Worst 'American Idol' Finalists Ever- #5: Carmen Rasmusen

Posted by thefunnystone on Tuesday, May 04, 2010 at 10:46 PM EDT
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We're teaming with AOL Television to name the 12 worst 'American Idol' semifinalists ever. We'll be posting one finalist each week. Check back next Tuesday for AOL's pick at #4.

Name: Carmen Rasmusen
Season: 2
Worst Performance: 'And So It Goes'
Why We Loved Her (But Everyone Else Hated Her): It's only fitting that the week we vote for Casey James, we do a post about Carmen Rasmusen. Casey may be awesome, but for the best goat vibrato ever heard on Idol, look no further than Carmen.

Carmen Rasmusen was the lucky recipient of an Idol twist during season 2 that never happened again. For the Wildcard show, producers brought back a few contestants that had been previously cut. Because of this, we saw the return of some girl who kept singing that "Angel" song over and over and a quiet girl who later went on to have a sex tape. But the worst of the wildcards was Carmen Rasmusen. She nervously picked "Can't Fight the Moonlight" as her performance and it was a horrific train wreck that easily earned her a spot in the VFTW record books.

The next night, the judges got to pick which of the Wildcards made the top 12. And in a shocking turn of events, Simon picked Carmen to advance. Everyone was shocked and pissed off. But clearly he picked her because the top 12 had no teenagers and the show wanted that demographic represented. What a mistake that was.

Carmen went on to survive all the way to the top 6. She just got worse and worse as time went on. But no performance was as hilarious as her Billy Joel performance, "And So It Goats... I Mean Goes."

Then after inexplicably surviving that, she picked "Love Will Lead You Baaaack," and let out an amazingbleat for her last note.

Unfortunately, she ignored the cardinal Idol rule that you never pick a song about leaving or you will ironically go home. Thus, Carmen went home.

But she left a legacy on Idol that every season must have someone who sings with a ridiculous, uncontrolled goat vibrato. Chris Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, and many others continued Carmen's legacy. And now in season 9, Casey James carries the torch. No one can bleat Carmen's committment to vibrato, and for that, she earns the #5 spot on our list.

Check back next week for AOL's pick at $4.


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Cinemaniac86
Posted: 5/4/2010 at 11:05 PM Reply with quote
Location: Paul's Dance Academy.

I love how this article appears beneath a banner of a goat. Laugh Laugh Laugh Laugh
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Desodera
Posted: 5/4/2010 at 11:14 PM Reply with quote

shock I forgot Randy could say that much!
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TQND
Posted: 5/4/2010 at 11:19 PM Reply with quote
Location: The Queer Next Door

and so it go-oo-oh-oo-es ...

jeez.

Smokey Robinson just looked confused.
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notreallyme06
Posted: 5/4/2010 at 11:43 PM Reply with quote

If I may be so forward as to pick a possible #1 for this countdown:

Season 9. All of them.
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Voting4TheWorst
Posted: 5/5/2010 at 12:37 AM Reply with quote

I remember reading the AI forums for that season. Somebody referred to her as the "Hip Slapping Goat Yodeller". I laughed my ass off. I revised it to "Slap Happy Goat Yodeller" for Casey.

I forgot how innocently cheesy and karaoke the show was. I miss those days. Now it's all tarted up like a tired old whore with all the special lighting effects and loud backup singers and bands and orchestras and even the stray bagpipe player. It's amazing to me how the show can have all of this extra shit now but can suck worse than ever. However, a bagpipe player and a few sheep in the background really would have given the proper atmosphere to Casey tonight.

I've often wondered if Casey and Carmen are related. It's uncanny that they have the same hair and the same charming goat vibralto. If we hadn't seen Casey shirtless, I would have wondered if it was Carmen dressing up as a guy in an attempt to sneak into the competition a second time.

All snark aside, I admit I admired Carmen's ability to take that level of withering criticism in front of the whole country. As I recall, she also had a wicked case of acne from the heavy stage makeup and had to soldier on knowing the camera was zoning in on her badly erupting skin and that America was commenting on it. That kid endured a lot but kept a smile on her face. I admire her. I don't want to listen to her sing. But I think she was one hell of a plucky kid.

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notreallyme06
Posted: 5/5/2010 at 12:40 AM Reply with quote

Quote "Voting4TheWorst":
I forgot how innocently cheesy and karaoke the show was. I miss those days. Now it's all tarted up like a tired old whore with all the special lighting effects and loud backup singers and bands and orchestras and even the stray bagpipe player. It's amazing to me how the show can have all of this extra shit now but can suck worse than ever.

And yet, the only real successful contestants they've ever had came from when it was kind of cheesy and low rent.
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unjaded
Posted: 5/5/2010 at 2:12 AM Reply with quote
Location: madison

i remember one night olivia newton john i beleave was a guest judge. carmen came out with more make up then 4 whores . Paula was all over that and told her dont ever let anybody do that to you again . oh and she sucked at the song . she was a hot little jail bait number though . chris hanson was in the parking lot fer sure eady to nab some perv .
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TheDancingCookie
Posted: 5/5/2010 at 5:34 AM Reply with quote
Location: The Isle of Hate

I remember one of the ads the plot of which had Ruben dreaming about Carmen who was flouncing around in a fluffy dress (Get Out of My Dreams and Into My Car). Of course it should be been Get Out of My Dreams and Into My Mouth...

Gee, the goat thing is even better than I remember.

Oh and Billy Joel is so damn hot it hurts.


Last edited by TheDancingCookie on 5/5/2010 at 5:35 AM
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Smartie
Posted: 5/5/2010 at 7:40 AM Reply with quote
Anorexia Face Location: are they ceiling Lauren fat?? :O

Oh Paula I miss you so. Paula

Wow that last note is AWESOMEEEEEE MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Gawd can we vote for her? Oh wait, we did! Laugh
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Diploid30
Posted: 5/5/2010 at 10:19 AM Reply with quote

She was the Tim Urban that year. Cut during Hollywood week and brought back. Then managed to stay in forever. I believe she also did celebrity Fear Factor.
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