American Idol reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2023, there have been twenty-one seasons. Each season, the final round of competition features ten to thirteen singers. A total of 178 contestants have reached the finals of their season. The show's age requirements have varied year-to-year. Of the finalists, 55 of them were under the age of 20, including three winners and five runners-up. First season -winner Kelly Clarkson currently holds the record for the highest-selling album sales worldwide, with more than 25 million copies, while fourth season -winner Carrie Underwood currently holds the record for the highest-selling album sales in the United States, with more than 13 million copies.
In first season , Jim Verraros , an openly gay contestant, was told by Fox to remove all mentions of his homosexuality from his online journal as producers "thought [he] was trying to gain more votes".[1] second season , finalist Corey Clark was disqualified when it was revealed that he had been arrested and charged with resisting arrest , battery upon his sister, and criminal restraint. In fifth season , voters claimed that phone calls dialed for Chris Daughtry during the first few minutes of voting were misrouted to Katharine McPhee 's lines, when they heard her recorded message thanking them for voting for McPhee.[2] seventh season , it was revealed that Carly Smithson held a prior label record deal with MCA Records . Reports suggested that MCA spent over $ 2 million promoting Smithson's previous album which she made under the name Carly Hennessy . The album sold fewer than 400 copies.[3] Jermaine Jones of eleventh season was disqualified for having theft cases and outstanding warrants prior to performing on Top 12 week. (Unlike with the Clark disqualification, an elimination was still held from the remaining eleven finalists that performed, rendering a Top 10.)
As of 2024, six finalists have died: Michael Johns (d. 2014), Rickey Smith (d. 2016), Leah LaBelle (d. 2018), Nikki McKibbin (d. 2020), Willie Spence (d. 2022), and C. J. Harris (d. 2023).[4] Joanne Borgella (d. 2014) and season 3 's Marque Lynche (d. 2015; brother of Michael Lynche ).[4]
Table key † Indicates an alumni who is now deceased
Contestants [ edit ] Kelly Clarkson , first season winnerRuben Studdard , second season winnerFantasia Barrino , third season winnerCarrie Underwood , fourth season winnerTaylor Hicks , fifth season winnerJordin Sparks , sixth season winnerDavid Cook , seventh season winnerKris Allen , eighth season winnerLee DeWyze , ninth season winnerScotty McCreery , tenth season winnerPhillip Phillips , eleventh season winnerCandice Glover , twelfth season winnerCaleb Johnson , thirteenth season winnerNick Fradiani , fourteenth season winnerTrent Harmon , fifteenth season winnerMaddie Poppe , sixteenth season winnerLaine Hardy , seventeenth season winnerIam Tongi , twenty-first season winner Name Age[1] Hometown Season Place finish EJay Day 20 Lawrenceville, Georgia 1 9th–10th Jim Verraros 19 Chicago, Illinois 1 9th–10th AJ Gil 17 San Diego, California 1 8th Ryan Starr 19 Sunland, California 1 7th Christina Christian 21 Brooklyn, New York 1 6th R. J. Helton 21 Cumming, Georgia 1 5th