When it comes to Miami, Robbie Carrico and Syesha Mercado now feel the same way as Will Smith: ain’t no place in the world like this!
These two American Idol hopefuls stood out the most among those that earned a ticket to Hollywood last night. But the pair of contestants have contrasting backgrounds. To wit:
Robbie Carrico: This rocker didn’t always have long hair and a grunge look. He actually used to be in a pop group called Boyz-N-Girlz-United. Moreover, he used to date a certain unstable mother who was hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation last night.

Yes, Robbie was Britney Spears‘ first boyfriend.
Now, he’s a member of the band Missing Picket and is hoping to become the next Chris Daughtry more than the next Justin Timberlake or, well, Adnan Ghalib. Here’s a look at Carrico belting out a song in his new rocker persona:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VukbAUQqyW0&eurl=http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/robbie-carrico/[/youtube]
Syesha Mercado: This contestant had a back story even sadder than dating Britney Spears: her father is a recovering drug addict who broke down on camera when asked to talk about his past and his relationship with his daughter.
Mercado sang “Think Freedom” by Aretha Franklin and earned a positive vote from all three judges. All American Idol spoilers so far have her and Carrico moving on to the top 24.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwGQHSpZGlg&eurl=http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/videos/syesha-mercado/[/youtube]