Fans abuzz over
Vazquez quitting ‘Idol’

updated 9:10 p.m. ET March 14, 2005

NEW YORK - It’s personal.

That’s what Mario Vazquez is insisting about his decision to drop out of Fox’s “American Idol” talent search. Fans were buzzing Monday on why such a popular contender would forfeit “Idol” fame.

“My intuition told me I need to focus on some personal areas in my life,” Vazquez told the local morning show “Good Day Live” on Monday in his hometown of New York. “I needed to take care of that first. To me, that meant I couldn’t continue on the competition.”

Vazquez’s own mother, Ada, didn’t know about his decision until a local reporter showed up at her doorstep.

“Ai Dios mio,” she told Fox 5 News. “I do not know. I heard it from your mouth so I do not know what’s happening. I feel horrible about it.”

Fans felt just as horrible. Messages on the official “Idol” Web site ranged from “Post here if you will miss Mario” to “Mario Vazquez Fans UNITE!” Working together, many attempted to piece together the puzzle on why such a promising contestant would call it quits. Here are three theories — realistic and ridiculous — that fans conceived on why Vazquez vanished:

1. He didn’t want the “American Idol” contract.
Sure, the winner of “Idol” receives a heaping helping of media attention, but they also are beholden to a record deal with the show’s executive producer that many in the industry call restrictive. So maybe Vazquez saw a loophole, some fans posted.

2. He’s got a skeleton in his closet.
Four contestants had been dismissed from previous “Idol” editions. One was arrested, three failed to disclose arrest records and another posed for an adult Web site. Could Vazquez be hiding something just as detrimental, or even more personal, and decided to bow out before it was found out?

3. He’s going to testify in the Michael Jackson case.
OK, it’s a stretch. But Vazquez does have a connection to the Gloved One. The crooner sang backup on “Whatever Happens,” a track from Jackson’s 2001 “Invincible” album. In a questionnaire on the “Idol” Web site, Vazquez called the experience his “proudest moment in life so far.” However, Vazquez wasn’t listed as a possible witness for either the defense or prosecution in Jackson’s molestation trial. And Vazquez is back in New York while the trial is continuing in California.

Despite all the hubbub, Vazquez was sticking to his story.

“It had nothing to do with what they’re speculating,” Vazquez told “Good Day Live.” “Nothing at all. It basically came down to feeling where I needed to take care of some things in my life that needed to be focused on.”

Stay tuned.

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