Tamyra Gray 23 Takoma Park, Maryland 1 4th Nikki McKibbin † 23 Grand Prairie, Texas 1 3rd Justin Guarini 23 Doylestown, Pennsylvania 1 Runner-up Kelly Clarkson 20 Burleson, Texas 1 Winner Vanessa Olivarez 22 Atlanta, Georgia 2 12th Charles Grigsby 24 Oberlin, Ohio 2 11th Julia DeMato 24 Brookfield, Connecticut 2 10th Corey Clark 22 Nashville, Tennessee 2 9th Rickey Smith † 23 Keene, Texas 2 8th Kimberly Caldwell 21 Katy, Texas 2 7th Carmen Rasmusen 18 Bountiful, Utah 2 6th Trenyce 23 Memphis, Tennessee 2 5th Josh Gracin 22 Oceanside, California 2 4th Kimberley Locke 25 Nashville, Tennessee 2 3rd Clay Aiken 24 Raleigh, North Carolina 2 Runner-up Ruben Studdard 25 Birmingham, Alabama 2 Winner Leah LaBelle † 17 Seattle, Washington 3 12th Matthew Rogers 25 Rancho Cucamonga, California 3 11th Amy Adams 24 Bakersfield, California 3 10th Camile Velasco 18 Haiku, Hawaii 3 9th Jon Peter Lewis 24 Rexburg, Idaho 3 8th Jennifer Hudson 22 Chicago, Illinois 3 7th John Stevens 16 East Amherst, New York 3 6th George Huff 22 New Orleans, Louisiana 3 5th LaToya London 25 Oakland, California 3 4th Jasmine Trias 17 Mililani, Hawaii 3 3rd Diana DeGarmo 16 Snellville, Georgia 3 Runner-up Fantasia Barrino 19 High Point, North Carolina 3 Winner Lindsey Cardinale 20 Ponchatoula, Louisiana 4 12th Mikalah Gordon 17 Las Vegas, Nevada 4 11th Jessica Sierra 19 Tampa Bay, Florida 4 10th Nikko Smith [a] 22 Town & Country, Missouri 4 9th Nadia Turner 28 Miami, Florida 4 8th Anwar Robinson 25 East Orange, New Jersey 4 7th Constantine Maroulis 29 New York, New York 4 6th Scott Savol 28 Shaker Heights, Ohio 4 5th Anthony Fedorov 19 Trevose, Pennsylvania 4 4th Vonzell Solomon 21 Fort Myers, Florida 4 3rd Bo Bice 29 Helena, Alabama 4 Runner-up Carrie Underwood 21 Checotah, Oklahoma 4 Winner Melissa McGhee 21 Tampa, Florida 5 12th Kevin Covais 16 Levittown, New York 5 11th Lisa Tucker 16 Anaheim, California 5 10th Mandisa 29 Antioch, Tennessee 5 9th Bucky Covington 28 Rockingham, North Carolina 5 8th Ace Young 25 Denver, Colorado 5 7th Kellie Pickler 19 Albemarle, North Carolina 5 6th Paris Bennett 17 Fayetteville, Georgia 5 5th Chris Daughtry 26 McLeansville, North Carolina 5 4th Elliott Yamin 27 Richmond, Virginia 5 3rd Katharine McPhee 21 Los Angeles, California 5 Runner-up Taylor Hicks 29 Birmingham, Alabama 5 Winner Brandon Rogers 28 North Hollywood, California 6 12th Stephanie Edwards 19 Savannah, Georgia 6 11th Chris Sligh 28 Greenville, South Carolina 6 10th Gina Glocksen 22 Naperville, Illinois 6 9th Haley Scarnato 24 San Antonio, Texas 6 8th Sanjaya Malakar 17 Federal Way, Washington 6 7th Chris Richardson 22 Chesapeake, Virginia 6 5th–6th Phil Stacey 29 Jacksonville, Florida 6 5th–6th LaKisha Jones 27 Fort Meade, Maryland 6 4th Melinda Doolittle 29 Brentwood, Tennessee 6 3rd Blake Lewis 25 Bothell, Washington 6 Runner-up Jordin Sparks 17 Glendale, Arizona 6 Winner David Hernandez 24 Glendale, Arizona 7 12th Amanda Overmyer 23 Mulberry, Indiana 7 11th Chikezie 22 Inglewood, California 7 10th Ramiele Malubay 20 Miramar, Florida 7 9th Michael Johns † 29 Buckhead, Georgia 7 8th Kristy Lee Cook 24 Selma, Oregon 7 7th Carly Smithson 24 San Diego, California 7 6th Brooke White 24 Mesa, Arizona 7 5th Jason