It was finally performance day, and a few hundred mostly teenage girls found their way into the performance building.
They chattered with each other as they went through security, handed over their cellphones, snuck in their cameras, while looking around at others, trying to gauge which contestant others were here to support.
For some people, it was quite clear where their allegiances lay, as they either waved mini flags to represent the different countries the contestants were from or carried homemade posters with custom slogans.
For others, it was a bit more difficult as they just looked like regular people.
And finally, there was a small group of people who were dressed head to toe in black clothing and thick punk-like makeup, despite the Los Angeles heat, clearly here to support one strange contestant.
Justine, a secret Ari fan, was one of the many people attending today.
