pink she tried to tickle the judges into giving her a gold ticket with her rendition of Aerosmith's "I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing." But, the only "Gold" she got was Jake, who flatly told her, "You’re terrible."

With no future Ryan Malcolms in sight, Ottawa rolled out the next best thing – Ryan Malcolm – the Idol champ who auditioned in the same city last year. Clad in blue jeans and a T-shirt, Malcolm worked the crowd, signing autographs and assessing some of the talent.

But back in the audition room, the freak parade was non-stop. Dressed in an 80s-style prom dress and singing Britney Spears out of a cardboard box-turned-car, Jackie Hanna slammed into a wall of unimpressed judges, with Zack Werner urging Hanna to reverse her car out of the room.

Outside, Mulroney and Dore dabbled in some of Ottawa's winter activities with a friendly ice-sculpting competition and a leisurely skate on the Rideau Canal – the world's longest ice-skating rink. As usual, Mulroney played the straight man to Dore's comical character – this time dressed in a tight fuchsia figure-skating outfit.

Brossard, Que.'s Serge Cayanong's soulful rendition of Richard Marx's "I Will Be Your Man" finally provided the judges some respite from the day's wave of atrocious singers. Farley Flex, noted though that Serge's image needed improving from its current "trailer park meets R&B" look.

Well into the evening, the judges plowed through one hopeful after another with no gold tickets handed out. One competitor, 24-year-old Krista Allen, had much to say about the treatment she received from the judges, whom she claimed ignored her.

"Honestly, they can kiss my a**. Are you gonna put that on TV?" asked Krista. "Because they didn't listen to me. They're a**holes."

But, they did listen to Gatineau's Anmary Legault -- the trained electrician who electrified Werner and the gang with her honesty and grace. They also heard loud and clear Andrea Gal, the last person to audition in Ottawa that night, who sent the judges home to bed with visions of Idols dancing in their heads.

"Today, I have not been inspired. Until now," Gold remarked.

Toronto auditions

With the Idol comb-through in Ottawa wrapped up, it was on to Toronto to face the massive crowds of wannabe superstars.

Toronto's special guest star was reigning Norwegian Idol and World Idol, Kurt Nilsen. The plumber-turned-pop star and father of two spoke to the pumped-up thousands who flocked to the SkyDome for auditions. With his gift of gab, Nilsen doled out some advice: "Sing as hell and have a good time. I mean it."

Toronto's impressive lineups, however, also meant an impressive roster of Idol rejects. From peppy mouseketeer-candidate Allison McAuley to Atm Muttakin who screeched "Rhinestone Cowboy," the television judges had plenty to sift through during three days of auditions.

Diane Archer, the 21-year-old from Woodstock, managed to break from the pack to score herself a gold ticket. Though she didn't bowl the judges over, outside the room she vowed to the judges, "I'm a-give it to you."

Toronto also rolled out its resident IWAs – Idols With Attitudes. Adriano Lawson-Bailey poked fun of Werner's pants for being too tight after he was given the distinction of being "the worst singer they’ve heard in the entire country."

Misty Tassone's song, "The First Cut Is The Deepest" took on a new meaning after Werner's sharp comment burst the singer's ego.

"You should spend a lot less time going to competitions and a lot more time learning how to sing," Werner stabbed.

"You're just being a jerk," she shot back. "Everyone who's ever heard me sing thinks I'm amazing."

After a few more verbal zingers of back-and-forth bickering, she finally left, smoke billowing out her ears.

Countering the sour taste left behind by the previous singers, Amy Baillargeon's too-cute-even-for-Disney routine of The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" stuck to the judges like heavy molasses, landing the jittery blonde a gold ticket.

Because Canadian Idol is more than just a singing competition, viewers were introduced to the personal stories of two competitors. Joshua Seller, from Brigden, slept in his car for five days in order to chase his dream of becoming a singer.

He blew the panel away. Werner even told him he was one of the best singers he's seen so far.

Brock Groombridge, an awkward 16-year-old, sang to the family cows and chickens as he tended to them in their farm in Schomberg, Ont. before taking a shot at becoming an Idol.

Though Gold insisted Groombridge couldn't sing, the rest of the panel was touched by his attitude and handed him a ticket anyway.

Capping the episode was a tribute to the parents of the competitors, who were often seen hugging and consoling their teary-eyed children after their journey to stardom abruptly ended.

Next on Canadian Idol: The judges dish out more scathing criticisms and hard-earned gold tickets to the hopefuls from Halifax, St. John's and Montreal. Episode 3 heads out west featuring auditions from Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver.

In the second week, viewers will watch the drama unfold as Canadian Idol's "Top 155" is reduced to the "Top 32."

Eye on Idol