When “American Idol” hopefuls gear up to sing their hearts out in Hollywood tonight, look out for Simone Black; a contestant who bravely stepped into the spotlight to sing her heart out for the judges, then fainted and toppled off the stage in mid-performance.

“It’s a complete ‘Oh my God, this is terrible’ (moment). I’m shouting for medics and it was scary, to be honest,” Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe said about the scene.

Lythgoe was sitting close by the stage that day during the auditions.  He described Black falling as occurring in slow motion and that nobody believed it was really happening.

“When she dropped . . .  the camera man watched it happen just below the stage – and she wobbles – you literally see her wobble and her eyes (roll) back into her head and she falls.  And the camera man, bless him, tries to dive to catch her because he’s on the floor on his knees – and he doesn’t get there – and knocks his camera and it falls on top of him,” he describes.

And that was only one of the many audition woes you’ll see tonight during Hollywood Week try outs.  Contestants were vomiting, other contestants (and according to Lythgoe, some parents) were passing out as well.  This, after 11 years of “Idol,” surprised him.

“It just surprising that people don’t realize what they’re going to be put through because we haven’t changed (the audition process),” he adds.

But he advised contestants to stay well rested and well-hydrated for the remainder of the audition, as he noticed many of the burn-outs were caused by contestants drinking energy drinks and not getting enough rest.

Did any of the contestants who passed out under the pressure make it through the audition? Let’s hope they took his advice and eased up on those energy drinks for the rest of the competition.

Hollywood rounds begin tonight at 8/7C on CTV and continue Thursday, Feb. 9 at 8 pm ET/PT on CTV Two.