American Idol
Encyclopedia
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television
singing competition created by Simon Fuller
and produced by FremantleMedia North America
and 19 Entertainment
. It began airing on Fox
on June 11, 2002 as an addition to the Idol franchise
based on the UK show Pop Idol
, and became one of the most popular show in the history of American television
. As of 2011, it is the most watched TV series in the Nielsen ratings
and the only program to have been number one for seven consecutive seasons, surpassing All in the Family
and The Cosby Show
, which were both number one for five consecutive seasons.
The concept of the series is to find new solo recording artists where the winner is determined by the viewers. Through telephone, Internet, and SMS text
voting, viewers have chosen as winners Kelly Clarkson
, Ruben Studdard
, Fantasia Barrino
, Carrie Underwood
, Taylor Hicks
, Jordin Sparks
, David Cook
, Kris Allen
, Lee DeWyze
and Scotty McCreery
.
The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original three judges were Grammy Award
-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson
, Grammy Award
-winning pop singer and Emmy Award
-winning choreographer Paula Abdul
and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell
. The judging panel currently consists of Jackson, award-winning singer/actress and record producer Jennifer Lopez
and Aerosmith
frontman and Grammy Award
-winning singer-songwriter Steven Tyler
. Other judges who have been a part of the show are Grammy Award-winning songwriter Kara DioGuardi
and talk show personality and comedian Ellen DeGeneres
. From the start, the show has been hosted by radio DJ Ryan Seacrest
.
The show was described by rival TV executives as "the most impactful show in the history of television." It has also become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. As Entertainment Weekly
puts it, "It's given us Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, and J. Hud
. Idol rules the reality roost because the winners of Fox's ratings juggernaut actually do go on to greatness. And Taylor Hicks
? He's the exception that proves the rule."
American Idol was created based on the British show Pop Idol
, which was in turn inspired by Popstars
, a show TV producer Nigel Lythgoe
saw in Australia and brought over to Britain. Using the idea from Popstars of employing a panel of judges to select singers in audition, then adding other elements such as telephone voting
by the viewing public (which at the time was already in use in shows such as the Eurovision Song Contest
) and the drama of backstories and real-life soap opera
unfolding in real time, Simon Fuller
then created Pop Idol. The show debuted in 2001 in Britain with Lythgoe as the producer and Simon Cowell
as one of the judges, and was a big success with the viewing public.
Fuller and Cowell attempted to sell the Pop Idol format to the U.S. in 2001, but the idea was met with poor response from U.S. TV networks. However, Rupert Murdoch
, head of Fox
's parent company
, was persuaded to buy the show by his daughter Elisabeth
, who was a fan of the British show. The show was renamed American Idol: The Search for a Superstar and debuted in the summer of 2002, and became one of the summer hit shows that year. The show, with the personal engagement of the viewers with the contestants through voting, and the presence of the caustic-tongue judge Simon Cowell, grew into a phenomenon. By 2005 it had become the biggest show on U.S. TV, a position it then held on for seven straight years. The show is scheduled to remain on air until 2015.
, was originally chosen but he dropped out citing "image concerns". In the second season, New York radio personality Angie Martinez
had been hired as a fourth judge but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out criticism. The show decided to continue with the three judges format until season 8. All three original judges stayed on the judging panel for eight seasons.
In season eight, Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi
was added as a fourth judge. She stayed for two seasons and left the show before season ten. Paula Abdul left the show before season nine after failing to agree terms with the show producers. Emmy Award
-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres
replaced Paula Abdul for that season, but left after just one season. On January 11, 2010, Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving the show to pursue introducing the American version
of his show The X Factor
to the USA for 2011. On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez
and Steven Tyler
would join the judging panel.
Guest judges may occasionally be introduced. In season two, guest judges such as Lionel Richie
and Robin Gibb
were used, and in season three Donna Summer
, Quentin Tarantino
and some of the mentors also joined as judges to critique the performances in the final rounds. Guest judges were used in the audition rounds for seasons four, six and nine, such as Gene Simmons
and LL Cool J
in season four, Jewel
and Olivia Newton-John
in season six, Neil Patrick Harris
and Shania Twain
in season nine.
The first season was presented by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman
. Dunkleman quit after the first season, but would likely have been fired had he not left. Ryan Seacrest has presented the show alone since.
or accompanied by a band depending on the season. In season 2 and 3, contestants were also asked to write original lyrics or melody in an additional round after the first round. In season 7 the group round was eliminated and contestants may, after a first solo performance and on judges approval, skip a second solo round and move directly to the final Hollywood round. In Season 10 an additional round at Las Vegas and a further solo round were added. At the end of the Hollywood week, 24–36 contestants were selected to move on to the semifinal stage.
for each contestant is displayed on the screen. For a two-hour period after the episode ends (up to four hours for the finale) in each US time zone, viewers may call or send a text message to their preferred contestant's telephone number, and each call or text message is registered as a vote for that contestant. Viewers are allowed to vote as many times as they can within the two-hour voting window, however, the show reserves the right to discard votes by power dialer. One or more of the least popular contestants may be eliminated in successive weeks until a winner emerges. Over 110 million votes were cast in the first season, and by season ten the seasonal total had increased to nearly 750 million. Voting via text messaging was made available in the second season when AT&T Wireless
joined as a sponsor of the show, and 7.5 million text messages were sent to American Idol that season. The number of text messages rapidly increased, reaching 178 million texts by season eight. Online voting was offered for the first time in Season 10. The votes are counted and verified by Telescope Inc.
From seasons four to seven, as well as season nine, the 24 semifinalists were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal gender division in the top 12. The men and women sang separately on consecutive nights, and the bottom two in each groups were eliminated each week until only six of each remained to form the top 12.
in Los Angeles, in front of a live studio audience. The finals lasted eight weeks in season one, eleven weeks in subsequent seasons until season ten which lasted twelve weeks. Each finalist performs songs based on a weekly theme which may be a musical genre such as Motown, disco
, or big band
, songs by artists such as Michael Jackson
, Elvis Presley
or The Beatles
, or more generic themes such Billboard No.1 hits or songs from the contestant's year of birth. Contestants usually work with a celebrity mentor related to the theme. In season ten, Jimmy Iovine was brought in as a mentor for the season. Initially the contestants sing one song each week, but this is increased to two songs from top four or five onwards, then three songs for the top two or three.
The most popular contestants are usually not revealed in the result show, instead typically the three contestants (two in later rounds) who received the lowest number of votes are called to the center of the stage. One of these three is sent to safety, the two remaining however need not both be ones with the fewest votes. The contestant with the fewest votes is then revealed and eliminated from the competition. A montage of the eliminated contestant is played and they give their final performance. However, starting in season eight, the judges may overturn viewers' decision with a "Judges' Save" – they can save a contestant on a unanimous decision, but two will be eliminated the following week. The save can only be used once, and only before top five.
In the finale, the two remaining contestants perform to determine the winner. For the first six seasons, apart from season two, the finale was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre
, which has an audience capacity of approximately 3,400. The finale for season two took place at the Gibson Amphitheatre
. From season seven onwards, the venue was changed to the Nokia Theatre, which holds an audience of over 7,000. A special two-hour result show the next night follows where the winner is announced at the end.
With the exception of seasons one and two, the contestants in the semifinals onwards performed in front of a studio audience. They performed with a full band in the finals. From season four to season nine, the American Idol band was led by Rickey Minor
, from season ten onwards Ray Chew
. Assistance may also be given by vocal coaches and song arrangers, such as Michael Orland and Debra Byrd
to contestants behind the scene. Contestants may perform with a musical instrument starting season seven from the Hollywood rounds onwards. The performance was usually aired live on Tuesday night and the result show on Wednesday in the United States and Canada in the first nine seasons, but moved to Wednesday and Thursday in season ten.
In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who attended the auditions. These were cut to 30 for the semifinal, with ten going on to the finals. One of the early favorites to win the show, Tamyra Gray
, was eliminated at the top four, the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons. Christina Christian was hospitalized before the top six result show due to chest pains and palpitations, and she was eliminated while she was in the hospital. Jim Verraros
was the first openly gay contestant on the show; his sexual orientation was revealed in his online journal, however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers over concerns that it might be unfairly influencing votes.
The final showdown was between Justin Guarini
, one of the favorites, and Kelly Clarkson
. Clarkson was not initially thought of as a contender, but impressed the judges with some good performances in the final rounds, such as her performance of Aretha Franklin
's "Natural Woman
", and Betty Hutton
's "Stuff Like That There
", and eventually won the crown on September 4, 2002.
In what was to become a tradition, Clarkson performed the coronation song during the finale, and released the song immediately after the season ended. The single, "A Moment Like This", went on to break a 38-year-old record held by The Beatles
for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100
. Justin Guarini did not release any song immediately after the show and remains the only runner-up not to do so. Clarkson has since become a major international recording artist with worldwide album sales of more than 23 million. Clarkson and Guarini made a musical film, From Justin to Kelly
, which was released in 2003 but was widely panned.
Starting September 30, 2006, the first season of American Idol was repackaged as "American Idol Rewind
" and syndicated directly to stations in the US.
Corey Clark
was disqualified during the finals for having an undisclosed police record, however, he later alleged that he and Paula Abdul had an affair while on the show and that this contributed to his expulsion. Clark also claimed that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to their affair. The allegations were dismissed by Fox after an independent investigation. Two semi-finalists were also disqualified that year – Jaered Andrews for an arrest on an assault charge, and Frenchie Davis
for having previously modelled for an adult website.
Ruben Studdard
emerged as the winner, beating Clay Aiken
by a small margin. Out of a total of 24 million votes, Studdard finished just 134,000 votes ahead of Clay Aiken. This slim margin was controversial due to the large number of calls that failed to get through. In an interview prior to season five, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe
indicated that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wildcard week onward until the finale.
Both finalists were successful after the show, but Clay Aiken out-performed Ruben's coronation song "Flying Without Wings" with his single release from the show "This Is the Night", as well as in their subsequent album releases. The fourth-place finisher Josh Gracin
also enjoyed some success as a country singer.
The third season premiered on January 19, 2004. One of the most talked-about contestants during the audition process was William Hung
whose off-key rendition of Ricky Martin
's "She Bangs
" received widespread attention. His exposure on Idol landed him a record deal and surprisingly he became the third best-selling singer from that season.
Much media attention on the season had been focused on the three African American singers, Fantasia Barrino
, LaToya London
, and Jennifer Hudson
, dubbed the Three Divas. All three unexpectedly landed on the bottom three on the top seven result show, with Jennifer Hudson controversially eliminated. Elton John, who was one of the mentors that season, called the results of the votes "incredibly racist". The prolonged stays of John Stevens
and Jasmine Trias
in the finals, despite negative comments from the judges, had aroused resentment, so much so that John Stevens reportedly received a death threat, which he dismissed as a joke 'blown out of proportion'.
The performance of "Summertime
" by Fantasia Barrino, later known simply as "Fantasia", at Top 8 was widely praised, and Simon Cowell considered it as his favorite Idol moment in the nine seasons he was on the show. Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo
were the last two finalists remaining at the finale. Over 65 million votes were cast on the night, more than the first two seasons combined, and Fantasia was crowned as the winner. Fantasia released as her coronation single "I Believe
", a song co-written by season one finalist Tamyra Gray, and Diana DeGarmo released "Dreams
". Fantasia emerged from the show as a successful recording artist, Jennifer Hudson who was eliminated early also enjoyed considerable success post-Idol as an Oscar-winning actress.
and Bo Bice
, "the two rockers" of the show. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants inspired more rock musicians to audition in later seasons, such as Chris Daughtry
in season five.
The top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez
, but he dropped out citing 'personal reasons' and was replaced by Nikko Smith
. Later, an employee of Freemantle Media which produces the show sued the company for wrongful termination, claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behavior by Mario Vazquez toward him during the show.
At top 11, due to a mix-up with the contestants' telephone number, voting was repeated on what was normally the result night, with the result reveal postponed until the following night.
In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes. The winner was Carrie Underwood
, with Bo Bice the runner-up. Both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice released the coronation song "Inside Your Heaven
". Carrie Underwood has since become the most successful Idol contestant in the U.S. in terms of album sales, selling over 12 million units.
Chris Daughtry
's performance of Fuel
's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)
" on the show was widely praised and led to an invitation to join the band as Fuel's new lead singer, an invitation he declined. His performance of Live
's version of "I Walk the Line
" was well-received by the judges but later criticized in some quarters for not crediting the arrangement to Live. He was eliminated at the top four in a shock result.
On May 30, 2006, Telescope announced that a total of 63.5 million votes were cast in the finale round, and a total of 580 million votes were cast in the entire season. Taylor Hicks
was named American Idol, with Katharine McPhee
the runner-up. "Do I Make You Proud
" was released as Taylor Hicks' first single and "My Destiny" Katharine McPhee's.
Despite being eliminated earlier than expected, Daughtry became the biggest star to emerge from this season. Many other contestants from this season, such as Kellie Pickler
, Elliott Yamin
, Bucky Covington
, Mandisa
, the winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee, also enjoyed varying level of success, and this season remains the most productive in the number of successful recording artists it generated.
