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From Entertainment Weekly

LINK: Adam Lambert reflects on his American Idol experience
"Plus: How the season 8 contestants almost ended up in a 'Big Brother'-style scenario"

Note: this article appeared in the April 1, 2016 issue of Entertainment Weekly



INTRO TO THE INTERVIEW: 
Adam Lambert gave American Idol the jumpstart it needed when the franchise began to stagnate prior to his season 8 debut. The theatrical arena rocker staked his claim as one of the show’s most watchable contestants immediately, delivering a soaring rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” at his first audition. In fact, Lambert’s performance of the song was so memorable that he currently fronts and tours with the members of Queen. Since Idol, Lambert has gone on to release three successful solo albums and is preparing to star in Fox’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. But before all that, Adam Lambert was a self-described theater kid who didn’t think he could make it far on the competition series. Ahead of American Idol’s series finale Thursday, Lambert looked back on his audition process, his strategy to make it to the finale, and the reality television twist that producers almost instituted on his season, but didn’t.

INTERVIEW EXCERPTS: Read the rest of the extensive interview at the embedded LINK above

EW: You had a lot riding on that audition!

 ADAM: It was a very high-stakes situation for me because after the initial … there are a couple of different rounds of auditions before you even see the TV judges, and after I had completed the first two rounds of auditions for the producers, I had to quit my job in order to move on because I was in a professional theater production and the rules stated that you couldn’t be under any sort of entertainment contract. So I had to cut ties and quit my job, and that was my income; that’s how I was getting my health insurance, all that stuff. I had to quit the job that I had in order to move forward, so it was a big risk for me.

EW: What were you feeling in the moment when you found out you didn’t win American Idol?

 ADAM: Getting right down to the final three, I knew that at this point I had so many opportunities that were going to open up for me. And at the same time I’ve watched the show and I’ve seen that people can win or not win and that can be it for them — the show can be sort of their high point forever. And I also knew that there was the possibility of leading to bigger and better things. My initial impulse for even auditioning was just to create more [opportunities] for myself and I knew that that had already happened and when it got down to the final two — me and Kris — I was like look, we’re so different, the two of us, and I have so much respect for Kris — I think he’s such an incredible musician and such a nice guy. I was like, “Look — whatever happens, it’s gonna be cool. It’s going to be the popular vote. If people want to hear more of his kind of music then they’ll pick Kris, or if they like me better they’ll like this.” And you know, Kris won and I was happy for him. I’d already been told by the powers that be that they wanted to sign me to a major label and I got my wish. I knew I was going to make an album whether or not I won.

EW: What’s the craziest thing viewers never got to see?

 ADAM: We all lived together in a house the year that I was on the show, which is something I think they did only the year I was on it. They wanted to film behind-the-scenes, Big Brother-type footage. And we all collectively were like, “No.” We very politely said we do not feel comfortable with that. We did not sign up for that. You didn’t explain that that was part of the show. None of us were prepared for that. That’s not what we want to do. When you go on that show, you know what you’re in for and a lot of us didn’t really sign up to have our off time, the time that you need to recharge and rest, be on camera.