Castro 20 Rockwall, Texas 7 4th Syesha Mercado 21 Sarasota, Florida 7 3rd David Archuleta 17 Murray, Utah 7 Runner-up David Cook 25 Blue Springs, Missouri 7 Winner Jasmine Murray 16 Starkville, Mississippi 8 12th–13th Jorge Núñez 21 Carolina, Puerto Rico 8 12th–13th Alexis Grace 21 Memphis, Tennessee 8 11th Michael Sarver 27 Jasper, Texas 8 10th Megan Joy 22 Sandy, Utah 8 9th Scott MacIntyre 23 Scottsdale, Arizona 8 8th Anoop Desai 21 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 8 6th–7th Lil Rounds 23 Memphis, Tennessee 8 6th–7th Matt Giraud 23 Kalamazoo, Michigan 8 5th Allison Iraheta 16 Los Angeles, California 8 4th Danny Gokey 28 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 8 3rd Adam Lambert 27 San Diego, California 8 Runner-up Kris Allen 23 Conway, Arkansas 8 Winner Lacey Brown 24 Amarillo, Texas 9 12th Paige Miles 24 Naples, Florida 9 11th Didi Benami 23 Hollywood, California 9 10th Andrew Garcia 24 Moreno Valley, California 9 8th–9th Katie Stevens 17 Middlebury, Connecticut 9 8th–9th Tim Urban 20 Duncanville, Texas 9 7th Siobhan Magnus 19 Cape Cod, Massachusetts 9 6th Aaron Kelly 16 Sonestown, Pennsylvania 9 5th Mike Lynche 26 St. Petersburg, Florida 9 4th Casey James 27 Fort Worth, Texas 9 3rd Crystal Bowersox 23 Elliston, Ohio 9 Runner-up Lee DeWyze 23 Mount Prospect, Illinois 9 Winner Ashthon Jones 24 Goodlettsville, Tennessee 10 13th Karen Rodriguez 21 New York, New York 10 12th Naima Adedapo 26 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 10 10th–11th Thia Megia 16 Mountain House, Alameda County, California 10 10th–11th Pia Toscano 22 Howard Beach, New York 10 9th Paul McDonald 26 Nashville, Tennessee 10 8th Stefano Langone 21 Kent, Washington 10 7th Casey Abrams 20 Idyllwild, California 10 6th Jacob Lusk 23 Compton, California 10 5th James Durbin 22 Santa Cruz, California 10 4th Haley Reinhart 20 Wheeling, Illinois 10 3rd Lauren Alaina 16 Rossville, Georgia 10 Runner-up Scotty McCreery 17 Garner, North Carolina 10 Winner Jeremy Rosado 19 Valrico, Florida 11 13th Jermaine Jones 25 Pine Hill, New Jersey 11 12th Shannon Magrane 16 Tampa, Florida 11 11th Erika Van Pelt 26 South Kingstown, Rhode Island 11 10th Heejun Han 22 Flushing, New York 11 9th DeAndre Brackensick 17 San Jose, California 11 8th Colton Dixon 20 Murfreesboro, Tennessee 11 7th Elise Testone 28 Mount Pleasant, South Carolina 11 6th Skylar Laine 18 Brandon, Mississippi 11 5th Hollie Cavanagh 18 McKinney, Texas 11 4th Joshua Ledet 19 Westlake, Louisiana 11 3rd Jessica Sanchez 16 San Diego, California 11 Runner-up Phillip Phillips 21 Leesburg, Georgia 11 Winner Curtis Finch, Jr. 24 St. Louis, Missouri 12 10th Paul Jolley 23 Palmersville, Tennessee 12 9th Devin Velez 18 Chicago, Illinois 12 8th Burnell Taylor 19 New Orleans, Louisiana 12 7th Lazaro Arbos 22 Naples, Florida 12 6th Janelle Arthur 23 Oliver Springs, Tennessee 12 5th Amber Holcomb 19 Houston, Texas 12 4th Angie Miller 19 Beverly, Massachusetts 12 3rd Kree Harrison 22 Woodville, Texas 12 Runner-up Candice Glover 23 St. Helena Island, South Carolina 12 Winner Kristen O'Connor 24 Sebastian, Florida 13 13th Emily Piriz 18 Orlando, Florida 13 12th Ben Briley 24 Gallatin, Tennessee 13 11th MK Nobilette 20 San