Teenager Sanjaya Malakar
was the season's most talked-about contestant as a weak singer who managed to survive elimination for many weeks, as well as for his widely commented-on hairdo. The weblog Vote for the Worst
and satellite radio personality Howard Stern
both encouraged fans to vote for Sanjaya. However, on April 18, after over 38 million votes, Sanjaya was voted off. Semi-finalist Antonella Barba
also drew some attention due to racy photographs of her which emerged during the show.
This year saw the first ever Idol Gives Back telethon-inspired event, which raised more than $76 million in corporate and viewer donations. No contestant was eliminated that week, but two, Phil Stacey
and Chris Richardson
, were eliminated the next. Melinda Doolittle
, an early favorite, was eliminated on top three.
Jordin Sparks
was declared the winner on May 23, 2007, with a new record of 74 million votes in the finale against runner-up Blake Lewis
. Sparks has enjoyed some success as a recording artist post-Idol.
This year saw the launch of the American Idol Songwriter contest which allowed fans to vote for the "coronation song". Thousands of recordings of original songs were submitted by songwriters, and 20 entries selected for the public vote. The winning song, "This Is My Now
", was performed by both finalists during the finale and released by the winner Jordin Sparks on May 24, 2007.
, Brooke White
, Michael Johns
, and in particular Carly Smithson
. Contestant David Hernandez
also attracted some attention due to his past working as a stripper.
For the finals, American Idol debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage on March 11, 2008, along with a new on-air look. David Cook
's performance of "Billie Jean
" on top ten night was lauded by the judges, but provoked controversy when they apparently mistook the Chris Cornell
arrangement to be David Cook's own even though the performance was introduced as Cornell's version. Cornell himself said he was 'flattered' and praised David Cook's performance. David Cook was taken to the hospital after the top nine performance show due to heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
David Archuleta
's semi-final performance of John Lennon's "Imagine
" was considered by many as one of the best of the season. Jennifer Lopez, who was brought in as a judge in season ten, cited it as a beautiful-song moment that she will never forget. Jason Castro's semi-final performance of "Hallelujah" also received considerable attention, and it propelled Jeff Buckley
's version of the song to the top of the Billboard digital song
chart. This is the first season whereby contestants' recordings were released onto iTunes
after their performances, and although sales information were not released so as not to prejudice the contest, leaked information indicated contestants' songs frequently reached the top of iTunes sales chart.
Idol Gives Back returned on April 9, 2008 and raised $64 million for charity. The finalists were David Cook and David Archuleta, the first time in the show's history where neither of the top two were ever in the bottom three. David Cook was announced the winner of American Idol season seven on May 21, 2008, the first 'rocker' to win the show.
The American Idol Songwriter contest was also held this season. From ten of the most popular submissions, each of the final two contestants chose a song to perform, although neither of their selections was used as the "coronation song". The winning song, "The Time of My Life
", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008 and is the best-selling of all coronation songs to date. Both David Cook and David Archuleta are successful as recording artists.
, the president of alternative programming for Fox, stated that the season would focus more on the contestants' reality and emotional state, much early attention on the show was therefore focused on the widowerhood of Danny Gokey
as well as characters like Tatiana Del Toro and Nick Mitchell.
In the first major change to the judging panel, a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi
, was introduced; Paula Abdul, however, left the show after the season ended. This was also the first season without executive producer Nigel Lythgoe
who left to focus on the international versions of his show So You Think You Can Dance. The Hollywood round was moved to the Kodak Theatre for 2009 and was also extended to two weeks. Idol Gives Back was cancelled for this season due to the global recession at the time.
There were 13 finalists this season, but two were eliminated in its first result show of the finals. A new feature introduced was the "Judges' Save", and Matt Giraud
was saved from elimination at the top seven by the judges when he received the fewest votes. The next week, Lil Rounds
and Anoop Desai
were eliminated.
The two finalists were Kris Allen
and Adam Lambert
, both of whom had previously landed in the bottom three at the top five. Kris Allen won the contest in the most controversial voting result since season two. It was claimed, later retracted, that 38 million of the 100 million votes cast on the night came from Kris Allen's home state of Arkansas alone, and that AT&T employees unfairly influenced the votes by giving lessons on power-texting at viewing parties in Arkansas.
Both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert released the coronation song, "No Boundaries
" which was co-written by DioGuardi. Both also enjoyed some success as recording artists, although this is the first season in which the winner has failed to achieve gold album status, and none from that season achieved platinum album status in the US.
joined as a judge to replace Paula Abdul at the start of Hollywood Week, however, she left after the season finished, as did Simon Cowell who left to launch the US version of The X Factor
. Kara DioGuardi's contract was not renewed for the next season. During the auditions for season nine an array of guest judge stood in as a fourth judge including Kristin Chenoweth
, Joe Jonas
, Katy Perry
, Avril Lavigne
, Mary J. Blige
, Shania Twain
, Victoria Beckham
and Neil Patrick Harris
.
One of the most prominent auditioners that season was General Larry Platt
whose performance of "Pants on the Ground
" became a viral hit song.
Crystal Bowersox
, who has Type-I diabetes
, fell ill due to diabetic ketoacidosis
on the morning of the girls performance night for the top 20 week and was hospitalized. The schedule was rearranged so the boys performed first and she could perform the following night instead; she later revealed that Ken Warwick, the show producer, wanted to disqualify her but she begged to be allowed to stay on the show.
Michael Lynche
was the lowest vote getter at top nine and was given the Judges' Save. The next week Katie Stevens
and Andrew Garcia
were eliminated. That week Adam Lambert was invited back to be a mentor, the first Idol alum to do so. Idol Gives Back returned this season on April 21, 2010 and raised 45 million.
A special tribute to Simon Cowell was presented in the finale for his final season with the show. Many figures from the show's past, including Paula Abdul, made an appearance.
This was the second season where neither of the final two contestants, Lee DeWyze
and Crystal Bowersox, had been in the bottom two or three. Lee DeWyze was declared the winner during the May 26 finale. No new song was used as coronation song this year; instead, the two finalists each released a cover song – Lee DeWyze chose U2
's "Beautiful Day
", and Crystal Bowersox chose Patty Griffin
's "Up to the Mountain
". This is the first season where neither finalist achieved significant album sales.
and Steven Tyler
joined Randy Jackson
as judges, while Nigel Lythgoe
returned as executive producer. Jimmy Iovine
, chairman of the Interscope Geffen A&M Records group, the new partner of American Idol, acted as the in-house mentor in place of weekly guest mentors, although in later episode special guest mentors such as will.i.am
and Lady Gaga
were brought in.
Season 10 is the first to include online auditions where contestants could submit a 40 second video audition via Myspace
. Karen Rodriguez
was one such auditioner and reached the final rounds.
One of the more prominent contestants this year was Chris Medina
, whose story of caring for his brain-damaged fiancée received widespread coverage. Casey Abrams
, who suffers from ulcerative colitis
, was hospitalized twice and missed the Top 13 result show. He was the lowest vote-getter at Top 11 but was saved by the judges, and as a result, the tenth season was the first season to have eleven finalists go on tour instead of ten.
Pia Toscano
, one of the presumed favorites to advance far in the season, was unexpectedly eliminated on April 7, 2011, finishing in 9th place. Her elimination drew criticism from some former Idol contestants, as well as actor Tom Hanks
.
The two finalists this year were Lauren Alaina
and Scotty McCreery
, both teenage country singers. Scotty McCreery won the competition on May 25, 2011, being the youngest male winner and the fourth male in a row to win American Idol. McCreery released his first single, "I Love You This Big
", as his coronation song, and Alaina released "Like My Mother Does
". McCreery's debut album, Clear as Day
, became the first debut album by an Idol winner to reach number one on the US Billboard 200
since Ruben Studdard
's Soulful
in 2003.
. The three exceptions are Jordin Sparks who came from Arizona, David Cook from Missouri (which is considered part of the "Upland South", and Cook was born in Houston and was living in Tulsa at the time of his audition), and Lee DeWyze from Illinois. A large number of other notable finalists during the series' run have also hailed from the American South, including Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, and Scotty McCreery who are all from North Carolina. At the time of the 2004 finals, which pitted North Carolina's Fantasia Barrino against Georgia's Diana DeGarmo, their Southern character, or character appealing to the South, was cited as reason for their success. Data from Nielsen SoundScan
, a music-sales tracking service, showed that of the 47 million CDs sold by Idol contestants through January 2010, 85 percent were by contestants with ties to the American South.
The show itself is particularly popular in the Southern United States, with households in the Southeastern United States 10% more likely to watch American Idol during the eighth season in 2009, and those in the East Central region, such as Kentucky
, were 16 percent more likely to tune into the series. When asked about the appeal of Southern contestants, season five winner Taylor Hicks, from the state of Alabama
said, "People in the South have a lot of pride ... So, they're adamant about supporting the contestants who do well from their state or region."
over their future career, and handed a large part of their future earnings to the management.
Individual contestants have generated controversy in this competition for their past actions, or for being 'ringers' planted by the producers. A number of contestants had been disqualified for various reasons, such as Joanna Pacitti
in season eight for having alleged connections to executives at 19 Entertainment, and Chris Golightly of season nine for having an existing contract, although the show had been accused of double standard for disqualifying some but not the others.
Voting results have been a consistent source of controversy. The mechanism of voting had also aroused considerable criticisms, most notably in season two when Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken in a close vote, and in season eight, when the massive increase in text votes (100 million more text votes than season 7) fueled the texting controversy. Concerns about power voting have been expressed from the very first season. Since 2004, votes also have been affected to a limited degree by online community services such as DialIdol
and Vote for the Worst
.
. It is one of the highest-rated TV shows in the history of television.
American Idol premiered in June 2002 and became the surprise summer hit show of 2002. The first show drew 9.9 million viewers, giving Fox the best viewing figure for the 8.30 pm spot in over a year. The audience steadily grew, and by finale night, the audience had averaged 23 million, with more than 40 million watching some part of that show. That episode was placed third amongst all age groups, but more importantly it led in the 18–49 demographic, the age group most valued by advertisers.
The growth continued into the next season, starting with a season premiere of 26.5 million. The season attracted an average of 21.7 million viewers, and was placed second overall amongst the 18–49 age group. The finale night when Ruben Studdard won over Clay Aiken was also the highest-rated ever American Idol episode at 38.1 million for the final hour. By season three, the show had become the top show in the 18–49 demographic a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including season ten. By season four, American Idol had become the most watched series amongst all viewers on American TV, with an average viewership of 26.8 million. The show reached its peak in season five with numbers averaging 30.6 million.
Season six started with some the most watched ever episodes of American Idol, and many television executives had by then begun to regard the show as a programming force unlike any seen before, as its consistent dominance of up to two hours two or three nights a week exceeded the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as The Cosby Show
. The show was dubbed "the Death Star
", and competing networks often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. However, season six also showed a steady decline in viewership over the course of the season. The season finale saw a drop in ratings of 16% from the previous year.
The loss of viewers continued into season seven. The premiere was down 11% among total viewers, and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest-rated Wednesday show among the 18–34 demo since the first season in 2002. However, the ratings rebounded for the season seven finale with the excitement over the battle of the Davids, and improved over season six as the third most watched finale. The strong finish of season seven also helped Fox become the most popular TV network for the first time since its inception. Overall ratings for the season were down 10% from season six, General attrition of television audiences may be a reason for this ratings decline, which is in line with the fall in viewership across all networks due in part to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
.
The declining trend however continued into season eight, as total viewers numbers fell by 5–10% for early episodes compared to season seven, and by 9% for the finale. In season nine, Idol six-year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken, when NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics
on February 17 beat Idol in the same time slot with 30.1 million viewers over Idols 18.4 million. Later in that same season, Dancing with the Stars
on ABC
drew more viewers than Idol on some episodes. Nevertheless, American Idol finished its ninth season as the most watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family
and NBC's The Cosby Show
.
In season ten, the total viewer numbers for the first week of shows fell 12–13%, and by up to 23% in the 18–49 demo compared to season nine. Later episodes, however, retained viewers better, and by Top 8, the season-to-date total viewership was up from Season 9. The season ended on a high with a significant increase in viewership for the finale — up 12% for the adults 18–49 demo and a 21% increase in total viewers from the season nine finale. While the overall viewer number has increased this season, its viewer demographics have continued to age year on year — the median age this season was 47.2 compared to a median age of 32.1 in its first season.
and Bones
. The show, its creator Simon Fuller claimed, "saved Fox".
It spawned a number of similar singing competition shows, such as Rock Star
, Nashville Star
, a relaunched Star Search
, The Voice
, and The X Factor
, although none have yet matched its success. Its format also served as blueprint for a generation of TV shows.
