Saddest Great American Moment: The entire episode worked on the premise that, more than any group of people on earth (with the sole exception of American Idol auditioners), shitty bands are more oblivious to their own limitations than anyone. Two aging rock bands, Tennessee BBQ-pop band Sizzling Happy Family and Ohio M.O.R. rockers Northmont both promised to quit music, get jobs and take care of their families if they didn t get selected.

After Northmont did a faithful cover of Matchbox 20 s Long Day (sung beautifully by a close-shaven gym-rat who hit every note like he s going to punch it into your cerebral cortex) and an original (featuring a beatboxing keyboard player), the judges agreed that the band wasn t up to par with their forceful frontman.

Stepping off the bus in defeat, the guitar player, presumably going back to New Zealand to reunite with the family he left for rock stardom, says The hardest thing for me is calling my daughter and telling her, Sorry, honeybuns, dad blew it … Yet again.