ABC/Image Group LA Even though she barely missed winning season 10 of American Idol — thanks to her pal Scotty McCreery — Lauren Alaina admits she’s a little behind when it comes to the new version of the show on ABC.
“I don’t have cable,” she explains, “so I just watch the clips online at this point. And my mom DVRs it, so every time I go home, we watch it together. It has always been our thing to watch it together, anyway, so it’s kind of more special that way.”
Looking back on her 2011 stint on the show, the recently-crowned ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year admits the thought of Hollywood Week still sends her into a panic.
“Oh, pray for them! Whew! That is a rough week,” Lauren recalls. “The drama and all the stuff that they show is really what’s happening there. They are not making that up. You don’t get a lot of sleep.”
“And at that point in the competition,” she continues, “you’ve been sent to Hollywood Week, but then you start seeing all these other people that are super-talented, and they’re there as well because they’re very talented, and so that’s really nerve-racking. That’s one of the hardest parts of the competition is seeing everyone else. And that makes you nervous.”
Even though Hollywood Week isn’t necessarily a great memory for the “Doin’ Fine” hitmaker, Lauren believes it serves a valuable purpose.
“It’s very, very good for those people who are gonna do really well on the show, because it is like boot camp for the music business,” she says nearly seven years and two number-ones later.
This Monday, American Idol continues with the Showcase Round at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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