As one of the most successful shows on U.S. television history, American Idol has a strong impact not just on television, but also in the wider world of entertainment. It helped create a number of highly successful recording artists, such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, as well as others of varying notability. According to Fred Bronson
, author of books on the Billboard charts, no other entity has ever created as many hit-making artists and best-selling albums and singles. Towards the end of 2009, American Idol alumni had sold a total of over 46 million albums and 56 million download tracks in the U.S., and 66 million albums worldwide. In 2007, they accounted for 2.1% of all music sales. Its alumni have a massive impact on radio; in 2007, American Idol had become "a dominant force in radio" according to the president of the research company Mediabase
which monitors radio stations Rich Meyer. By 2010, four winners each had more than a million radio spins, with Kelly Clarkson leading the field with over four million spins.
and subsequently received a Academy Award for her performance.
considered that "As TV, American Idol is crazily entertaining; as music, it's dust-mote inconsequential". Others, however, thought that "the most striking aspect of the series was the genuine talent it revealed". It was also described as a "sadistic musical bake-off", and "a romp in humiliation". Other aspects of the show have attracted criticisms. The product placement in the show in particular was noted, and some critics were harsh about what they perceived as its blatant commercial calculations – Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune
charged that American Idol is "a conniving multimedia monster" that has "absorbed the sin of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil." The decision to send the season one winner to sing the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2002 was also poorly received by many. Lisa de Moraes
of The Washington Post
noted with satirical flair that "The terrorists have won" and, with a sideswipe at the show's commercialism and voting process, that the decision as to who "gets to turn this important site into just another cog in the 'Great American Idol Marketing Mandala' is in the hands of the millions of girls who have made American Idol a hit. Them and a handful of phone-redialer geeks who have been clocking up to 10,000 calls each week for their contestant of choice (but who, according to Fox, are in absolutely no way skewing the outcome)."
Some of the later writers about the show were more positive, Michael Slezak, again of Entertainment Weekly, thought that "for all its bloated, synthetic, product-shilling, money-making trappings, Idol provides a once-a-year chance for the average American to combat the evils of today's music business." Singer Sheryl Crow
, who was later to act as a mentor on the show, however took the view that the show "undermines art in every way and promotes commercialism." Others focused on the personalities in the show; Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek
accused judge Simon Cowell's cruel critiques in the show of helping to establish in the wider world a culture of meanness, that "Simon Cowell has dragged the rest of us in the mud with him." Some such as singer John Mayer
disparaged the contestants, suggesting that those who appeared on Idol are not real artists with self-respect.
Some in the entertainment industry were critical of the star-making aspect of the show. Usher
, a mentor on the show, bemoaning the loss of the "true art form of music", thought that shows like American Idol made it seem "so easy that everyone can do it, and that it can happen overnight", and that "television is a lie". Musician Michael Feinstein
, while acknowledging that the show had uncovered promising performers, said that American Idol "isn't really about music. It's about all the bad aspects of the music business — the arrogance of commerce, this sense of 'I know what will make this person a star; artists themselves don't know.' " That American Idol is seen to be a fast track to success for its contestants has been a cause of resentment for some in the industry. LeAnn Rimes
, commenting on Carrie Underwood winning Best Female Artist in Country Music Awards over Faith Hill
in 2006, said that "Carrie has not paid her dues long enough to fully deserve that award". It is a common theme that has been echoed by many others. Elton John
, who had appeared as a mentor in the show but turned down an offer to be a judge on American Idol, commenting on talent shows in general said that "there have been some good acts but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs", and Steven Tyler, appearing on Late Show with David Letterman
on January 17, 2011 in a publicity drive as a judge for American Idol, said that "I've always thought that to be an American Idol or any kind of idol, you have to pay your dues, but today it's a different world." Nevertheless, the success of its alumni has led to more positive assessment of the show.
American Idol has been nominated for Emmy's Outstanding Reality Competition Program for nine years but never won. Director Bruce Gower won a Primetime Emmy Award
for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series in 2009, and the show won a Creative Arts Emmys each in 2007 and 2008, three in 2009, and two in 2011, as well as a Governor's Award in 2007 for its Idol Gives Back edition. It won the People's Choice Award, which honors the popular culture of the previous year as voted by the public, for favorite competition/reality show in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. It won the first Critics' Choice Television Award
in 2011 for Best Reality Competition.
and Coca-Cola
were two of the first sponsors of American Idol in its first season. The sponsorship deal cost around $10 million in season one, rising to $35 million by season 7, and between $50 to $60 million in season 10. The third major sponsor AT&T Wireless joined in the second season. iTunes
joined in season seven.
American Idol prominent display of its sponsors' logo and products had been noted since the early seasons. By season six, Idol showed 4,349 product placement
s according to Nielsen Media Research
. The branded entertainment
integration had proved beneficial to its advertisers – promotion of AT&T text-messaging as a means to vote successfully introduced the technology into the wider culture, and Coca-Cola has seen its equity increased during the show.
Coca-Cola's archrival PepsiCo
declined to sponsor American Idol at the show's start. "[M]issing one of the biggest marketing opportunities in a generation" contributed to Pepsi
losing market share, by 2010 falling to third place from second in the United States. PepsiCo sponsors the American version of Cowell's The X Factor in hopes of not repeating its Idol mistake.
For the first nine seasons, Sony Music
was partnered with American Idol to promote and distribute its music, and had the right of first refusal to sign contestants for three months after the season's finale. In 2010, Sony was replaced by as the music label for American Idol by UMG
's Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Records.
's Pop-Tarts
was the sponsor for the first seven seasons, and Guitar Hero was added for the season seven tour
. M&M's
Pretzel Chocolate Candies was a sponsor of the season nine tour
. The season five tour
was the most successful tour with gross of over $35 million.
On February 14, 2009, The Walt Disney Company
debuted "The American Idol Experience
" at its Disney's Hollywood Studios
theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort
in Florida. In this live production, co-produced by 19 Entertainment, park guests choose from a list of songs and audition privately for Disney cast members. Those selected then perform on a stage in a 1000-seat theater replicating the Idol set. Three judges, whose mannerisms and style mimic those of the real Idol judges, critique the performances. Audience members then vote for their favorite. There are several preliminary-round shows during the day that culminate in a "finals" show in the evening where one of the winners of previous rounds that day is selected as the overall winner. The winner of the finals show receives a "Dream Ticket" that grants them front-of-the-line privileges at any American Idol audition.
by the BDUs depending on provider and region for those in Canada. It is also aired live in Matamoros, Tamaulipas
, Mexico by XHRIO in English because that market has a Fox affiliate that serve a US market; in the rest of the country, as of the rest of Latin America, the show is broadcast and subtitled by Sony Entertainment Television
.
In southeast Asia, this show is brought to the audiences via satellite by STAR TV World
every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after. Philippines airs episodes every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after its US telecast on GMA News TV
. Australia airs episodes a few hours after their US showing. The UK airs episodes one day after their US showing on digital channel ITV2
. It is also aired in Ireland on TV3 Ireland
two days after the showing. In Brazil and Israel, the show airs two days after the showing in the United States. In the instances where the airing is delayed, the shows may sometimes be combined into one episode to summarize the results.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
singing competition created by Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
and produced by FremantleMedia North America
FremantleMedia
FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...
and 19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
. It began airing on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on June 11, 2002 as an addition to the Idol franchise
Idol series
The British talent search television series Pop Idol has spawned spin-offs in 42 territories, in what is now referred to as the "Idols" format, as described by FremantleMedia...
based on the UK show Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, and became one of the most popular show in the history of American television
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
. As of 2011, it is the most watched TV series in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
and the only program to have been number one for seven consecutive seasons, surpassing All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
and The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, which were both number one for five consecutive seasons.
The concept of the series is to find new solo recording artists where the winner is determined by the viewers. Through telephone, Internet, and SMS text
Short message service
Short Message Service is a text messaging service component of phone, web, or mobile communication systems, using standardized communications protocols that allow the exchange of short text messages between fixed line or mobile phone devices...
voting, viewers have chosen as winners Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
, Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
, Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006, when he won the fifth season of American Idol. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released...
, Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
, David Cook
David Cook (singer)
David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...
, Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
, Lee DeWyze
Lee DeWyze
Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, DeWyze had a solo career and formed the Lee DeWyze Band. He had also released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and...
and Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery
Scott Cooke "Scotty" McCreery is an American country singer from Garner, North Carolina . He also won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, Clear as Day was released in October 2011...
.
The series employs a panel of judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original three judges were Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning record producer and music manager Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
, Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning pop singer and Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning choreographer Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
and award-winning music executive and music manager Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
. The judging panel currently consists of Jackson, award-winning singer/actress and record producer Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
frontman and Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning singer-songwriter Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
. Other judges who have been a part of the show are Grammy Award-winning songwriter Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
and talk show personality and comedian Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
. From the start, the show has been hosted by radio DJ Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
.
The show was described by rival TV executives as "the most impactful show in the history of television." It has also become a recognized springboard for launching the career of many artists as bona fide stars. As Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
puts it, "It's given us Kelly, Carrie, Daughtry, and J. Hud
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
. Idol rules the reality roost because the winners of Fox's ratings juggernaut actually do go on to greatness. And Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006, when he won the fifth season of American Idol. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released...
? He's the exception that proves the rule."
History
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
, which was in turn inspired by Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
, a show TV producer Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
saw in Australia and brought over to Britain. Using the idea from Popstars of employing a panel of judges to select singers in audition, then adding other elements such as telephone voting
Televoting
Televoting, telephone voting or phone voting is a method of decision making and opinion polling conducted by telephone. Televoting can also extend to voting by SMS text message via a mobile cell phone.- Broadcast contest televoting :...
by the viewing public (which at the time was already in use in shows such as the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
) and the drama of backstories and real-life soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
unfolding in real time, Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller
Simon Fuller is a British artist manager, television producer and creator of the Idol franchise, first seen as Pop Idol in the UK. Fuller is also the co-creator and executive producer of the Fox TV reality show So You Think You Can Dance and other U.S...
then created Pop Idol. The show debuted in 2001 in Britain with Lythgoe as the producer and Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
as one of the judges, and was a big success with the viewing public.
Fuller and Cowell attempted to sell the Pop Idol format to the U.S. in 2001, but the idea was met with poor response from U.S. TV networks. However, Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
, head of Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's parent company
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
, was persuaded to buy the show by his daughter Elisabeth
Elisabeth Murdoch (businesswoman)
Elisabeth Murdoch is an executive in the British television industry and a daughter of international media mogul Rupert Murdoch...
, who was a fan of the British show. The show was renamed American Idol: The Search for a Superstar and debuted in the summer of 2002, and became one of the summer hit shows that year. The show, with the personal engagement of the viewers with the contestants through voting, and the presence of the caustic-tongue judge Simon Cowell, grew into a phenomenon. By 2005 it had become the biggest show on U.S. TV, a position it then held on for seven straight years. The show is scheduled to remain on air until 2015.
Judges and hosts
The show had originally planned on having four judges following the Pop Idol format, however only three judges had been found by the time of the audition round in the first season, namely Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell. A fourth judge, radio DJ StrykerStryker (disc jockey)
Theodore "Ted" Ramón Stryker known on-air as simply "Stryker", is an American radio personality and disc jockey.-Biography:...
, was originally chosen but he dropped out citing "image concerns". In the second season, New York radio personality Angie Martinez
Angie Martinez
Angela "Angie" Martinez is an American radio personality and occasional rapper.-Radio career:Angie Martinez got her first break in radio at the age of 16 answering hot lines at the urban radio station WQHT . There she met popular DJ Funkmaster Flex, and began working as his protégé...
had been hired as a fourth judge but withdrew only after a few days of auditions due to not being comfortable with giving out criticism. The show decided to continue with the three judges format until season 8. All three original judges stayed on the judging panel for eight seasons.
In season eight, Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer–songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
was added as a fourth judge. She stayed for two seasons and left the show before season ten. Paula Abdul left the show before season nine after failing to agree terms with the show producers. Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
replaced Paula Abdul for that season, but left after just one season. On January 11, 2010, Simon Cowell announced that he was leaving the show to pursue introducing the American version
The X Factor (U.S.)
The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
of his show The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
to the USA for 2011. On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
would join the judging panel.
Guest judges may occasionally be introduced. In season two, guest judges such as Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
and Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
were used, and in season three Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
, Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
and some of the mentors also joined as judges to critique the performances in the final rounds. Guest judges were used in the audition rounds for seasons four, six and nine, such as Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
and LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
in season four, Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
and Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
in season six, Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
and Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
in season nine.
The first season was presented by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman
Brian Dunkleman
Brian Dunkleman is a comedian and actor. He is best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol on the Fox Network.-Career:...
. Dunkleman quit after the first season, but would likely have been fired had he not left. Ryan Seacrest has presented the show alone since.
| Seasons | Years | Judges |
|---|---|---|
| 1–7 | 2002–2008 | Randy Jackson Randy Jackson Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew... , Paula Abdul Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits... , Simon Cowell Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol... |
| 8 | 2009 | Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi Kara DioGuardi Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159... , Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell |
| 9 | 2010 | Randy Jackson, Ellen DeGeneres Ellen DeGeneres Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season.... , Kara DioGuardi, Simon Cowell |
| 10–present | 2011–present | Steven Tyler Steven Tyler Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams... , Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller... , Randy Jackson |
| Seasons | Years | Hosts |
| 1 | 2002 | Brian Dunkleman Brian Dunkleman Brian Dunkleman is a comedian and actor. He is best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol on the Fox Network.-Career:... , Ryan Seacrest Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,... |
| 2–present | 2003–present | Ryan Seacrest |
Selection process
In a series of steps, the show selects the eventual winner out of many tens of thousands of contestants.Contestant eligibility
The eligible age-range for contestants is currently 15–28 years old. The initial age limit was 16–24 in the first three seasons, but the upper limit was raised to 28 in season 4, and the lower limit was reduced to 15 in season 10. The contestants must be legal U.S. residents, and must not hold any current recording or talent representation contract by the semifinal stage (in previous years by the audition stage).Initial auditions
Contestants go through at least three sets of cuts. The first is a brief audition with a few other contestants in front of selectors which may include one of the show's producers. The number of auditionees can exceed 10,000 people each city, but only a few hundreds in each city may make it past this round of preliminary auditions. Successful auditionees then sing in front of producers where more may be cut. Only then can they proceed to audition in front of the judges, which is the only audition stage shown on the show. Those selected by the judges are sent to Hollywood. Between 10–60 people in each city may make it to Hollywood.Hollywood week
Once in Hollywood, the contestants perform individually or in groups in a series of rounds. For most years there were eliminations in three rounds by the judges. In the first round the contestants emerged in groups but performed individually. For the next round, the contestants split themselves up into small groups and perform a song together. In the final round, the contestants perform solo with a song of their choice a cappellaA cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
or accompanied by a band depending on the season. In season 2 and 3, contestants were also asked to write original lyrics or melody in an additional round after the first round. In season 7 the group round was eliminated and contestants may, after a first solo performance and on judges approval, skip a second solo round and move directly to the final Hollywood round. In Season 10 an additional round at Las Vegas and a further solo round were added. At the end of the Hollywood week, 24–36 contestants were selected to move on to the semifinal stage.