Francisco, California 13 10th Majesty Rose 21 Goldsboro, North Carolina 13 9th Malaya Watson 16 Southfield, Michigan 13 8th Dexter Roberts 22 Fayette, Alabama 13 7th C.J. Harris † 23 Jasper, Alabama 13 6th Sam Woolf 17 Bradenton, Florida 13 5th Jess Meuse 23 Slapout, Alabama 13 4th Alex Preston 20 Mont Vernon, New Hampshire 13 3rd Jena Irene 17 Farmington Hills, Michigan 13 Runner-up Caleb Johnson 23 Asheville, North Carolina 13 Winner Sarina-Joi Crowe 19 Columbia, Tennessee 14 12th Adanna Duru 18 Diamond Bar, California 14 10th–11th Maddie Walker 17 Ankeny, Iowa 14 10th–11th Daniel Seavey 15 Portland, Oregon 14 9th Qaasim Middleton 19 Brooklyn, New York 14 8th Joey Cook 23 Woodbridge, Virginia 14 7th Quentin Alexander 20 New Orleans, Louisiana 14 6th Tyanna Jones 16 Jacksonville, Florida 14 5th Rayvon Owen 23 Richmond, Virginia 14 4th Jax 19 East Brunswick, New Jersey 14 3rd Clark Beckham 22 White House, Tennessee 14 Runner-up Nick Fradiani 29 Guilford, Connecticut 14 Winner Gianna Isabella 15 Jackson, New Jersey 15 9th–10th Olivia Rox 17 Agoura Hills, California 15 9th–10th Avalon Young 21 San Diego, California 15 7th–8th Lee Jean 16 Bluffton, South Carolina 15 7th–8th Tristan McIntosh 16 Nashville, Tennessee 15 6th Sonika Vaid 20 Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts 15 5th MacKenzie Bourg 23 Lafayette, Louisiana 15 4th Dalton Rapattoni 20 Dallas, Texas 15 3rd La'Porsha Renae 22 McComb, Mississippi 15 Runner-up Trent Harmon 26 Amory, Mississippi 15 Winner Garrett Jacobs 18 Bossier City, Louisiana 16 11th-14th Jonny Brenns 18 St. Augustine, Florida 16 11th-14th Mara Justine 15 Galloway Township, New Jersey 16 11th-14th Marcio Donaldson 28 Compton, California 16 11th-14th Ada Vox 24 San Antonio, Texas 16 8th-10th Dennis Lorenzo 26 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 16 8th-10th Michelle Sussett 22 Miami, Florida 16 8th-10th Catie Turner 17 Langhorne, Pennsylvania 16 6th-7th Jurnee 18 Denver, Colorado 16 6th-7th Michael J. Woodard 20 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 16 4th-5th Cade Foehner 21 Shelbyville, Texas 16 4th-5th Gabby Barrett 17 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 16 3rd Caleb Lee Hutchinson 19 Dallas, Georgia 16 Runner-Up Maddie Poppe 20 Clarksville, Iowa 16 Winner Ashley Hess 27 Fremont, California 17 11th-14th Eddie Island 25 Nashville, Tennessee 17 11th-14th Evelyn Cormier 20 Claremont, New Hampshire 17 11th-14th Riley Thompson 16 Mabank, Texas 17 11th-14th Dimitrius Graham 27 Baltimore, Maryland 17 9th-10th Uché 24 Sugarland, Texas 17 9th-10th Alyssa Raghu 17 Orlando, Florida 17 7th-8th Walker Burroughs 20 Birmingham, Alabama 17 7th-8th Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon 26 Catonsville, Maryland 17 6th Laci Kaye Booth 23 Livingston, Texas 17 4th-5th Wade Cota 27 Phoenix, Arizona 17 4th-5th Madison VanDenburg 17 Cohoes, New York 17 3rd Alejandro Aranda 25 Pomona, California 17 Runner-Up Laine Hardy 18 Livingston, Louisiana 17 Winner Grace Leer 28 Danville, California 18 8th-11th Jovin Webb 29 Gonzales, Louisiana 18 8th-11th Makayla Phillips 17 Temecula, California 18 8th-11th Sophia James 20 Long Beach, California 18 8th-11th Julia Gargano 22 Staten Island, New York 18 