I'm not a fan of any reality TV, but I just thought I'd mention that I personally know one of the American Idol rejects. Her name is Lisa Leuschner. As you may recall she's the redhead whom Simon said needed to lose weight, but Paula disagreed with him (this was on the "Best & Worst" special).
Me and Lisa went to high school together. She was two grades ahead of me. We never hung out much, although I wish we had, because she is a real sweetie. Here's something interesting: I've seen South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut in the theater twice - both the day after it came out, and at the midnight Trey-n-Matt-a-thon at the Nickelodeon theater. The funny thing is, I ran into Lisa in the theater both of the times when I saw it! That's one memory of Lisa I'll always cherish, especially when I watch SP:BLU.
Seeing her on TV was exciting for me, but I prefer spending time with her in person. She's one of the few Idol rejects who actually has potential. I wish her the best of luck in pursuing her career.