It's time once again for reality TV wannabes to publicly embarrass themselves as the second season of the popular Crowbar Idol competition gets off and running every Tuesday night.

The first round is in the books, but auditions will continue for the next four weeks at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave., and 50 lucky (or talented) contestants will be selected to move on to the competition rounds.

Along with the top 45 contestants, determined by the judges' point system, the audience votes for a favorite each week to advance. "It's set up to increase attendance and give everyone a fair shot to determine who is the real Crowbar Idol," said guest judge DJ Mike Jax ("call me The Mayor") from Hot 107.9.

As if that were not enough, other prizes are a trip for two to Orlando, $1,000 in cash and three hours of recording time at the Audible Images Recording Studio in Pittsburgh.

Last Tuesday marked the first step toward the podium. Nine contestants sang their hearts out before the rotating panel of judges, which included Jax, summer Crowbar Idol runner-up Melanie Morrison and former Velveeta member Matt Zelenz.

But before the real struggle could begin, Morrison broke the ice with a rendition of Blu Cantrell's "Hit 'Em Up Style" that nearly brought the almost-empty house down.

After that, there was no looking back. The karaoke standards such as "Light My Fire" by The Doors and Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" were to be expected, but no one was prepared for the rap that contestant Shan-Dun had written himself.

The judges were unanimously impressed.

"Your rhyme was tight," Jax said in a post-performance critique. "You stood up there like the lyricist that you are and just spit it."

Zelenz solicited a shout-out from the crowd in honor of the first ever Crowbar Idol original song, and Morrison agreed.

"Yeah, it was good," she said.

"Too Good to Be True" even, which was in fact the next song and seemed to necessitate a bathroom break for some, including contestant Bill Rockwell.

While waiting to perform Skid Row's "18 and Life," Rockwell took a moment in the men's room to prepare his act.

"Dude, I'm ready," he said. "I just couldn't get up and do this, but I've got a good buzz on; I'm good to go. I'm just gonna get up and throw it out there; I don't give a [expletive]."

Unfortunately, the judges weren't scoring on brass. "First of all, I love your shirt," Morrison told him. "Yeah, you're a tool."

She may have been going for a play on words regarding Rockwell's Tool, (the band), T-shirt, but it didn't stop him from talking back a little.

It was the final performance of the night that turned out to be the best received. Cindy Hemen took the stage to shrieks of "You go, girl!" and delivered a sultry rendition of "I Will Survive" that garnered huge applause.

"I really thought you were kicking some guy out of your house," Zelenz said.

Jax was also convinced, but by another piece of the act. "I liked the way you were shaking your booty around up there," he said.

Hemen's supporters assured her the popular vote and a spot in the competition rounds. Other contestants may still come out to remaining audition rounds.