Behind the Scenes with American Idol Contestant Sarah Burgess

Sarah Burgess is the typical girl next door... with an incredible voice. This 19-year old beauty from Ohio made it to the Hollywood week of the season 6 American Idol auditions, and she just might be the next American Idol.

Sarah remembers, "Ever since the show aired its first season, I said, 'Someday, that'll be me!" And she might just be right! When Sarah sang in front of celebrity judges, they were impressed with her voice and her passion. As Sarah commented, "Like Simon said, I'm a tryer, and I'm going to keep on trying to be the next American Idol."

When we at home watched the American Idol auditions, we only caught a brief glimpse of what contestants endured. When Sarah Burgess auditioned in New York City this past summer, it had been a two-week journey by the time she sang in front of Randy, Paula, and Simon.

First, she waited in line for hours upon hours, just to get a wristband to come back the next day. When she came back the next day, producers liked her and sent her on to the next round, the following day. This time, after a very long day, executive producers gave the go ahead for an audition in front of the celebrity judges... two weeks later. All the while, Sarah hid her quest from her father, whom she said would be very upset if he knew what she was up to.

If you saw the New York auditions on television, you might remember Ryan Seacrest supporting Sarah as she called her father, who didn't even know she was in New York. When Sarah explained that she had skipped school to audition, and gave him the good news that she was going to Hollywood, he was not upset at all! Since the audition, Dad and other family members have been extremely supportive.

Sarah believes that, if she does make the finals, her family and friends will continue to support her one hundred percent of the way. Even if she does not make the finals, she feels that her exposure on American Idol could really help to further her musical career.

So will Sarah be the next American Idol? Hopefully that will be up to us to decide. As Sarah remarked, "I'm not trying to be someone I'm not. I'm just Sarah Burgess. I have a voice that I believe is very different from others, and I think American will recognize it."