Audience voting
From the semifinal onwards, the fate of the contestants is decided by public vote. During the contestant's performance as well as the recap at the end, a toll-free telephone numberToll-free telephone number
A toll-free, Freecall, Freephone, 800, 0800 or 1-800 number is a special telephone number which is free to the calling party, and instead the telephone carrier charges the called party the cost of the call...
for each contestant is displayed on the screen. For a two-hour period after the episode ends (up to four hours for the finale) in each US time zone, viewers may call or send a text message to their preferred contestant's telephone number, and each call or text message is registered as a vote for that contestant. Viewers are allowed to vote as many times as they can within the two-hour voting window, however, the show reserves the right to discard votes by power dialer. One or more of the least popular contestants may be eliminated in successive weeks until a winner emerges. Over 110 million votes were cast in the first season, and by season ten the seasonal total had increased to nearly 750 million. Voting via text messaging was made available in the second season when AT&T Wireless
AT&T Wireless Services
AT&T Wireless Services, Inc., founded in 1987 as McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc., and now legally known as New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc., formerly part of AT&T Corp., is a wireless telephone carrier in the United States, based in Redmond, Washington, and later traded on the New York...
joined as a sponsor of the show, and 7.5 million text messages were sent to American Idol that season. The number of text messages rapidly increased, reaching 178 million texts by season eight. Online voting was offered for the first time in Season 10. The votes are counted and verified by Telescope Inc.
Semifinals
In the first three seasons, as well as season eight and ten, the semifinalists were split into different groups to perform individually in their respective night. In season one, there were three groups of ten, with the top three contestants from each group making the finals. In seasons two and three, there were four groups of eight, and the top two of each selected. In season eight there were three groups of twelve, with three contestants moving forward – the highest male, the highest female, and the next highest-placed singer. In season ten, the girls and boys perform on separate nights and five of each were chosen. These five seasons also featured a wildcard round where contestants who failed to qualify were given another chance. In season one, only one wildcard contestant was chosen by the judges, giving a total of ten finalists. In seasons two and three, each of the three judges championed one contestant with the public advancing a fourth into the finals, making 12 finalists in all. In season eight, four were chosen by the judges to produce a final 13. In Season ten, three wild-cards were chosen, again making a total of 13.From seasons four to seven, as well as season nine, the 24 semifinalists were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal gender division in the top 12. The men and women sang separately on consecutive nights, and the bottom two in each groups were eliminated each week until only six of each remained to form the top 12.
Finals
The finals are broadcast in prime time from CBS Television CityCBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
in Los Angeles, in front of a live studio audience. The finals lasted eight weeks in season one, eleven weeks in subsequent seasons until season ten which lasted twelve weeks. Each finalist performs songs based on a weekly theme which may be a musical genre such as Motown, disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, or big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, songs by artists such as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
or The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, or more generic themes such Billboard No.1 hits or songs from the contestant's year of birth. Contestants usually work with a celebrity mentor related to the theme. In season ten, Jimmy Iovine was brought in as a mentor for the season. Initially the contestants sing one song each week, but this is increased to two songs from top four or five onwards, then three songs for the top two or three.
The most popular contestants are usually not revealed in the result show, instead typically the three contestants (two in later rounds) who received the lowest number of votes are called to the center of the stage. One of these three is sent to safety, the two remaining however need not both be ones with the fewest votes. The contestant with the fewest votes is then revealed and eliminated from the competition. A montage of the eliminated contestant is played and they give their final performance. However, starting in season eight, the judges may overturn viewers' decision with a "Judges' Save" – they can save a contestant on a unanimous decision, but two will be eliminated the following week. The save can only be used once, and only before top five.
In the finale, the two remaining contestants perform to determine the winner. For the first six seasons, apart from season two, the finale was broadcast from the Kodak Theatre
Kodak Theatre
The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland shopping mall and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles...
, which has an audience capacity of approximately 3,400. The finale for season two took place at the Gibson Amphitheatre
Gibson Amphitheatre
The Gibson Amphitheatre is a theatre located in Universal City, California, USA. It seats up to 6,189 for concerts, including 6,089 chairback seats...
. From season seven onwards, the venue was changed to the Nokia Theatre, which holds an audience of over 7,000. A special two-hour result show the next night follows where the winner is announced at the end.
Rewards for winner and finalists
The winner receives a record deal with a major label, which may be for up to six albums, and secures a management contract with American Idol-affiliated 19 Management (which has the first option to sign all contestants), as well as various lucrative contracts. All winners prior to Season 9 reportedly earned at least $1 million in their first year as winner. All the runners-up of the first ten seasons, as well as some of other finalists, have also received record deals with major labels. All top ten (eleven in season ten) finalists earn the privilege of going on a tour where the participants may each earn a six-figure sum.Season synopsis
Show overview
Each season premiers with the audition rounds in different cities where a few hundreds out of many thousands of contestants may be selected by the judges. The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists, interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants. Each successful contestant receives a golden ticket to proceed on to the next round in Hollywood. Based on their performances during the Hollywood round, 24 to 36 contestants are selected by the judges to participate in the semifinals. From the semifinal onwards the contestants perform their songs live, with the judges making their critiques after each performance. The contestants are voted for by the viewing public, and the outcome of the public votes is then revealed in the result show typically on the following night. The result shows feature group performances by the contestants as well as guest performers. The top 3 result show also features the homecoming events for the Top 3 finalists. The season reaches its climax in a 2-hour result finale show where the winner of the season is revealed.With the exception of seasons one and two, the contestants in the semifinals onwards performed in front of a studio audience. They performed with a full band in the finals. From season four to season nine, the American Idol band was led by Rickey Minor
Rickey Minor
Rickey Minor is a music director, composer and music producer, now best known as musical director and bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno after Kevin Eubanks left. Minor was born in Monroe, Louisiana to parents Cole and Goldie Minor and was raised in South Central Los Angeles, CA...
, from season ten onwards Ray Chew
Ray Chew
Ray Chew is an American musician who specializes in keyboards and contemporary and orchestral arranging.Chew was a member of the Saturday Night Live Band from 1980 to 1983...
. Assistance may also be given by vocal coaches and song arrangers, such as Michael Orland and Debra Byrd
Debra Byrd
Debra Byrd is an American vocalist who has worked with Barry Manilow and Bob Dylan, appeared on Broadway, and serves as the head vocal coach for American Idol and Canadian Idol, also singing backup for the contestants....
to contestants behind the scene. Contestants may perform with a musical instrument starting season seven from the Hollywood rounds onwards. The performance was usually aired live on Tuesday night and the result show on Wednesday in the United States and Canada in the first nine seasons, but moved to Wednesday and Thursday in season ten.
Season 1
The first season of American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox network. It was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman.In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who attended the auditions. These were cut to 30 for the semifinal, with ten going on to the finals. One of the early favorites to win the show, Tamyra Gray
Tamyra Gray
Tamyra Monica Gray is an American actress, singer and songwriter, who finished fourth place on the first season of the musical reality competition American Idol in 2002. Record and television executive Simon Cowell — who judged the show for nine seasons — was disappointed when she was voted off...
, was eliminated at the top four, the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons. Christina Christian was hospitalized before the top six result show due to chest pains and palpitations, and she was eliminated while she was in the hospital. Jim Verraros
Jim Verraros
James Conrad "Jim" Verraros is an American singer/entertainer and native of Crystal Lake, Illinois who is most notable for being one of the top 10 finalists in the first season of American Idol...
was the first openly gay contestant on the show; his sexual orientation was revealed in his online journal, however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers over concerns that it might be unfairly influencing votes.
The final showdown was between Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini
Justin Guarini is an American singer/songwriter and actor who rose to fame in 2002 as the first runner-up on the debut season of the television show American Idol.-Background:...
, one of the favorites, and Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
. Clarkson was not initially thought of as a contender, but impressed the judges with some good performances in the final rounds, such as her performance of Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's "Natural Woman
(You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman
" A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her...
", and Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton
Betty Hutton was an American stage, film, and television actress, comedienne and singer.-Early life:Hutton was born Elizabeth June Thornburg, daughter of a railroad foreman, Percy E. Thornburg and his wife, the former Mabel Lum . While she was very young, her father abandoned the family for...
's "Stuff Like That There
Stuff Like That There
Music by Jay Livingston, lyrics by Ray Evans. Originally recorded 12/44 by Betty Hutton.Recorded by Bette Midler for the motion picture For The Boys. and covered by Kelly Clarkson on Big Band night, American Idol season 1,...
", and eventually won the crown on September 4, 2002.
In what was to become a tradition, Clarkson performed the coronation song during the finale, and released the song immediately after the season ended. The single, "A Moment Like This", went on to break a 38-year-old record held by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Justin Guarini did not release any song immediately after the show and remains the only runner-up not to do so. Clarkson has since become a major international recording artist with worldwide album sales of more than 23 million. Clarkson and Guarini made a musical film, From Justin to Kelly
From Justin to Kelly
From Justin to Kelly is a 2003 American romantic comedy musical film starring Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, the winner and runner-up, respectively, of the first season of American Idol...
, which was released in 2003 but was widely panned.
Starting September 30, 2006, the first season of American Idol was repackaged as "American Idol Rewind
American Idol Rewind
American Idol Rewind is a syndicated television series that ran from September 30, 2006 to May 15, 2010. The hour-long weekly series was a repurposed edition of the hit reality talent show American Idol, featuring present day interviews with the contestants, semi-finalists and rejected auditioners...
" and syndicated directly to stations in the US.
Season 2
Following the success of season one, the second season was moved up to air in January 2003. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots. Dunkleman left the show, leaving Seacrest as the lone host. Kristin Adams was originally announced as a co-host, but her role was reduced to special correspondent upon airing.Corey Clark
Corey Clark
Corey Delaney Clark is an American singer. He is known for his highly-publicized disqualification from the second season of American Idol and later allegations of a sexual relationship between him and then-Idol judge, Paula Abdul....
was disqualified during the finals for having an undisclosed police record, however, he later alleged that he and Paula Abdul had an affair while on the show and that this contributed to his expulsion. Clark also claimed that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to their affair. The allegations were dismissed by Fox after an independent investigation. Two semi-finalists were also disqualified that year – Jaered Andrews for an arrest on an assault charge, and Frenchie Davis
Frenchie Davis
Franchelle "Frenchie" Davis is an R&B singer and former contestant on the second season of the American reality television show American Idol. Davis performed in Rent on Broadway in 2003...
for having previously modelled for an adult website.
Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
emerged as the winner, beating Clay Aiken
Clay Aiken
Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released...
by a small margin. Out of a total of 24 million votes, Studdard finished just 134,000 votes ahead of Clay Aiken. This slim margin was controversial due to the large number of calls that failed to get through. In an interview prior to season five, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
indicated that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wildcard week onward until the finale.
Both finalists were successful after the show, but Clay Aiken out-performed Ruben's coronation song "Flying Without Wings" with his single release from the show "This Is the Night", as well as in their subsequent album releases. The fourth-place finisher Josh Gracin
Josh Gracin
Joshua Mario "Josh" Gracin is a country music singer. A former member of the United States Marine Corps, he first gained public attention as the fourth-place finalist on the second season of the Fox Networks talent competition American Idol.After his elimination from the show, Gracin completed his...
also enjoyed some success as a country singer.
Season 3
William Hung
William James Hung Hing Cheong , commonly known as William Hung, is an American singer who gained fame in early 2004 as a result of his off-key audition performance of Ricky Martin's hit song "She Bangs" on the third season of the television series...
whose off-key rendition of Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
's "She Bangs
She Bangs
"She Bangs" is a song performed by Ricky Martin, from his 2000 album Sound Loaded. An up-tempo, salsa-influenced song with double entendres about the singer's infatuation with a woman, Martin's recording earned him continued crossover success around the world.The song was co-written by Desmond...
" received widespread attention. His exposure on Idol landed him a record deal and surprisingly he became the third best-selling singer from that season.
Much media attention on the season had been focused on the three African American singers, Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
, LaToya London
LaToya London
LaToya Renee London is an American R&B and soul singer and actress who was the fourth-place finalist on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol...
