It’s only a rumor, but…
Click on the jump to hear more.
A poster in the Vote for the Worst forums says Michael Castro, Jason Castro’s little brother, was sent packing during the second round cuts in Hollywood.
This poster has no track record–they could be just someone trolling the forums. But I would not be surprised if it’s true. I’d be shocked to see Michael make it far in the competition.
The producers have a history of casting siblings as fodder. There isn’t a single example of two siblings making it deep into the competition, either together or in separate seasons.
Fantasia’s brother, Rocco Barrino, made it to Hollywood last season and had virtually no screen time during the episode. Simon Cowell mentioned, in passing to an interviewer, that Rocco wasn’t very good…
ETA: Ok, first, a correction. Rocco Barrino did not make it as far as Hollywood. He must have made it as far as the judges, because Simon heard him sing. If he weren’t a sibling, I wonder if he would have made it past the first round
Next, thanks to Tony for reminding me that both the dreaded Brittenum twins from Season 5 made it to the Top 40 that year, before they were disqualified for legal shenanigans. I still think they were fodder. We’ll never know, but if they had lived to move on, I’d bet one of them would have been cut during the Green Mile episode, while the other would have lived to bring his foddery ways to the Top 24. Both of them were given generous screen time for their drama queen antics, not because either could sing very well. Can anyone forget that speech one of them gave when he thought his brother had been cut?
Triplets, twins and siblings too numerous to mention have made their way in front of the judges for their entertainment value. The few who make it to Hollywood, like Shyamali and Sanjaya Malakar and Brooke and Leah Barrettsmith are pitted against each other during the round. In both cases, one sibling was tearfully eliminated first, while the other moved on to the next round–Brooke making it to the Top 40 that year, and Sanjaya eventually into the Top 12.
So You Think You Can Dance is a great example of a TV show that allows siblings to compete because they’re talented, rather than using them purely for backstory. Thanks to Kirsten and Pouncer84 for mentioning that.
I can’t think of one case of siblings who advanced deep into the competition without at least one being fodder.
