The dark reality of American Idol? From producers sabotaging contestants' chances to judges feuding over dressing room size, new novel 'exposes ugly truths'

As American Idol gears up for its 12th season, a new anonymous tell-all book about the inner workings of the hit reality singing competition is set to be released.
Elimination Night, a thinly-veiled account of the talent show's tenth season, is touted as a work of fiction; however the book describes itself as 'so searingly accurate... that it had to be written anonymously.'
Though names have been changed (even the show is renamed Project Icon), with a disclaimer that any similarities to the real show are 'coincidental', the book's characters bear an overtly suspicious resemblance to judges Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest.

Elimination Night: A disclaimer says that any similarities to the real show are 'coincidental', but the book's characters bear an overtly suspicious resemblance to judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson

 

Season ten was the first year without Simon Cowell on the panel of judges, with two new stars taking the reigns: Mr Tyler and Ms Lopez.
Written by an unidentified author with 'firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of a top TV talent show,' Elimination Night follows Sasha, a lowly production assistant responsible for the show's new aging rock star judge Joey Lovecraft and Queens-born diva, Bibi Vasquez.

 

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Like American idol, the book’s 'Project Icon' sees itself struggling to win over viewers after the famed tough producer and judge, Mr Horrible, leaves to start a rival show called Talent Machine on the same network.
In real life, the co-founder and judge everyone loved to hate, Mr Cowell, left the show to start X Factor.

Tell-all: Elimination Night is touted as a work of fiction, however the book describes itself as 'so searingly accurate... that it had to be written anonymously'

After Mr Horrible's departure, the show needs a new big name, so executives approach Bibi Vasquez, a singer whose song 'Bibi from the Hood' became an international success. She is known for her outrageous outfits, and in the book is starring with her then-fiance in a universally panned movie, titled Jinky.
For anyone familiar with J. Lo's own career, they will know her hit song Jenny from the Block catapulted her into the subconscious of teens everywhere, and her film Gigli, which she starred in with her ex-finance Ben Affleck, was a flop.
Bibi agrees to appear on the show, but executive must adhere to a 78-page contract, the last 20 of which are devoted entirely to her backstage 'dressing' compound.
The contract stipulates: 'Artist to be paid $60million per year.
'Artist's body to be insured with $1billion dollar policy in case of injury. (Breasts, buttocks to be valued at $100 million each.)
'Crew to be forbidden to make eye contact with Artist at all times.
'Artist to be provided with chauffeur-driven limo... a Rolls-Royce Phantom, white. Artist to select driver (male, under 25) from head/torso shots.'
Meanwhile, Joey Lovecraft is portrayed as a 62-year-old rock star that has just had a falling-out with his band, Honeyload. He meets the Project icon producers on the heels of a rehab stint.
Less than a year prior to making his debut as an American Idol judge, it was announced that Steven Tyler had quit Aerosmith to pursue a solo career, and Rolling Stone subsequently reported that he had checked into rehab for pain management.

WHICH JUDGES HAVE STARRING ROLES IN THE 'TELL-ALL' BOOK?

Elimination Night is a thinly-veiled 'fictional tell-all' of American Idol during its tenth season.
It is touted as a work of fiction; however the book's characters bear an overtly suspicious resemblance to judges Jennifer Lopez, Steve Tyler, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell.

• JD Coolz - Randy Jackson

In the book: JD Coolz is an overweight session player and long-standing judge on Project Icon, who repeats the phrase 'booya-ka-ka!'

In real life: Randy Jackson, a former session player and the last original host left on American Idol, used the catchphrase 'In it to win it' in each episode.

• Bibi Vasquez - Jennifer Lopez

In the book: Bibi Vasquez, a new Project Icon judge, is a singer and actress who grew up in Queens and is known for her insurable derriere and hit song, Bibi from the Hood.
In real life: Jennifer Lopez, a singer and actress who famously grew up in the Bronx, debuted as an American Idol judge in season ten and her song Jenny from the Block was an international success.

• Joey Lovercraft - Steven Tyler

In the book: New judge Joey Lovecraft was the lead singer of rock band Honeyload. He joins Project Icon after a falling-out with his band on the heels of a rehab stint. 
In real life: Steve Tyler, who joined Ms Lopez as a new judge in season ten of American Idol, purportedly quit his position as lead singer of Aerosmith to pursue a solo career before checking into rehab for pain management.

• Nigel Crowther - Simon Cowell

In the book: Project Icon sees its the famed tough producer and judge, Nigel Crowther, nicknamed Mr Horrible, leave to start a rival show called Talent Machine on the same network.
In real life: The American Idol co-founder and judge that everyone loved to hate, Simon Cowell, nicknamed Mr Nasty, left the show to start X Factor which also airs on Fox.

Despite their on-air affability, the book describes the two debut judges as egomaniacs who, when backstage, fight over the sizes of their dressing rooms and who gets announced on air first.
Only two contestants are picked on in the tell-all book, one of which bears a striking resemblance to real-life season ten winner.

Jimmy Nugget, an 18-year-old country singer seems to mirror American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, a 17-year-old country boy from North Carolina.
Since Mr McCreery won the competition, his sexuality has been widely speculated by bloggers. In the book, Mr Nugget openly sleeps with men.

Some of the biggest bombshells, however, aren't directly related to the show's biggest stars. The most interesting revelations come from character Sasha's bottom of the food chain, first-hand insiders view.
Elimination Night depicts the show's producers using a secret rating system to audit prospective contestants before they even make it to the judge’s table during auditions. Then, as the season progresses, producers manipulate and even sabotage the singers they want to see on or off the show.
The book illustrates how a group of 20 production assistants pick the first pool of talent in unrecorded auditions.
Sasha, the book's narrator, describes the experience as unpleasant: 'You’re spat at, punched, kissed, bribed, threatened, flashed.'
At this point, each contestant is given a ticket with a purposefully inverted code so that the producers can track the talent, and manipulate their on-camera reactions.
'N' on a ticket means an absolute 'yes, they’ll go onto Hollywood'; 'X' is a maybe; and a Y' is definite no but 'the kid looks like a crier or a psycho, so roll the cameras.'
The book continues: 'If someone has a good gimmick - y’know, dying kid, mom in prison, amusing facial tic - put a star in the top-right corner.'
A star in the right-hand corner equals more air time, because, the book says, tear-jerking stories are valued higher than talent.
To increase on-screen drama, and to make it look as natural as possible, producers manipulate contestants before they perform with the strategy: 'Tell the singer the very opposite of the truth.'
If the contestant is a wonderful singer, the producers tell them to prepare for the fact they probably will not move on to the next round.
But if a singer is terrible, producers puff up their confidence. The book says this screening process makes the final outcome, and the contestants fate, all the more cinematic.
Meanwhile the star judges are taught to give the most talented contestants plenty of negative signals, such as shaking their heads during the audition process, to add to the tension.