, and Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
, dubbed the Three Divas. All three unexpectedly landed on the bottom three on the top seven result show, with Jennifer Hudson controversially eliminated. Elton John, who was one of the mentors that season, called the results of the votes "incredibly racist". The prolonged stays of John Stevens
John Stevens (singer)
John Bassat Stevens IV is an American classic pop singer and was the sixth-place finalist on the third season of the television series American Idol.-Biography:...
and Jasmine Trias
Jasmine Trias
Jasmine Trias is an American singer-entertainer who was the third place finalist on the third season of American Idol, due in part to tremendous call-in support from California, New York, and her native state of Hawaii. She has released one album to date, Jasmine Trias...
in the finals, despite negative comments from the judges, had aroused resentment, so much so that John Stevens reportedly received a death threat, which he dismissed as a joke 'blown out of proportion'.
The performance of "Summertime
Summertime (song)
"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
" by Fantasia Barrino, later known simply as "Fantasia", at Top 8 was widely praised, and Simon Cowell considered it as his favorite Idol moment in the nine seasons he was on the show. Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
were the last two finalists remaining at the finale. Over 65 million votes were cast on the night, more than the first two seasons combined, and Fantasia was crowned as the winner. Fantasia released as her coronation single "I Believe
I Believe (Fantasia song)
"I Believe" is the debut single released by singer and American Idol season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino. The song significantly helped Fantasia rise to fame. The song was co-written by former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray.-History:...
", a song co-written by season one finalist Tamyra Gray, and Diana DeGarmo released "Dreams
Dreams (Diana DeGarmo song)
"Dreams" is the debut single by American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo.The song debuted at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100.The B-Sides includes a cover of "Don't Cry Out Loud" and her rendition of "I Believe"....
". Fantasia emerged from the show as a successful recording artist, Jennifer Hudson who was eliminated early also enjoyed considerable success post-Idol as an Oscar-winning actress.
Season 4
The fourth season premiered on January 18, 2005; this was the first season of the series to be aired in high definition, although the finale of season 3 was also aired in high definition. The number of those attending the auditions by now had increased to over 100,000 from the 10,000 of the first season. The age limit was raised to 28 in this season, among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine MaroulisConstantine Maroulis
Constantine James Maroulis is an American rock singer, actor, and writer from Wyckoff, New Jersey. He was the sixth-place finalist on the fourth season of the reality television series American Idol, and lead vocalist of the hard rock band Pray for the Soul of Betty...
and Bo Bice
Bo Bice
Harold Elwin "Bo" Bice, Jr. is an American singer and musician who placed second to Carrie Underwood in the fourth season of American Idol. He has recorded three studio albums, including one on RCA Records...
, "the two rockers" of the show. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants inspired more rock musicians to audition in later seasons, such as Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
in season five.
The top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez
Mario Vazquez
Mario Adrián Vázquez is a Puerto Rican-American singer from The Bronx, New York City. He competed on American Idol's fourth season, which aired on the FOX network in early 2005.-Early life:...
, but he dropped out citing 'personal reasons' and was replaced by Nikko Smith
Nikko Smith
Osborne Earl "Nikko" Smith is a singer-songwriter who was the ninth-place finalist of Season 4 on American Idol.-Biography:...
. Later, an employee of Freemantle Media which produces the show sued the company for wrongful termination, claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behavior by Mario Vazquez toward him during the show.
At top 11, due to a mix-up with the contestants' telephone number, voting was repeated on what was normally the result night, with the result reveal postponed until the following night.
In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes. The winner was Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, with Bo Bice the runner-up. Both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice released the coronation song "Inside Your Heaven
Inside Your Heaven
"Inside Your Heaven" is a song written by Andreas Carlsson, Pelle Nylén, Savan Kotecha and produced by Desmond Child. Two versions of the song were released as singles in 2005 : one by American Idol winner Carrie Underwood, and another by Idol runner-up Bo Bice.Underwood's recording of the song,...
". Carrie Underwood has since become the most successful Idol contestant in the U.S. in terms of album sales, selling over 12 million units.
Season 5
The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006. It remains the highest-rated season in the show's run so far. Two of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood round were the Brittenum twins who were later disqualified for identity theft.Chris Daughtry
Chris Daughtry
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006...
's performance of Fuel
Fuel (band)
Fuel is an American rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. Originally known as Small the Joy, they changed the group's name to Fuel sometime in 1994...
's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)
Hemorrhage (In My Hands)
"Hemorrhage " is a song by the rock band Fuel, released as the first single from their second album Something Like Human. The single spent twelve weeks at number one on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart and is the band's most successful song to date...
" on the show was widely praised and led to an invitation to join the band as Fuel's new lead singer, an invitation he declined. His performance of Live
Live (band)
Live is an American rock band from York, Pennsylvania, composed of Chad Taylor , Patrick Dahlheimer , and Chad Gracey . Lead singer and principal songwriter Ed Kowalczyk left the band in November 2009....
's version of "I Walk the Line
I Walk the Line
"I Walk the Line" is a song written by Johnny Cash and recorded in 1956. It was performed with the help of Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, two mechanics that his brother introduced him to following his discharge from the Air Force. Cash and his wife, Vivian, were living in Memphis, Tennessee,...
" was well-received by the judges but later criticized in some quarters for not crediting the arrangement to Live. He was eliminated at the top four in a shock result.
On May 30, 2006, Telescope announced that a total of 63.5 million votes were cast in the finale round, and a total of 580 million votes were cast in the entire season. Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks
Taylor Reuben Hicks is an American singer who achieved fame in 2006, when he won the fifth season of American Idol. Hicks got his start as a professional musician in his late teens and performed around the Southeastern United States for well over the span of a decade, during which he also released...
was named American Idol, with Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
the runner-up. "Do I Make You Proud
Do I Make You Proud
"Do I Make You Proud" is a soul-pop song written for American Idol season five winner Taylor Hicks by Tracy Ackerman, Andy Watkins, and Paul Wilson of the Absolute production team, and co-produced by Dave Way...
" was released as Taylor Hicks' first single and "My Destiny" Katharine McPhee's.
Despite being eliminated earlier than expected, Daughtry became the biggest star to emerge from this season. Many other contestants from this season, such as Kellie Pickler
Kellie Pickler
Kellie Dawn Pickler is an American country music artist and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol, eventually finishing in sixth place. In 2006, she signed to 19 Recordings and BNA Records as a recording artist, releasing...
, Elliott Yamin
Elliott Yamin
Elliott Yamin , born Efraym Elliott Yamin, is an American singer known for his hit single "Wait for You" and placing third on the fifth season of American Idol....
, Bucky Covington
Bucky Covington
William Joel "Bucky" Covington III is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series American Idol. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records...
, Mandisa
Mandisa
Mandisa Hundley is an American gospel singer, who was the ninth-place finalist in the fifth season of American Idol.-Early life:...
, the winner Taylor Hicks and runner-up Katharine McPhee, also enjoyed varying level of success, and this season remains the most productive in the number of successful recording artists it generated.
Season 6
The sixth season began on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. The premiere episode of the season drew a massive audience of 37.3 million viewers, peaking in the last half hour with more than 41 million viewers.Teenager Sanjaya Malakar
Sanjaya Malakar
Sanjaya Joseph Malakar is an American singer of Indian origin, who was a finalist on the sixth season of American Idol. He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite being poorly received by the show's judges, particularly Simon...
was the season's most talked-about contestant as a weak singer who managed to survive elimination for many weeks, as well as for his widely commented-on hairdo. The weblog Vote for the Worst
Vote for the Worst
VoteForTheWorst.com is a website that is devoted to voting for the worst, most entertaining, most hated or quirkiest contestants on the Fox Network television series American Idol...
and satellite radio personality Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
both encouraged fans to vote for Sanjaya. However, on April 18, after over 38 million votes, Sanjaya was voted off. Semi-finalist Antonella Barba
Antonella Barba
Antonella Maria Barba is an American singer who placed in the top 16 on the sixth season of American Idol. She was eliminated before the top 12 were chosen.-Biography:...
also drew some attention due to racy photographs of her which emerged during the show.
This year saw the first ever Idol Gives Back telethon-inspired event, which raised more than $76 million in corporate and viewer donations. No contestant was eliminated that week, but two, Phil Stacey
Phil Stacey
Joel Philip "Phil" Stacey is an American singer who first gained national attention on season 6 of the television talent show American Idol. After being eliminated from the competition on May 2, 2007, he was signed to a recording contract with Lyric Street Records...
and Chris Richardson
Chris Richardson
Christopher Michael "Chris" Richardson is an American singer-songwriter who was the fifth-place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol.-Personal life:...
, were eliminated the next. Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Doolittle
Melinda Marie Doolittle is an American singer who finished as the third place finalist on the sixth season of American Idol...
, an early favorite, was eliminated on top three.
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
was declared the winner on May 23, 2007, with a new record of 74 million votes in the finale against runner-up Blake Lewis
Blake Lewis
Blake Colin Lewis is an American singer-songwriter and beatboxer who was the runner-up on the sixth season of American Idol. His major label debut album A.D.D. was released on December 4, 2007 through 19 Recordings/Arista Records. On October 30, 2007, his first single "Break Anotha" was released....
. Sparks has enjoyed some success as a recording artist post-Idol.
This year saw the launch of the American Idol Songwriter contest which allowed fans to vote for the "coronation song". Thousands of recordings of original songs were submitted by songwriters, and 20 entries selected for the public vote. The winning song, "This Is My Now
This Is My Now
"This Is My Now" is a song written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne. It is Jordin Sparks's first single. The top two finalists of the season 6 finale of American Idol. sang it during the May 22 and May 23, 2007 finale shows. It was chosen over thousands of other entries in a songwriting contest...
", was performed by both finalists during the finale and released by the winner Jordin Sparks on May 24, 2007.
Season 7
The seventh season premiered on January 15, 2008 for a two-day, four-hour premiere. The media focused on the professional status of the season seven contestants, the so-called 'ringers', many of whom had prior records deals, such as Kristy Lee CookKristy Lee Cook
Kristy Lee Cook is an American country singer who was born in Seattle, Washington and was the seventh place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005 Cook released her debut album called Devoted. In June 2008, Cook signed to 19 Recordings and Arista Nashville. She released her...
, Brooke White
Brooke White
Brooke Elizabeth White is an American indie pop/folk-pop singer-songwriter and actress from Mesa, Arizona who was the fifth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2005, White released her first studio album, called Songs from the Attic.White's first post-Idol album High Hopes &...
, Michael Johns
Michael Johns (singer)
Michael Johns is an Australian singer-songwriter who finished in eighth place on the seventh season of a United States television series, American Idol, in 2008.-Early life:...
, and in particular Carly Smithson
Carly Smithson
Carly Smithson is an Irish soul/pop rock singer-songwriter and actress from San Diego, California who was the sixth place finalist on the seventh season of American Idol. In 2001, Smithson released her first studio album for MCA Records called Ultimate High. Smithson was dropped from the record...
. Contestant David Hernandez
David Hernandez
David Anthony Hernandez is an American singer and the twelfth place finalist of FOX's seventh season of the television series American Idol.-Biography:...
also attracted some attention due to his past working as a stripper.
For the finals, American Idol debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage on March 11, 2008, along with a new on-air look. David Cook
David Cook (singer)
David Roland Cook is an American rock singer-songwriter, who rose to fame after winning the seventh season of the reality television show American Idol...
's performance of "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
" on top ten night was lauded by the judges, but provoked controversy when they apparently mistook the Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
arrangement to be David Cook's own even though the performance was introduced as Cornell's version. Cornell himself said he was 'flattered' and praised David Cook's performance. David Cook was taken to the hospital after the top nine performance show due to heart palpitations and high blood pressure.
David Archuleta
David Archuleta
David Archuleta, is a former United States Air Force Airman of Okinawan stationary troops and is currently an American male kickboxer.-Biography:...
's semi-final performance of John Lennon's "Imagine
Imagine (song)
"Imagine" is a song written and performed by the English musician John Lennon. It is the opening track on his album Imagine, released in 1971...
" was considered by many as one of the best of the season. Jennifer Lopez, who was brought in as a judge in season ten, cited it as a beautiful-song moment that she will never forget. Jason Castro's semi-final performance of "Hallelujah" also received considerable attention, and it propelled Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
's version of the song to the top of the Billboard digital song
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart. This is the first season whereby contestants' recordings were released onto iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
after their performances, and although sales information were not released so as not to prejudice the contest, leaked information indicated contestants' songs frequently reached the top of iTunes sales chart.
Idol Gives Back returned on April 9, 2008 and raised $64 million for charity. The finalists were David Cook and David Archuleta, the first time in the show's history where neither of the top two were ever in the bottom three. David Cook was announced the winner of American Idol season seven on May 21, 2008, the first 'rocker' to win the show.
The American Idol Songwriter contest was also held this season. From ten of the most popular submissions, each of the final two contestants chose a song to perform, although neither of their selections was used as the "coronation song". The winning song, "The Time of My Life
The Time of My Life (David Cook song)
"The Time of My Life" is the coronation song and the debut single for the winner of the seventh season of American Idol, David Cook.-Background:...
", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008 and is the best-selling of all coronation songs to date. Both David Cook and David Archuleta are successful as recording artists.
