Can a ten-year-old show still hold some surprises? American Idol unpredictably began on Tuesday night without much fanfare -- just a black screen with white text. “American Idol would like to apologize for last week’s outrageous behavior by Steven Tyler.” The next screen read, “Mr. Tyler has been warned and assures us it will never happen again.”

This inevitably led into a clip of Steven Tyler acting “outrageous” in the audition room. Tyler has been the talk of the series, though that’s because there’s been very little to latch onto thus far. If Idol wanted to issue a serious apology, it would be for sending so many lackluster singers onto Hollywood (which is rumored to stretch to a mind-numbing 4 episodes this year).

Fewer than 10,000 showed up for the auditions in Austin, Texas, the state’s capital. Tyler arrived to the auditions in a horse and buggy, while his less flashy panel-mates pulled up in chauffeured cars. Mark Anthony, J-Lo’s hubby, was also in town -- evidently to hang around the Idol audition room. Eventually, they even got around to listening to some singers.

Corey LaVoy, 21, did not meet his sister until he was 14, despite living only 15 minutes from her their entire lives. Now, they’re best friends. His audition was “one of the most exciting” days of his life. LaVoy had a charming southern accent. Jennifer Lopez asked him to bring his sister into the room to judge his audition. He sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” very unsuitably, and it was clear that J-Lo regretted her decision. “I think it was amazing,” Brooks, the sister-turned-judge, gave her vote right away. Lopez found Corey “very gifted” and began praising him, voting “heck yeah.” LaVoy inexplicably swept the panel in positive votes, and he’ll join the crowd during the Hollywood round.

Hollie Cavanagh, 17, sang “At Last” very soulfully, though she’s a tiny little blonde, warbling out uncertainly for the judges. Randy Jackson told her she’s not ready, while J-Lo encouraged her to pull it together and try another song. Cavanagh switched to Miley Cyrus instead, naturally, belting “The Climb.” “That was so much better.” Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both gave yeses, which encouraged Randy to reverse his earlier no. And thanks to Miley Cyrus, Hollie will go to Hollywood

John Wayne Schulz, 23, is named after a screen legend and works on an actual cattle ranch. This means he fits the criteria of being a real cowboy, a find Idol seemed determined to make. Schulz has a mom with breast cancer, and she encouraged him to try out for the show. He’s tall and good-looking and about as All-American as you could hope, so Idol will try to set him up for sucess. He sang a country song with a pretty twang, and it was clear he’ll be moving on before he finished the first line.

Courtney Penry, 17, is in love with Ryan Seacrest (good luck, honey). She broke down into tears when she met him, which seemed to impress Seacrest. He rewarded her with a hug. She does a chicken impersonation, which she demonstrated for the judges, before singing Sugarland’s “Stay.” Penry has a very pretty voice for country singing … and it looks like she’ll get to spend even more time with Seacrest. Steven Tyler gave her a yes, Randy Jackson a no and J-Lo gave Penry a Hollywood chance with her yes voice. At the end of her moment, Penry actually engineered the best golden ticket psych-out ever by having Seacrest do the big reveal. Nice twist.

Shauntel Campos, 24, and Alex Carr, 26, also sang successfully for the judges. Caleb Johnson, 19, was seen only for a second, but he’s got a great rock-n-roll voice. The judges gave them all resounding yes votes. The panel loved Day 2 of the Austin auditions, throwing out golden tickets right and left.

Jacqueline Dunford, 21, and Nick Fink, 19, are an adorable little couple who connected on stage after singing a duet together. They walked into their audition holding hands. She sang a little wildly, but Dunford has a pleasant tone to her voice. Fink has a Sinatra-like quality to his singing, and after hearing them separately it’s a little difficult to imagine hearing them together. Jennifer Lopez liked the “interesting takes” each put on their songs. Together, they got 6 yes votes.

Janelle Arthur, 20, is blonde and beautiful. She’s just a country girl, and says her family has been pushing her toward Idol for 5 years. Arthur has a soft, sweet voice the judges liked instantly. Steven Tyler thought it was “so good,” and the others agreed. Arthur easily won her golden ticket and her family’s pride.

Casey Abrams, 19, plays a tiny little keyboard. He was the last contestant of the day, and feared the judges would be tired for his audition. He sang “I Don’t Need No Doctor” with way more soul than anyone expected. All three judges screamed “yes” at Casey. Steven Tyler thought it was “sick good,” and asked Casey to play his weird device. The judges joined him at center stage for a moment of dancing, and Abrams walked out of the room playing.

Austin will send another 50 Idol hopefuls to Hollywood. And we’re now at liberty to report that the population of the city has officially been changed on Wikipedia due to the swell of reality show contestants arriving by the hundred. The show returns tomorrow night with more auditions . .  .and, perhaps, another apology (this time, for letting Simon Cowell walk away). Meanwhile, stay up-to-date with all our American Idol 10 posts.