6th-7th Louis Knight 19 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 18 6th-7th Dillon James 27 Bakersfield, California 18 3rd-5th Francisco Martin 19 San Francisco, California 18 3rd-5th Jonny West 23 Murrieta, California 18 3rd-5th Arthur Gunn 22 Wichita, Kansas 18 Runner-up Just Sam 21 Harlem, New York 18 Winner Ava August 15 Laguna Niguel, California 19 11th-13th Beane 23 Brighton, Massachusetts 19 11th-13th Madison Watkins 25 Fayetteville, Arkansas 19 11th-13th Alyssa Wray 19 Perryville, Kentucky 19 8th-10th Cassandra Coleman 24 Columbia, Tennessee 19 8th-10th DeShawn Goncalves 20 Cleveland, Ohio 19 8th-10th Arthur Gunn [b] 23 Wichita, Kansas 19 6th-7th Hunter Metts 22 Franklin, Tennessee 19 6th-7th Caleb Kennedy 16 Roebuck, South Carolina 19 5th Casey Bishop 16 Estero, Florida 19 4th Grace Kinstler 20 Lakewood, Illinois 19 3rd Willie Spence † 21 Douglas, Georgia 19 Runner-up Chayce Beckham 24 Apple Valley, California 19 Winner Allegra Miles 18 Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands 20 12th-14th Ava Maybee 20 Los Angeles, California 20 12th-14th Dan Marshall 24 Chesapeake, Virginia 20 12th-14th Tristen Gressett 17 Pell City, Alabama 20 11th Emyrson Flora 16 Cleveland, Ohio 20 8th-10th Lady K. 25 Tuskegee, Alabama 20 8th-10th Mike Parker 27 Warrenton, Virginia 20 8th-10th Christian Guardino 21 Patchogue, New York 20 6th-7th Jay 23 Salisbury, Maryland 20 6th-7th Fritz Hager 22 Tyler, Texas 20 4th-5th Nicolina 18 Toronto , Ontario , Canada 20 4th-5th Leah Marlene 20 Normal, Illinois 20 3rd HunterGirl 23 Winchester, Tennessee 20 Runner-up Noah Thompson 21 Louisa, Kentucky 20 Winner Lucy Love 28 Holly Grove, Arkansas 21 11th-12th Nutsa 25 Tbilisi , Europe 21 11th-12th Marybeth Byrd 21 Armorel, Arkansas 21 9th-10th Tyson Venegas 17 Vancouver , Canada 21 9th-10th Haven Madison 16 Clarksville, Tennessee 21 6th-8th Oliver Steele 25 Mount Juliet, Tennessee 21 6th-8th Warren Peay 24 Bamberg, South Carolina 21 6th-8th Wé Ani 23 Harlem, New York 21 4th-5th Zachariah Smith 19 Amory, Mississippi 21 4th-5th Colin Stough 18 Amory, Mississippi 21 3rd Megan Danielle 20 Douglasville, Georgia 21 Runner-up Iam Tongi 18 Kahuku, Hawaii 21 Winner
^ Mario Vazquez initially made the Top 12 by votes, while Nikko Smith was eliminated in the semifinals. However, Vazquez withdrew from the competition, citing it was allegedly due to "personal, artistic reasons". Smith was reinstated in his place as a finalist, as having the next most votes from the Top 8 Boys (thereby inferring Travis Tucker had the least).^ In a surprise twist introduced specifically during this season , ten assorted contestants from the previous season were invited back to compete for a chance to re-enter the competition. (Due to the fact that those twenty contestants, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic , had to broadcast from home , none of them ever sang on the Idol stage.) Season 18's runner-up Arthur Gunn won the public vote and re-entered at the Top 10, lasting two weeks. ^ References [ edit ] External links [ edit ]
Finalists
Winners Runners-up Other alumni
Winners' singles Concert tours Related programming Related articles
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