Season 8
The eighth season of American Idol began on January 13, 2009. Mike DarnellMike Darnell
Michael H. Darnell is an American television executive.Darnell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He is currently president of Alternative Entertainment for the Fox Broadcasting Company. He is credited for launching When Animals Attack!, Temptation Island, Joe Millionaire,...
, the president of alternative programming for Fox, stated that the season would focus more on the contestants' reality and emotional state, much early attention on the show was therefore focused on the widowerhood of Danny Gokey
Danny Gokey
Daniel Jay "Danny" Gokey is an American country music singer and church music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the third place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol...
as well as characters like Tatiana Del Toro and Nick Mitchell.
In the first major change to the judging panel, a fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi
Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, composer and TV personality. She writes music primarily in the light pop-rock, dance, and R&B genres. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; her songs have appeared on more than 159...
, was introduced; Paula Abdul, however, left the show after the season ended. This was also the first season without executive producer Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
who left to focus on the international versions of his show So You Think You Can Dance. The Hollywood round was moved to the Kodak Theatre for 2009 and was also extended to two weeks. Idol Gives Back was cancelled for this season due to the global recession at the time.
There were 13 finalists this season, but two were eliminated in its first result show of the finals. A new feature introduced was the "Judges' Save", and Matt Giraud
Matt Giraud
Matthew Scott "Matt" Giraud is a dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Michigan and the fifth place finalist of the eighth season of the reality television series American Idol.-Early life:...
was saved from elimination at the top seven by the judges when he received the fewest votes. The next week, Lil Rounds
Lil Rounds
Lil Rounds is an American singer from Memphis, Tennessee, who was the seventh place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol. Following the conclusion of Idol, Rounds was signed to a record deal with Bungalo Records. Her debut album was to be released in 2010 but has been pushed back for a...
and Anoop Desai
Anoop Desai
Anoop Desai is an American singer-songwriter best known for his time as a contestant on the eighth season of American Idol. Motivated by the death of his friend Eve Carson, Desai auditioned for American Idol. Desai made American Idol history by being the first ever 13th finalist on American Idol...
were eliminated.
The two finalists were Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
and Adam Lambert
Adam Lambert
Adam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
, both of whom had previously landed in the bottom three at the top five. Kris Allen won the contest in the most controversial voting result since season two. It was claimed, later retracted, that 38 million of the 100 million votes cast on the night came from Kris Allen's home state of Arkansas alone, and that AT&T employees unfairly influenced the votes by giving lessons on power-texting at viewing parties in Arkansas.
Both Kris Allen and Adam Lambert released the coronation song, "No Boundaries
No Boundaries (song)
"No Boundaries" is the 2009 winner's single of season 8 of the reality television show American Idol.It was co-written by American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, along with Cathy Dennis, and Mitch Allan...
" which was co-written by DioGuardi. Both also enjoyed some success as recording artists, although this is the first season in which the winner has failed to achieve gold album status, and none from that season achieved platinum album status in the US.
Season 9
The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010. The upheaval at the judging panel continued. Ellen DeGeneresEllen DeGeneres
Ellen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
joined as a judge to replace Paula Abdul at the start of Hollywood Week, however, she left after the season finished, as did Simon Cowell who left to launch the US version of The X Factor
The X Factor (U.S.)
The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
. Kara DioGuardi's contract was not renewed for the next season. During the auditions for season nine an array of guest judge stood in as a fourth judge including Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth
Kristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
, Joe Jonas
Joe Jonas
Joseph Adam "Joe" Jonas is a Pop American singer, musician, actor, and dancer. He is a member of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band made up of him and his two brothers, Nick and Kevin...
, Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
, Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
, Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham
Victoria Caroline Beckham is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model, actress, fashion designer and businesswoman. In the late 1990s, Beckham rose to fame with the all-female pop group Spice Girls and was dubbed Posh Spice by the July 1996 issue of the British pop music magazine Top of the Pops...
and Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
.
One of the most prominent auditioners that season was General Larry Platt
Larry Platt
"General" Larry Platt is an American Civil and political rights activist and rapper who gained fame with his performance of "Pants on the Ground" on the ninth season of American Idol. His hit release song "Pants on the Ground" was released on iTunes and received over 150,000 hits...
whose performance of "Pants on the Ground
Pants on the Ground
"Pants on the Ground" is the first single by civil rights activist "General" Larry Platt. The song is meant to protest the practice of sagging. It was released on American King Music on February 4, 2010...
" became a viral hit song.
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal Lynn Bowersox is an American singer-songwriter and actress, who was the runner-up on the ninth season of American Idol...
, who has Type-I diabetes
Diabetes mellitus type 1
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...
, fell ill due to diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. It happens predominantly in those with type 1 diabetes, but it can occur in those with type 2 diabetes under certain circumstances...
on the morning of the girls performance night for the top 20 week and was hospitalized. The schedule was rearranged so the boys performed first and she could perform the following night instead; she later revealed that Ken Warwick, the show producer, wanted to disqualify her but she begged to be allowed to stay on the show.
Michael Lynche
Michael Lynche
Michael Alexander Lynche is an American singer from St. Petersburg, Florida who was the fourth place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol. He is the second finalist ever to receive the judges' save, which was introduced in season eight.-Early life:Lynche was born to Michele and Marque...
was the lowest vote getter at top nine and was given the Judges' Save. The next week Katie Stevens
Katie Stevens
Katherine Mari "Katie" Stevens is an American singer from Middlebury, Connecticut who finished in eighth place on the ninth season of American Idol.-Biography:...
and Andrew Garcia
Andrew Garcia
Andrew Adrian Garcia is an American singer from Moreno Valley, California who was the ninth place finalist on the ninth season of American Idol.-Personal life:...
were eliminated. That week Adam Lambert was invited back to be a mentor, the first Idol alum to do so. Idol Gives Back returned this season on April 21, 2010 and raised 45 million.
A special tribute to Simon Cowell was presented in the finale for his final season with the show. Many figures from the show's past, including Paula Abdul, made an appearance.
This was the second season where neither of the final two contestants, Lee DeWyze
Lee DeWyze
Leon James "Lee" DeWyze, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter from Mount Prospect, Illinois, and the winner of the ninth season of American Idol. Prior to Idol, DeWyze had a solo career and formed the Lee DeWyze Band. He had also released two independent albums called So I'm Told in 2007 and...
and Crystal Bowersox, had been in the bottom two or three. Lee DeWyze was declared the winner during the May 26 finale. No new song was used as coronation song this year; instead, the two finalists each released a cover song – Lee DeWyze chose U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's "Beautiful Day
Beautiful Day
"Beautiful Day" is a song by the rock band U2. It is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can't Leave Behind, and it was released as the album's lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2's biggest hits to date...
", and Crystal Bowersox chose Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin
Patty Griffin, born Patricia Jean Griffin, March 16, 1964, is an American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She is especially known for her down-home crafting of songs and her connection to musicians including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, and the Dixie Chicks, who have played with...
's "Up to the Mountain
Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)
"Up to the Mountain " is a contemporary folk song written by Patty Griffin. The song touches upon emotions surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous 1968 "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech, given the day before his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee...
". This is the first season where neither finalist achieved significant album sales.
Season 10
The tenth season of the series premiered on January 19, 2011 on Fox. Many changes were introduced this season, from the format to the personnel of the show. Jennifer LopezJennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
and Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
joined Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
as judges, while Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe
Nigel Lythgoe is an English television and film director and producer, and former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol as well as being a creator, executive producer and a regular judge for So You Think You Can...
returned as executive producer. Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
, chairman of the Interscope Geffen A&M Records group, the new partner of American Idol, acted as the in-house mentor in place of weekly guest mentors, although in later episode special guest mentors such as will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
and Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
were brought in.
Season 10 is the first to include online auditions where contestants could submit a 40 second video audition via Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Karen Rodriguez
Karen Rodriguez
Karen Rodriguez is an American singer from New York City, New York. Rodriguez placed twelfth on the tenth season of American Idol.-Early life:...
was one such auditioner and reached the final rounds.
One of the more prominent contestants this year was Chris Medina
Chris Medina
Christopher Edward "Chris" Medina is an American singer born in Chicago, Illinois. Medina is most notable as a former American Idol contestant during the tenth season of Idol and his single, "What Are Words", which went to #1 in Norway and Sweden and spent 19 weeks at number 1 combined...
, whose story of caring for his brain-damaged fiancée received widespread coverage. Casey Abrams
Casey Abrams
Casey Abrams is an American musician from Idyllwild, California who finished in sixth place on the tenth season of American Idol. He was eliminated from the competition on April 28, 2011, five weeks after being saved from elimination by the judges.-Early life:Abrams was born on February 12, 1991...
, who suffers from ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
, was hospitalized twice and missed the Top 13 result show. He was the lowest vote-getter at Top 11 but was saved by the judges, and as a result, the tenth season was the first season to have eleven finalists go on tour instead of ten.
Pia Toscano
Pia Toscano
Pia Ann Rose Toscano is an American singer from Howard Beach, New York. Toscano placed ninth on the tenth season of American Idol. Considered to be a frontrunner in the competition, her elimination came as a shock to judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler, all of whom were visibly...
, one of the presumed favorites to advance far in the season, was unexpectedly eliminated on April 7, 2011, finishing in 9th place. Her elimination drew criticism from some former Idol contestants, as well as actor Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
.
The two finalists this year were Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina
Lauren Alaina is an American singer from Rossville, Georgia. Alaina was the runner-up on the tenth season of American Idol. Her debut studio album, Wildflower was released in October 2011....
and Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery
Scott Cooke "Scotty" McCreery is an American country singer from Garner, North Carolina . He also won the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, Clear as Day was released in October 2011...
, both teenage country singers. Scotty McCreery won the competition on May 25, 2011, being the youngest male winner and the fourth male in a row to win American Idol. McCreery released his first single, "I Love You This Big
I Love You This Big
"I Love You This Big" is the debut single and coronation song of American recording artist and American Idol 's season 10 winner, Scotty McCreery. It was first performed on the American Idol final performance show on May 24, 2011. The single was released to digital retailers after the final result...
", as his coronation song, and Alaina released "Like My Mother Does
Like My Mother Does
"Like My Mother Does" is the title of a song written by Nathan Chapman, Liz Rose, and Nicole Williams. It was first recorded by American country artist Kristy Lee Cook from her 2008 album, Why Wait. It was later recorded and released as a single by country music singers Jesse Lee and Lauren Alaina...
". McCreery's debut album, Clear as Day
Clear as Day
Clear as Day is the debut album from the season ten American Idol winner Scotty McCreery. The album was released on October 4, 2011 in the United States...
, became the first debut album by an Idol winner to reach number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
since Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
's Soulful
Soulful (Ruben Studdard album)
Soulful is the 2003 debut album from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard.-Track listing:# "Sorry 2004" – 4:22...
in 2003.
Geographical bias
Since the show's inception in 2002, seven of the ten Idol winners, including its first five, have come from the Southern United StatesSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. The three exceptions are Jordin Sparks who came from Arizona, David Cook from Missouri (which is considered part of the "Upland South", and Cook was born in Houston and was living in Tulsa at the time of his audition), and Lee DeWyze from Illinois. A large number of other notable finalists during the series' run have also hailed from the American South, including Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, Chris Daughtry, and Scotty McCreery who are all from North Carolina. At the time of the 2004 finals, which pitted North Carolina's Fantasia Barrino against Georgia's Diana DeGarmo, their Southern character, or character appealing to the South, was cited as reason for their success. Data from Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
, a music-sales tracking service, showed that of the 47 million CDs sold by Idol contestants through January 2010, 85 percent were by contestants with ties to the American South.
The show itself is particularly popular in the Southern United States, with households in the Southeastern United States 10% more likely to watch American Idol during the eighth season in 2009, and those in the East Central region, such as Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, were 16 percent more likely to tune into the series. When asked about the appeal of Southern contestants, season five winner Taylor Hicks, from the state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
said, "People in the South have a lot of pride ... So, they're adamant about supporting the contestants who do well from their state or region."
Controversy
The show had been criticized in earlier seasons over the onerous contract contestants had to sign that gave excessive control to 19 Entertainment19 Entertainment
19 Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, United States, is a creator and producer of entertainment properties based around the areas of Music and Television / Film, including American Idol in the United States, Pop Idol in the United Kingdom as well as versions of the Idol series in more than...
over their future career, and handed a large part of their future earnings to the management.
Individual contestants have generated controversy in this competition for their past actions, or for being 'ringers' planted by the producers. A number of contestants had been disqualified for various reasons, such as Joanna Pacitti
Joanna Pacitti
Joanna Pacitti is an American singer and lead vocalist in the band City State.-Theater:In 1996, at age 12, Pacitti was chosen to star in the 20th anniversary revival of the musical Annie after entering a contest sponsored by the department store Macy's...
in season eight for having alleged connections to executives at 19 Entertainment, and Chris Golightly of season nine for having an existing contract, although the show had been accused of double standard for disqualifying some but not the others.
