Over three weeks of American Idol auditions, both Abbey and I have picked favorites, and we don't always agree, but we both had a favorite in Danelle Hayes, the covers singer from Seattle who auditioned in Denver in a bit to get out of her rut and give herself a break. Her audition may be a little OTT, but she more than made up for it with intensity and raw emotion, one that I rarely see in the show lately. She got four yeses and a golden ticket...

...and unfortunately, that was it.

As the Hollywood round kicks off tonight, Danelle's is a face we shouldn't expect to see. The Seattle Times reported that she did not participate in the second stage of auditions. A spokesperson for American Idol declined to comment further, as it was the program's policy to not comment beyond the littlest of details.

The same goes for Hayes, who said she's not allowed to talk about the show when contacted by reporters yesterday. With that, we can only speculate about why she didn't even have the chance to compete in the Hollywood auditions. So much for the buzz she got immediately after the Denver auditions aired exactly a week ago.

I'll be honest: I did feel that she didn't make it far. I did some digging after Denver, and saw that she has a performance lined up at a Seattle hotel this Saturday. As far as I know, potential contestants disappear just like that when they get in, and here she is, out and about, performing... I think that says a lot.