William Hung

Without any musical background or performing skills to speak of, William Hung poured his heart and soul into an unabashed, albeit off-key, rendition of the Ricky Martin dance tune "She Bangs" (2000), resulting in him becoming one of the most memorable and entertaining rejects ever to appear on "American Idol" (Fox, 2002-16). He was born William Tanakiri Hung on Nov. 10, 1982 in Hong Kong. Hung moved with his family to Van Nuys, CA when he was 11, and graduated from high school in Sun Valley. Prior to his infamous televised "Idol" audition, Hung was a civil engineering major at University of California Berkeley, and someone who had no musical aspirations or any experience performing in public, save for a dormitory singing contest where he won first prize. On a whim in the fall of 2003, Hung tried out for season three of "American Idol," a move that proved to be a ticket to sudden fame. His uninhibited, tuneless rendition of Ricky Martin's infectious, salsa-influenced hit song "She Bangs" rendered "Idol" judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson into hysterics before they cut him off mid-song.