Voting results have been a consistent source of controversy. The mechanism of voting had also aroused considerable criticisms, most notably in season two when Ruben Studdard beat Clay Aiken in a close vote, and in season eight, when the massive increase in text votes (100 million more text votes than season 7) fueled the texting controversy. Concerns about power voting have been expressed from the very first season. Since 2004, votes also have been affected to a limited degree by online community services such as DialIdol
DialIdol
DialIdol is both the name of a computer program for Microsoft Windows and its associated website that tracks voting trends for American Idol contestants. The program allows users to automatically vote for the American Idol contestants of their choice using their PC's modem...
and Vote for the Worst
Vote for the Worst
VoteForTheWorst.com is a website that is devoted to voting for the worst, most entertaining, most hated or quirkiest contestants on the Fox Network television series American Idol...
.
Idol Gives Back
Idol Gives Back is a special charity event started in season six featuring performances by celebrities and various fund-raising initiatives. This event was also held in seasons seven and nine and has raised nearly $185 million in total.Television ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of American Idol on FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. It is one of the highest-rated TV shows in the history of television.
- Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.
| Season | Premiered | Ended | TV Season | Timeslot | Season Ranking |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Viewers (in millions) |
Date | Viewers (in millions) |
||||
| 1st American Idol (Season 1) The first season of American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002 and continued until September 4, 2002. It was won by Kelly Clarkson... |
June 11, 2002 | 9.85 | Final Performances: September 3, 2002 | 18.69 | 2002 | Tuesday 9:00 pm (performance show) |
#30 |
| Season Finale: September 4, 2002 | 23.02 | Wednesday 9:30 p.m. (results show) |
#25 | ||||
| 2nd American Idol (Season 2) The second season of American Idol premiered on January 21, 2003 and continued until May 21, 2003. The title of show was shortened from American Idol: The Search for a Superstar of Season 1 to just American Idol. Brian Dunkleman quit after the first season, and Seacrest therefore became the lone... |
January 21, 2003 | 26.50 | Final Performances: May 20, 2003 | 25.67 | 2003 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#5 |
| Season Finale: May 21, 2003 | 38.06 | Wednesday 8:30 pm (results show) |
#3 | ||||
| 3rd American Idol (Season 3) The third season of American Idol premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004 and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana DeGarmo by an approximate margin of 2% ; the vote total was the highest recorded vote total in the show's history until the... |
January 19, 2004 | 28.96 | Final Performances: May 25, 2004 | 25.13 | 2004 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#1 |
| Season Finale: May 26, 2004 | 28.84 | Wednesday 8:30 pm (results show) |
#3 | ||||
| 4th American Idol (Season 4) The fourth season of American Idol premiered on January 18, 2005 and continued until May 25, 2005. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell also returned to judge. It was won by Carrie Underwood, who has gone on to become a five-time Grammy-winning country megastar... |
January 18, 2005 | 33.58 | Final Performances: May 24, 2005 | 28.05 | 2005 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#1 |
| Season Finale: May 25, 2005 | 30.27 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#3 | ||||
| 5th American Idol (season 5) The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge, and Ryan Seacrest returned to host. It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise and also with 18 contestants getting record deals -... |
January 17, 2006 | 35.53 | Final Performances: May 23, 2006 | 31.78 | 2006 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#1 |
| Season Finale: May 24, 2006 | 36.38 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#2 | ||||
| 6th American Idol (Season 6) The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host... |
January 16, 2007 | 37.44 | Final Performances: May 22, 2007 | 25.33 | 2007 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#2 |
| Season Finale: May 23, 2007 | 30.76 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#1 | ||||
| 7th American Idol (season 7) The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges... |
January 15, 2008 | 33.48 | Final Performances: May 20, 2008 | 27.06 | 2008 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#1 |
| Season Finale: May 21, 2008 | 31.66 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#2 | ||||
| 8th American Idol (season 8) The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol... |
January 13, 2009 | 30.45 | Final Performances: May 19, 2009 | 23.82 | 2009 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#2 |
| Season Finale: May 20, 2009 | 28.84 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#1 | ||||
| 9th American Idol (season 9) The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres permanently replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was... |
January 12, 2010 | 29.95 | Final Performances: May 25, 2010 | 20.07 | 2010 | Tuesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#1 |
| Season Finale: May 26, 2010 | 24.22 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#2 | ||||
| 10th American Idol (season 10) The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music... |
January 19, 2011 | 26.23 | Final Performances: May 24, 2011 | 20.57 | 2011 | Wednesday 8:00 pm (performance show) |
#1 |
| Season Finale: May 25, 2011 | 29.29 | Thursday 8:00 pm (results show) |
#2 | ||||
American Idol premiered in June 2002 and became the surprise summer hit show of 2002. The first show drew 9.9 million viewers, giving Fox the best viewing figure for the 8.30 pm spot in over a year. The audience steadily grew, and by finale night, the audience had averaged 23 million, with more than 40 million watching some part of that show. That episode was placed third amongst all age groups, but more importantly it led in the 18–49 demographic, the age group most valued by advertisers.
The growth continued into the next season, starting with a season premiere of 26.5 million. The season attracted an average of 21.7 million viewers, and was placed second overall amongst the 18–49 age group. The finale night when Ruben Studdard won over Clay Aiken was also the highest-rated ever American Idol episode at 38.1 million for the final hour. By season three, the show had become the top show in the 18–49 demographic a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including season ten. By season four, American Idol had become the most watched series amongst all viewers on American TV, with an average viewership of 26.8 million. The show reached its peak in season five with numbers averaging 30.6 million.
Season six started with some the most watched ever episodes of American Idol, and many television executives had by then begun to regard the show as a programming force unlike any seen before, as its consistent dominance of up to two hours two or three nights a week exceeded the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
. The show was dubbed "the Death Star
Death Star
The Death Star is a fictional moon-sized space station and superweapon appearing in the Star Wars movies and expanded universe. It is capable of destroying a planet with a single destructive super charged energy beam.-Origin and design:...
", and competing networks often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. However, season six also showed a steady decline in viewership over the course of the season. The season finale saw a drop in ratings of 16% from the previous year.
The loss of viewers continued into season seven. The premiere was down 11% among total viewers, and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest-rated Wednesday show among the 18–34 demo since the first season in 2002. However, the ratings rebounded for the season seven finale with the excitement over the battle of the Davids, and improved over season six as the third most watched finale. The strong finish of season seven also helped Fox become the most popular TV network for the first time since its inception. Overall ratings for the season were down 10% from season six, General attrition of television audiences may be a reason for this ratings decline, which is in line with the fall in viewership across all networks due in part to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
.
The declining trend however continued into season eight, as total viewers numbers fell by 5–10% for early episodes compared to season seven, and by 9% for the finale. In season nine, Idol six-year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken, when NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
on February 17 beat Idol in the same time slot with 30.1 million viewers over Idols 18.4 million. Later in that same season, Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 10)
Dancing with the Stars returned for a tenth season on March 22, 2010. There was not an elimination the first week of competition. The first elimination took place on March 30....
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drew more viewers than Idol on some episodes. Nevertheless, American Idol finished its ninth season as the most watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
and NBC's The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
.
In season ten, the total viewer numbers for the first week of shows fell 12–13%, and by up to 23% in the 18–49 demo compared to season nine. Later episodes, however, retained viewers better, and by Top 8, the season-to-date total viewership was up from Season 9. The season ended on a high with a significant increase in viewership for the finale — up 12% for the adults 18–49 demo and a 21% increase in total viewers from the season nine finale. While the overall viewer number has increased this season, its viewer demographics have continued to age year on year — the median age this season was 47.2 compared to a median age of 32.1 in its first season.
Impact
The enormous success of the show and the revenue it generated was transformative for Fox Broadcasting Company. The show pushed Fox to become the number one TV network amongst adult 18–49, the key demographic coveted by advertisers, for an unprecedented seven consecutive years by 2011. Its success also helped lift the ratings of other shows that were scheduled around it such as HouseHouse (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
and Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
. The show, its creator Simon Fuller claimed, "saved Fox".
It spawned a number of similar singing competition shows, such as Rock Star
Rock Star (TV series)
Rock Star is a television series produced by Mark Burnett in which aspiring singers from all around the world competed to become the lead singer of a featured group. It debuted on CBS on July 11, 2005, to mediocre ratings. The show was hosted by television personality and commercial spokeswoman...
, Nashville Star
Nashville Star
Nashville Star is an American reality television program. It was transmitted during mid-2008 on NBC, following five seasons on USA Network. It premiered on March 8, 2003, and its five seasons on USA made it the longest-running competition series on cable television. In Canada, the show aired on CMT...
, a relaunched Star Search
Star Search
Star Search is a television show that was produced from 1983-95, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Alfred Masini. A relaunch was produced in 2003-04. The show was originally filmed at the old Earl Carroll Theatre at 6230 Sunset Blvd...
, The Voice
The Voice (U.S. TV series)
The Voice is an American reality talent show that premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. Based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, the series was created by Dutch television producer John de Mol. It is part of an international series...
, and The X Factor
The X Factor (TV series)
The X Factor is a television talent show franchise originating in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for Pop Idol. It is a singing competition, now held in various countries, which pits contestants against each other. These contestants are aspiring pop singers drawn from...
, although none have yet matched its success. Its format also served as blueprint for a generation of TV shows.
As one of the most successful shows on U.S. television history, American Idol has a strong impact not just on television, but also in the wider world of entertainment. It helped create a number of highly successful recording artists, such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, as well as others of varying notability. According to Fred Bronson
Fred Bronson
Fredric M. Bronson is an American journalist, author and writer. He is best known for his appearances on American Idol, the weekly "Chart Beat" column in Billboard magazine, and as the author of books related to Billboard charts.Born to Irving and Mildred Bronson and raised in Culver City,...
, author of books on the Billboard charts, no other entity has ever created as many hit-making artists and best-selling albums and singles. Towards the end of 2009, American Idol alumni had sold a total of over 46 million albums and 56 million download tracks in the U.S., and 66 million albums worldwide. In 2007, they accounted for 2.1% of all music sales. Its alumni have a massive impact on radio; in 2007, American Idol had become "a dominant force in radio" according to the president of the research company Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
which monitors radio stations Rich Meyer. By 2010, four winners each had more than a million radio spins, with Kelly Clarkson leading the field with over four million spins.
Top-selling American Idol alumni
As of 2011 American Idol alumni in their post-Idol career have amassed a total sales of over 50 million albums and 90 million singles and digital track downloads in the U.S.Idol alumni in film, television and theater
The impact of American Idol is also strongly felt in musical theatre, where many of Idol alumni have forged successful careers. The striking effect of former American Idol contestants on Broadway has been noted and commented on. The casting of a popular Idol contestant can lead to significantly increased ticket sales. Other alumni have gone on to work in television and films, the most notable being Jennifer Hudson who, on the recommendation of the Idol vocal coach Debra Byrd, won a role in DreamgirlsDreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
and subsequently received a Academy Award for her performance.
Major award-winning
American Idol alumni| Idol contestant & season | American Music Awards | Billboard Music Award Billboard Music Award The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011... s |
Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... s |
Academy Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kelly Clarkson Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,... (Season 1, winner) |
4 2005 Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist 2005 Artist of the Year 2006 Favorite Pop/Rock Female 2006 Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist |
12 | 2 2006 Best Female Pop Vocal 2006 Best Pop Vocal Album |
0 |
| Clay Aiken Clay Aiken Clayton Holmes "Clay" Aiken is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and author who began his rise to fame on the second season of the television program American Idol in 2003. RCA Records offered him a recording contract, and his multi-platinum debut album Measure of a Man was released... (Season 2, runner-up) |
1 2003 Fan's Choice Award |
3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which... (Season 3, winner) |
0 | 3 | 1 2011, Best Female R&B Vocal |
0 |
| Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place... (Season 3, 7th place) |
0 | 0 | 1 2009 Best R&B Album |
1 2007 Best Supporting Actress |
| Carrie Underwood Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005... (Season 4, winner) |
6 2006 Breakthrough artist 2007 Artist of the year 2007 Favorite Country Album 2007 Country Female Artist 2008 Favorite Country Album 2010 Favorite Country Album |
15 | 5 2007 Best New Artist 2007 Best Female Country Vocal 2008 Best Female Country Vocal 2009 Best Female Country Vocal 2010 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals |
0 |
| Chris Daughtry Chris Daughtry Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, from which he was eliminated on May 10, 2006... (Season 5, 4th place) |
4 2007 Breakthrough Artist 2007 Best Adult Contemporary Artist 2007 Best Pop/Rock Album 2008 Favorite Band, Duo or Group- Pop/Rock |
6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history... (Season 6, winner) |
1 2008 Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist |
0 | 0 | 0 |
Critical reception
Early reviews were mixed in their assessment. Ken Tucker of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
considered that "As TV, American Idol is crazily entertaining; as music, it's dust-mote inconsequential". Others, however, thought that "the most striking aspect of the series was the genuine talent it revealed". It was also described as a "sadistic musical bake-off", and "a romp in humiliation". Other aspects of the show have attracted criticisms. The product placement in the show in particular was noted, and some critics were harsh about what they perceived as its blatant commercial calculations – Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
charged that American Idol is "a conniving multimedia monster" that has "absorbed the sin of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil." The decision to send the season one winner to sing the national anthem at the Lincoln Memorial on the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks in 2002 was also poorly received by many. Lisa de Moraes
Lisa de Moraes
Lisa de Moraes is an American television columnist. Her writings, titled "The TV Column," appear regularly in the Style section of The Washington Post....
