American Idol contestants are backed by their family and freinds. At times it’s more emotional and stressful for the families than for the contestants themselves.Â
Clyde Pickler Sr. is getting by with a little financial help from friends, while Kenneth Daughtry’s boss gave him time off and even paid his way to Los Angeles from Virginia.
A seat in the studio audience for American Idol is free, but contestants’ family members — and sometimes those around them — are paying a price to lend moral support to their favorite singers who perform Tuesdays on Fox’s hit series and to be on hand Wednesdays when a contestant is voted off.
Kenneth Daughtry, brother of contestant Chris Daughtry, said he was eager to come because his brother’s wife, Deanna, who’s caring for two children and recuperating from surgery, couldn’t make the trip from McLeansville, N.C. His boss felt the same way. He has received financial help from his employer and co-workers at a saw mill in Blackstone, Va.
“It was something he wanted to do for me because he felt like if it was his brother, he’d want to be out here and support him,” said Daughtry, who flew in for a recent show. “I couldn’t afford it any other way.”
Pickler, grandfather of finalist Kellie Pickler of Albemarle, N.C., is a semi-retired electrician 
and only had to worry about Kellie’s dog back home (the pooch is being tended by his girlfriend, Clyde Pickler said.)
He’s staying at a Howard Johnson hotel near the airport and friends have helped out with the cost, he said. But he has been using taxis to ferry him the long distances around the city “and that gets kind of expensive,” he said.
Neither Daughtry or Pickler are in pricey digs: a room at Howard Johnson goes for about $90, while Daughtry’s hotel, the Tradewinds, lists rates from $39.99 to $79.
Elliott Yamin’s mother, Claudette, who said she left behind “my volunteer work and maybe a dead battery in my car” in Richmond, Va., has been crashing with various friends in the Los Angeles area.
“I’ve had good couches and good extra bedrooms,” she said. It’s more than worth the disruption: “Someone asked me have I pinched myself yet. I said, “No, I’m afraid to. It’s like a dream.’ I’m very proud of my son.”
Bucky Covington’s wife, Crystal, had come out from Rockingham, N.C., for a two-week stay earlier in the contest, but now wants to stick it out. The emergency department nurse said understanding employers gave her the OK.
“I’d just taken a week to come back out for the show and they said, “No, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Just take a leave of absence and come back when you’re ready,’ ” Covington said. “I’ll go home, I guess, when I run out of money.”
She’s staying near the studio and gets to visit only briefly with her husband, who’s tied up with rehearsal and promotional duties as well as performances. Their time together is generally limited to dinner, she said.
So how does she spend her days? “I’ve pretty much done the touristy things. Now I just look for different shops, things we don’t have at home.”
For a few family members, attending the show requires only a drive. Los Angeles 
contestant Ace Young’s lookalike older brother, Ryan, lives in the area, as does Katharine McPhee’s mother, Peisha, and they are usually in the audience.
Meanwhile, the singers are bunking in apartments provided by the show. Also taking advantage of the free housing are the relatives of minor contestants who, by law, must have a guardian with them.
Among the parents keeping a watchful eye is Jamecia Bennett, mother of Paris Bennett, 17. A professional singer (she has worked with Janet Jackson and others), Bennett said she has put her work on hold and considers it worth it.
“This is really the first time I can be settled and just enjoy her,” said Bennett, who lives in Deep Haven, Minn., but travels to Los Angeles and elsewhere for recording work. “It’s given me a lot of time to do mother-and-daughter bonding.”
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