Just two episodes into the sixth season and American Idol has been already hit by its first controversy.

Tommy Daniels, one of the few singers to display impressive vocal skills at the Seattle auditions on Wednesday's episode, also has an impressive criminal past, according to court documents uncovered by tmz.com.

The aspiring Idol contestant was convicted of drunken driving in 2004 and sentenced to a one-year alcohol diversion program and fined $680. After he completed the sentence, the incident was wiped from his record.

"I was young and dumb and drinking and driving," Daniels told tmz.com about the incident.

In 2005, Daniels, now 22, was arrested again, for hit-and-run in an incident that apparently involved him colliding with another vehicle. After he failed to appear in court for his arraignment hearing, he was rearrested.

It was unclear whether Daniels had resolved his legal issues. Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles records indicate that his license remains suspended, according to the Oregonian.

In an interview with a Fox affiliate in Oregon, Daniels claimed he had been completely honest about disclosing his criminal history to Idol producers. Neither Fox nor the producers had any comment on the revelations.

Though Idol contestants have been eliminated in the past after their rap sheets became public fodder, others have been permitted to remain on the show in spite of their indiscretions, especially if producers were already aware of the situation ahead of time.

Last season, identical twin brothers Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were dismissed from the competition after they were jailed on charges they used another man's identity and financial information to purchase a car.

In the second season, Corey Clark was booted from the show after it was discovered he had been arrested on assault charges. Another season two competitor, Jaered Andrews, was kicked out of the semifinal round after he was arrested in connection with a murder charge. (He was later acquitted.)

However, when season four runner-up Bo Bice's arrest records for felony cocaine possession in 2001 and marijuana possession in 2003 surfaced during the competition, Fox and Idol producers stood behind the singer, claiming he had been forthcoming about his criminal past from the outset.

Another season four contestant, Scott Savol, was also permitted to remain on the show after his prior arrest for domestic violence was made public, because he, too, had been honest with the network and producers regarding his background.

It remains to be seen whether Daniels' police record will affect his future on the show.

In other Idol news, judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul have been roundly accused of being overly cruel to this year's crop of hopefuls, both by media critics and by posters on the americanidol.com message boards.

"The judges are in a position of power. They could deflate people's dreams gently, with maturity and compassion," one viewer wrote. "Instead, they bully. They ridicule appearance, they ridicule demeanor. They laugh about it amongst themselves afterwards. On television. Bullying on a grand scale. They must be proud."

Never one to hang back from a conflict, Rosie O'Donnell launched into a tirade against the threesome on Thursday's View after playing a clip of Cowell insulting contestant Kenneth Briggs and calling him a "bush baby" on Wednesday's episode.

"Isn't that what America thinks is entertainment?" O'Donnell asked. "To make fun of someone's physical appearance and then when they leave the room laugh hysterically at them—three millionaires, one probably intoxicated."

Judging from the ratings, that's exactly what America thinks is entertainment. After Tuesday's premiere drew a record audience of 37.3 million viewers, Idol came close to repeating the feat Wednesday night, with 36.9 million tuning in for the Seattle auditions.

The show returns Tuesday and Wednesday with auditions in Memphis and New York.