Michael Becker/Fox

The trio and host Ryan Seacrest took on New Jersey, where they saw a crowd of Jersey Shore wannabes and little winner potential. 

Contestants seemed in awe of Lopez, likely reminiscing over her “Jenny from the Block” days. Yet despite all her star power in Hollywood, she doesn’t turn it on quite like the previous female judges.

Tyler was surprisingly interesting to watch, often singing along with the contestants or screaming with his signature scratchy voice. Still, his occasional flirting became slightly uncomfortable when he told waitress Devyn Rush, “You sound delicious.” 

Hopefully Tyler stops hitting on the contestants or he might become Season 10’s version of Kara Dioguardi and Season 9 contestant Casey James. Still, here’s hoping he continues to bring some of that Paula Abdul crazy back.

Despite the rather peaceful and normal start of the 2011 competition, one person was clearly missing from the panel of judges.

Simon Cowell’s sharp tongue and witty jabs (always done in a wonderful British accent) were sorely needed. His candid explanations and impatience with contestants may have become ritual, but they nonetheless added a distinction between all the niceness on the panel.

Instead of taking Cowell’s absence as a chance to become top “dawg,” Jackson didn’t rise to the occasion to become a clear decision maker. 

In doing so, there were an unnecessary 51 golden tickets to Hollywood passed out. 

Some of the early contestants have potential, but all are far from spectacular. Based on Jersey, Idol 2011 also looks like the “Year of the Babies.” Several of the contestants are under the age of 20 (Idol lowered the age to 15), and they certainly looked, sounded and acted like it. 

Youtube This: 

1. Tiffany Rios, 21 - "Power of Love" by Celine Dion
   With teased hair like Snooki and golden stars across her chest, Rios sang a self-penned song that said Idol needs her for higher ratings. No, it probably doesn't. Her vocals on the second song were okay at best, but the judges still put her through. 
2. Chris Cordeiro, 19 - "My Way" by Frank Sinatra
   So uncomfortably out of tune that Lopez asked Jackson "How did you do this for 10 years?" 
3. Michael Perotto, 19 - "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner
   The rendition of the chronic nervous burper was all over the place. Tyler asked him "Did you eat a lot of paint chips as a child?" and Randy told him to never sing anywhere. 
4. Yoji "Pop" Asano, 25 - "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus
   A Michael Jackson lover dressed like a Japanese pop star, Yoji pulled out some Asian boy band dance moves that viewers are sure to envy.  

Watch Out For: 

1. Robbie Rosen, 16 - "Yesterday" by The Beatles
   In a wheelchair at a young age, Robbie's journey is already inspirational. After watching "Idol" for nine seasons, he finally got to audition. While his final notes were a little iffy, he has a good voice and a lot of potential. 
2. Melinda Ademi, 16 - "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys
   The young daughter of Kosovo war refugees, Melinda was surprisingly confident. She sang the song straight and did it well. It'll be interesting to see whether she can maintain good control later on in the competition. 
3. Devyn Rush, 20 - "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday
   The singing waitress that caught Tyler's eye was confident and sultry. While the judges weren't a fan of her clothing, they loved her voice.