Jennifer Lopez Breaks Down on 'American Idol; "Vulnerable Place to Be"

Feb. 24, 2011—, 2011 -- Add Jennifer Lopez to the list of sob stories on "American Idol" this season. "I can't do this anymore, " said Lopez as she wept, while voting to kick off Chris Medina. This is all new to me," the singer explained to Ryan Seacrest on his KIIS-FM radio show Thursday, according to People Magazine. "I'm used to having a script in a movie, or a big performance with a cane and a microphone, and I have all kinds of stuff going on ... You're [not always] getting me."

Lopez explained to Seacrest that the show let's the world see the real jennifer lopez. "This is the first experience ... where I feel like people are getting to know who I am as a person," she said. "It's such a vulnerable place to be."

Medina famously auditioned for the show with an emotional rendition of the Script's "Breakeven," as he introduced his wheelchair-bound fiancée, Juliana Ramos, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after a car accident.

But it's not all bad news for Mr. Medina. He's already slated to perform on Friday night's "Tonight Show."

J Lo has displayed a marked queasiness on the show when it comes to kicking contestants to the curb and has welled up before with tears. But Medina's back story and struggle to get to the show clearly overwhelmed her.

Lopez is in good company. Season 10, which has no shortage of talent, seems to have an abundance of sob stories; from the contestant who was left for dead after a car accident, to the contestant with Tourette's and Asperger's syndromes, to Medina.

If producers aren't careful, the show could turn into the battle for the biggest tear-jerkers. "It's like 'Maury Povich' or something," Ju'Not Joyner, a season-eight contestant, told ABCNews.com. "It makes for good TV."

"Idol" may have started as a talent competition but it has become so much more. Some would say the show highlights contestants' personal tragedies at the expense of their talent.

American Idol' Tear-Jerkers

Here are some of the contestants whose back stories have been highlighted on this season of "Idol:"

San Francisco contestant James Durbin never got to know his dad, a bass player, before he died of a drug overdose. To make matters worse, Durbin was diagnosed with Tourette's and Asperger's syndromes and was picked on as a child. Today, he's the father of a baby, but can barely afford diapers since he's unemployed.

Stefano Langone, another San Francisco contestant, was so severely injured during a car accident that EMTs initially thought he was dead. He performed "Heard It Through the Grapevine" for his audition, and judge Steven Tyler declared, "You survived the accident for a reason, and I'm going to tell you why -- you're going to Hollywood!"

Julie Zorrilla was forced to adjust to a new country, after her parents came to the United States from their native Colombia to avoid local terrorists.

New Orleans contestant Paris Tassin became pregnant at 18, and her daughter was diagnosed in utero with hydrocephalus. Tassin went through with the pregnancy, and today her daughter Keira has hearing problems but is otherwise healthy. "I did that for my daughter," Paris said after her audition brought Lopez to tears. "I want to teach her, 'Go for your dreams. Do everything you want to do in life.'" Tassin didn't make it past the group round.

Ellen Anne Reed, a Carly Simon-lookalike, lost her home in a fire a week before her audition. She was voted to go to Hollywood despite a thumbs down from Tyler.

Teenager Travis Orlando took "Idol" cameras through his rough Bronx neighborhood, plagued by crime and murder, and described living in a shelter for a couple of years when his family fell on hard times. Sadly, Orlando's "Idol" journey came to an end after a lackluster performance during Hollywood week.