Since 1934, the well-worn stage at The Apollo Theater has been one of the world's greatest launching pads for phenomenal talent, catapulting the likes of James Brown and Ella Fitzgerald to international stardom. Thousands of contestants audition each year, with the hopes of facing the famously mean Apollo audience, described "like a bunch of pit bulls eating raw meat." Judged by the length of their cheers — or the depths of their boos — these contestants put more than their pride on the...