One thing the documentary did quite well, was effectively frame Mike Mangini to the fan base. If you were upset about MP leaving, how could you not like this guy? I thought they did him a favor in how they introduced him to the fanbase. I didn't even know who he was, but after watching the documentary, I loved the guy!
Agreed. Mangini's audition was first in the doc and pretty much set the standard for the rest of the auditions shown. You could easily see how his personality, abilities, and playing style were more in line with the band than everybody else. I remember feeling at the time that he seemed like the only drummer who had a personality that fit the group.
It's good to remember also that by the time the documentary came out, Eddie Trunk had leaked the news that Mangini was the drummer so there were already strong suspicions.
I wouldn't say the auditions were "staged" per se, but I strongly believe that there were only one or two drummers who were realistically being considered for the job. I mean, maybe there's an outside chance that Aquiles Priester blows everyone away and gets the gig, but does anyone genuinely think everybody was being seriously considered? I just can't see it, and the documentary showed pretty clearly that some of those players were not a good stylistic fit - the DT guys are pro musicians and would have known that before the audition.