Ex-'American Idol' contestant sues producers, claims she was made a 'laughing stock' on national TV
Normandy Vamos, 30, appeared on the 'American Idol' stage in season 20. She introduced herself in a high-pitched, cartoonish voice, which the judges liked and even prompted Luke Bryan to ask, “It looks like you have come out of a children’s program.” However, after a brief intro, as soon as Vamos began performing ‘Proud Mary,’ Katy Perry commented, “F*** this job! I’m out of here. I will not be set up.” Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan were both surprised to see Perry walk out the door. Vamos, seemingly disappointed, asked, “Is she gonna come back?”
Vamos begged Perry to come back, and she did, asking Vamos to perform. As soon as Vamos finished singing her song, Perry exclaimed, “I want to hear her do Adele,” and Vamos sang Adele's ‘Set Fire to the Rain,’ which was loved by all 3 judges. However, the shock came when the Baltimore singer revealed in a press release that her audition was staged. Per the New York Post, Vamos shared that ahead of the producers asking to leave the hotel and drive home and retrieve a carrot-shaped purse for the singer, she claimed she wasn't reimbursed for.
Vamos revealed that everything was a setup to deliberately grab headlines and make it viral. It was not only the looks she carried but also the striking contrast in her high-pitched speaking voice and her lower-pitched singing that would give a lot of fodder for the judges. According to Vamos' press release, the moment when Perry stormed out of the door, producers instructed her in how to appear and sound, ensuring that she looked like a “laughingstock." Vamos said during the press release, “Reality TV isn’t always real. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes,” Vamos said. “I and hundreds of people worked about a week with no pay. I think a lot of reality TV participants aren’t aware that they have rights.”
Per Entertainment Now, even though Vamos got 3 yesses during the audition, she did not appear for the 'Hollywood Week' round. The outlet reported that Vamos explained her absence on a TikTok video, where she told her fans, “I got a call from Fremantle, and they told me that I would not be going to ‘Hollywood Week,’ and this is very, very common because they get hundreds of people that they give yeses to, and so not everyone can go to ‘Hollywood Week’ because too many people.” Following this, the singer filed a lawsuit that claimed that although the contestants were made to sign 'work-for-hire' contracts, they were not paid as employees and were forced to work as volunteers, were not given adequate time off for meals, and also maintained the right to record them secretly.
The aforementioned outlet reported that even though the case is still pending, Vamos has been busy with her music. Recently, the singer has released a new single, ‘Sweetest Jam, on her YouTube channel. Despite her 'American Idol' experience, Vamos has a loyal fanbase with 1.51k subscribers. One fan gushed, "OMG, I’m obsessed. Please, please do more songs. This song is amazing. You are so freaking talented. I saw your story on American Idol. You can’t let that stop you. I’m sure it’s hard to get jobs now, but girl, you are talented, and I just want to hear more. Please keep producing anyway you can."
