Neil Goldstein
Contestant #2488
Neil starts out by saying, "I have an IQ of 168. That makes me a pretty smart guy."
Neil is a self-proclaimed geek who says, "In my heart is the love to perform. The love to touch the souls of others. To exhilarate, to exaltate, to exalt in what it is is to be human: To be vulnerable, to have strengths and weaknesses and passions and loves and hates and everything bundled up inside . . . until you can let it out."
Neil came into the audition room with a thick layer of sweat covering his face. He sang Meatloaf's Rock and Roll Dreams Come True and Simon called it ironic when Neil sang the opening line, "Remember everything that I told you" and then forgot the next line. After being told that he wasn't cut out for the music business, Neil refused to leave and seemed to take the view that if he confidently said that he was going to Hollywood enough times, it would actually happen. Simon asked him if he was going to leave with or without an escort and Neil said he could walk himself out.
On his way out, Neil told Simon not to hit anyone else with the door, which Simon does not understand. We then see previous footage where Simon hits Neil when he opens a door — Simon did not apologize Neil after hitting him.
In his exit interview, Neil said, "I think American Idol really lost out today. I really do think that in the grand scheme of things, they are going to be the bigger losers."
