American Idol is an American talent
reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2024, there have been twenty-two 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] During the
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] In
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] Smithson remained on the show, and placed sixth in her season.
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.)
^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.
^ Contestant's age at the time the season's final round began.
^
abSchonfeld, Alexandra (2023-01-19). Naugle, Wendy (ed.).
"American Idol Contestants Who Have Died". People.
ISSN0093-7673.
OCLC794712888. Retrieved 2024-02-23. American Idol finalist Rickey Smith died in Oklahoma on May 6, 2016, in a wrong-way wreck caused by an allegedly drunk driver, KOCO reported at the time. He was 36.
American Idol is an American talent
reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2024, there have been twenty-two 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] During the
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] In
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] Smithson remained on the show, and placed sixth in her season.
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.)
^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.
^ Contestant's age at the time the season's final round began.
^
abSchonfeld, Alexandra (2023-01-19). Naugle, Wendy (ed.).
"American Idol Contestants Who Have Died". People.
ISSN0093-7673.
OCLC794712888. Retrieved 2024-02-23. American Idol finalist Rickey Smith died in Oklahoma on May 6, 2016, in a wrong-way wreck caused by an allegedly drunk driver, KOCO reported at the time. He was 36.