Actually, MattH, as I was listening to "cruise ship singer", I said it before Simon said, "Stay on the ship." Reminded me of a dinner theatre pre-show singer. Utterly undistinguished and indistinguishable. Of course, that accounts for a lot of those that got a pass to Hollywood.
I was frankly a little bored...auditions became a little deja vu for me. And I keep wondering how much humour I should find in people who are truly delusional about their talent. They do not listen to themselves sing? They honestly cannot tell how miserable they are?
And all the judges, even Paula, seem to revel in the mocking of them these days. It's one thing to be brutually frank and honest as Simon can be; it's another just to parade people up there to be mocked. And you know that has to happen in the vetting process. These judges can't be seeing all twenty thousand people who show up...so the screeners are passing through a bunch of auditioners they know are crappy, just for the entertainment value of their inadequacies and failure. It speaks volumes that they have increased this portion of the season.
I also don't see the point of a guest judge here. With four, what happens if it's a tie?