IRVING – Deanna DeBellis was rejected in her first American Idol audition three years ago in Cleveland. Last year, the same fate occurred at a New York audition.

But two rejections and the cost of a plane ticket here from her hometown of Rochester, N.Y., were not enough to stop her from trying one more time.

"Third time is a charm, I guess," said Ms. DeBellis, 19, who traveled with a friend.

More than 10,000 aspiring American Idol contestants, some from the North Texas area and others from as far away as Virginia, stood in line Saturday at Texas Stadium to get wristbands for auditions, which begin Monday morning.

By 8 a.m. Saturday, the lines, which were at points 30 people wide, wrapped a quarter of the way around the stadium. Idol hopefuls brought water bottles, umbrellas, chairs and even pillows in anticipation of about a two-hour wait in wilting heat.

Veronica Unzueta beat the crowd by arriving at 2:30 a.m. She has sung at Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York, she said, and her career's next step is winning American Idol.

"I can say that there are a lot of talented people out here," the 22-year-old student from Fort Worth said. "But I just might be a little bit more talented."

Ms. Unzueta has been rehearsing "Fall In" by Alicia Keyes for a few weeks in front of her family and friends. On Sunday, she said she's going to relax and make sure she's mentally prepared for her shot at fame.

Contestants will have 10 seconds in front of a camera Monday to showcase their talents. If they are good – or perhaps awful – enough, they could make it to the next round and a date with Simon Cowell and the other judges.

The thought of singing in front of Mr. Cowell gave many people in line an uneasy feeling. But not Sgt. Michallie Harrison, a U.S. Army reservist stationed at Fort Hood.

"I look at it like this: I've been to Iraq," she said. "If I could survive that, I can survive Simon."

For J.T. McDaniel, winning American Idol would silence his critics back at his fire station in Shreveport. Not all of his fellow firefighters enjoy his Garth Brooks and George Strait covers.

"Some of them say I should do something with my voice, but most of them tell me to shut up," Mr. McDaniel said.

Dallas is the second stop for summer auditions for the upcoming seventh season of American Idol. The deadline to get wristbands is 8 a.m. Monday, when the auditions begin. After Dallas, tryouts will continue next week in Omaha, Neb.