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
noted with satirical flair that "The terrorists have won" and, with a sideswipe at the show's commercialism and voting process, that the decision as to who "gets to turn this important site into just another cog in the 'Great American Idol Marketing Mandala' is in the hands of the millions of girls who have made American Idol a hit. Them and a handful of phone-redialer geeks who have been clocking up to 10,000 calls each week for their contestant of choice (but who, according to Fox, are in absolutely no way skewing the outcome)."
Some of the later writers about the show were more positive, Michael Slezak, again of Entertainment Weekly, thought that "for all its bloated, synthetic, product-shilling, money-making trappings, Idol provides a once-a-year chance for the average American to combat the evils of today's music business." Singer Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
, who was later to act as a mentor on the show, however took the view that the show "undermines art in every way and promotes commercialism." Others focused on the personalities in the show; Ramin Setoodeh of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
accused judge Simon Cowell's cruel critiques in the show of helping to establish in the wider world a culture of meanness, that "Simon Cowell has dragged the rest of us in the mud with him." Some such as singer John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
disparaged the contestants, suggesting that those who appeared on Idol are not real artists with self-respect.
Some in the entertainment industry were critical of the star-making aspect of the show. Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, a mentor on the show, bemoaning the loss of the "true art form of music", thought that shows like American Idol made it seem "so easy that everyone can do it, and that it can happen overnight", and that "television is a lie". Musician Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein
Michael Jay Feinstein is an American singer, pianist, and music revivalist. He is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as the Great American Songbook. In 1988 he won a Drama Desk Special Award for celebrating American musical theatre songs...
, while acknowledging that the show had uncovered promising performers, said that American Idol "isn't really about music. It's about all the bad aspects of the music business — the arrogance of commerce, this sense of 'I know what will make this person a star; artists themselves don't know.' " That American Idol is seen to be a fast track to success for its contestants has been a cause of resentment for some in the industry. LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
, commenting on Carrie Underwood winning Best Female Artist in Country Music Awards over Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
in 2006, said that "Carrie has not paid her dues long enough to fully deserve that award". It is a common theme that has been echoed by many others. Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, who had appeared as a mentor in the show but turned down an offer to be a judge on American Idol, commenting on talent shows in general said that "there have been some good acts but the only way to sustain a career is to pay your dues in small clubs", and Steven Tyler, appearing on Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
on January 17, 2011 in a publicity drive as a judge for American Idol, said that "I've always thought that to be an American Idol or any kind of idol, you have to pay your dues, but today it's a different world." Nevertheless, the success of its alumni has led to more positive assessment of the show.
American Idol has been nominated for Emmy's Outstanding Reality Competition Program for nine years but never won. Director Bruce Gower won a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series in 2009, and the show won a Creative Arts Emmys each in 2007 and 2008, three in 2009, and two in 2011, as well as a Governor's Award in 2007 for its Idol Gives Back edition. It won the People's Choice Award, which honors the popular culture of the previous year as voted by the public, for favorite competition/reality show in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. It won the first Critics' Choice Television Award
Critics' Choice Television Award
A Critics' Choice Television Award is an accolade presented by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association . It was established in 2011, and its first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011 and streamed live on VH1.com.-History:...
in 2011 for Best Reality Competition.
Revenue and commercial ventures
The dominance of American Idol in the ratings has made it the most profitable show in U.S. TV for many years. The show was estimated to generate $900 million for the year 2004 through sales of TV ads, albums, merchandise and concert tickets. By season seven, the show was estimated to earn around $900 million from its ad revenue alone, not including ancillary sponsorship deals and other income. One estimate puts the total TV revenue for the first eight seasons of American at $6.4 billion. Sponsors that bought fully integrated packages can expect a variety of promotions of their products on the show, such as product placement, adverts and product promotion integrated into the show, and various promotional opportunities. Other off-air promotional partners pay for the rights to feature "Idol" branding on their packaging, products and marketing programs. American Idol also partnered with Disney in its theme park attraction The American Idol Experience.Advertising revenue
American Idol became the most expensive series on broadcast networks for advertisers starting season four, and by the next season, it had broken the record in advertising rate for a regularly scheduled prime-time network series, selling over $700,000 for a 30-seconds slot, and reaching up to $1.3 million for the finale. Its ad prices reached a peak in season seven at $737,000. Estimated revenue more than doubled from $404 million in season three to $870 million in season six. While that declined from season eight onwards, it still earned significantly more than its nearest competitor, with advertising revenue topping $800 million annually.Media sponsorship
Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
were two of the first sponsors of American Idol in its first season. The sponsorship deal cost around $10 million in season one, rising to $35 million by season 7, and between $50 to $60 million in season 10. The third major sponsor AT&T Wireless joined in the second season. iTunes
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
joined in season seven.
American Idol prominent display of its sponsors' logo and products had been noted since the early seasons. By season six, Idol showed 4,349 product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
s according to Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. The branded entertainment
Branded entertainment
Branded entertainment, also known as branded content or advertainment, is an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by and complementary to a brand's marketing strategy. The purpose of a branded entertainment program is to give a brand the opportunity to communicate its image to its target...
integration had proved beneficial to its advertisers – promotion of AT&T text-messaging as a means to vote successfully introduced the technology into the wider culture, and Coca-Cola has seen its equity increased during the show.
- Coca-Cola – Cups bearing logo of Coca-Cola, and occasionally its subsidiary Vitaminwater, are featured prominently on the judges table. Contestants are shown between songs held in the "Coca-Cola Red Room," the show's equivalent of the green roomGreen roomIn British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage...
. (The Coca-Cola logo however is obscured during rebroadcast in the UK which until 2011 banned product placement.) - Ford – Contestants appear in the special Ford videos on the results shows, and winners Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks, and Kris Allen have also appeared in commercials for Ford. The final two each won a free Ford MustangFord MustangThe Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
in seasons four, five and six, Ford Escape Hybrid in season seven, Ford Fusion HybridFord Fusion HybridThe Ford Fusion Hybrid is a gasoline-electric hybrid powered version of the mid-size Ford Fusion sedan developed by the Ford Motor Company, and launched to the U.S. market in March 2009 as a 2010 model, together with its twin the Mercury Milan Hybrid. The Fusion Hybrid is manufactured at Ford's...
in season eight, and Ford FiestaFord FiestaThe Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
in season nine. In season ten Scotty McCreery chose a Ford F-150Ford F-SeriesThe F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...
and Lauren Alaina chose Shelby MustangShelby MustangThe Shelby Mustang is a high performance variant of the Ford Mustang which was built by Shelby American from 1965 through 1970. Following the introduction of the fifth generation Ford Mustang, the Shelby nameplate was revived in 2007 for new high performance versions of the Mustang.- 1965–1966 :The...
. In the red room, there is a glass table with a Ford wheel as its base. - AT&T – AT&T Mobility is promoted as the service provider for text-voting. AT&T created an ad campaign that centered on an air-headed teenager going around telling people to vote.
- Apple iTunes – Ryan Seacrest announces the availability of contestants' performances exclusively via iTunes. Videos are regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods.
- Previous sponsors include Old NavyOld NavyOld Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
and ClairolClairolClairol is a personal care products division of Procter & Gamble. The Clairol company was started in 1931 by Lawrence M. Gelb and wife, Joan, who named their enterprise after a hair-coloring preparation they found while traveling in France....
's Herbal EssencesHerbal EssencesHerbal Essences is a brand of shampoo, hair conditioner, hair stylers, and hair coloring by Clairol. The brand was founded in 1972. There are eleven collections of product, each design for a different effect on the user's hair...
. In seasons two and three, contestants sometimes donned Old Navy clothing for their performances with celebrity stylist Steven CojocaruSteven CojocaruSteven Cojocaru , known by the nickname "Cojo", is a Canadian fashion critic. He was born in Montreal, Quebec to a family of immigrants from Romania...
assisting with their wardrobe selection, and contestants received Clairol-guided hair makeovers. In the season seven finale, both David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in "Risky BusinessRisky BusinessRisky Business is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut. It stars Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The hit film launched Cruise to stardom.-Plot:...
"-inspired commercials for Guitar HeroGuitar HeroGuitar Hero is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It is the first entry in the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in Europe and June 15, 2006 in...
, a sponsor of the tour that year.
Coca-Cola's archrival PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
declined to sponsor American Idol at the show's start. "[M]issing one of the biggest marketing opportunities in a generation" contributed to Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
losing market share, by 2010 falling to third place from second in the United States. PepsiCo sponsors the American version of Cowell's The X Factor in hopes of not repeating its Idol mistake.
Music releases
American Idol has traditionally released studio recordings of contestants' performances as well as the winner's coronation single for sale. For the first five seasons, the recordings were released as a compilation album at the end of the season. All five of these albums reached the top ten in Billboard 200 which made then American Idol the most successful soundtrack franchise of any motion picture or television program. Starting late in season five, individual performances were released during the season as digital downloads, initially from the American Idol official website only. In season seven the live performances and studio recordings were made available during the season from iTunes when it joined as a sponsor. In Season ten the weekly studio recordings were also released as compilation digital album straight after performance night.For the first nine seasons, Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
was partnered with American Idol to promote and distribute its music, and had the right of first refusal to sign contestants for three months after the season's finale. In 2010, Sony was replaced by as the music label for American Idol by UMG
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
's Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Interscope-Geffen-A&M
Interscope-Geffen-A&M is an umbrella label, owned by Universal Music Group. The company was formed in 1999, when Geffen Records and A&M Records were merged into Interscope Records—the flagship imprint of the operation....
Records.
American Idol tour
The top ten toured at the end of every season. KelloggKellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
's Pop-Tarts
Pop-Tarts
Pop-Tarts is a brand of rectangular, pre-baked toaster pastries made by the Kellogg Company. Pop-Tarts have a sugary filling sealed inside two layers of rectangular, thin pastry crust. Some varieties are frosted. Although sold pre-cooked, they are designed to be warmed inside a toaster or...
was the sponsor for the first seven seasons, and Guitar Hero was added for the season seven tour
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008 was a summer concert tour in the United States and Canada that featured the top 10 contestants of the seventh season of American Idol, which aired in 2008. This tour followed in the tradition of other American Idol summer tours following the completion of the season...
. M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
Pretzel Chocolate Candies was a sponsor of the season nine tour
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010
The American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010 was a summer concert tour in the United States and Canada that featured the Top 10 contestants of the ninth season of American Idol. The 44 date tour started in Auburn Hills, Michigan, on July 1, and ended in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 31.The tour was...
. The season five tour
American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006
American Idols Live! Tour 2006 was a summer concert tour in the United States featuring the top 10 contestants of the fifth season of American Idol, which aired in 2006. It was sponsored by Kellogg Pop-Tarts. The tour started on July 5 and ended on September 24 covering 60 dates, the biggest tour...
was the most successful tour with gross of over $35 million.
Tie-ins
American Idol video games- American IdolAmerican Idol (video game)American Idol is a music video game. It is based on the Fox Network show American Idol developed by former name of Rockstar Leeds, Mobius Entertainment and published by Codemasters.-Reception:...
– PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Game Boy AdvanceGame Boy AdvanceThe is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, mobile phone - Karaoke Revolution Presents American IdolKaraoke RevolutionKaraoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...
– PlayStation 2, Xbox 360Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... - Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol EncoreKaraoke RevolutionKaraoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...
– PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3PlayStation 3The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Xbox 360 - Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2Karaoke RevolutionKaraoke Revolution and its many sequels are video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Xbox, and Xbox 360, developed by Harmonix Music Systems and Blitz Games and published by Konami in its Bemani line of music games. The Original Concept for Karaoke Revolution was...
– PlayStation 3, WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Xbox 360 - Idol 011 – WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, Xbox 360
Theme park attraction
On February 14, 2009, The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
debuted "The American Idol Experience
The American Idol Experience
The American Idol Experience is a theme park attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. Inspired by the popular American television series American Idol, the attraction invites park guests to audition in front of live audiences who will vote for their favorite...
" at its Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
in Florida. In this live production, co-produced by 19 Entertainment, park guests choose from a list of songs and audition privately for Disney cast members. Those selected then perform on a stage in a 1000-seat theater replicating the Idol set. Three judges, whose mannerisms and style mimic those of the real Idol judges, critique the performances. Audience members then vote for their favorite. There are several preliminary-round shows during the day that culminate in a "finals" show in the evening where one of the winners of previous rounds that day is selected as the overall winner. The winner of the finals show receives a "Dream Ticket" that grants them front-of-the-line privileges at any American Idol audition.
International broadcast
American Idol is broadcast to over 100 nations outside of the United States. In most nations these are not live broadcasts and may be tape delayed by several days or weeks. Episodes are aired live in Canada, but it may be simsubbed with CTVCTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
by the BDUs depending on provider and region for those in Canada. It is also aired live in Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, Tamaulipas
Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern part of Tamaulipas, in the country of Mexico. It is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Brownsville, Texas, in the United States. Matamoros is the second largest and second...
, Mexico by XHRIO in English because that market has a Fox affiliate that serve a US market; in the rest of the country, as of the rest of Latin America, the show is broadcast and subtitled by Sony Entertainment Television
Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America)
Sony Entertainment Television, commonly shortened to Canal Sony , is a general entertainment channel co-based in Perú, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil and Miami, Florida, United States. It airs in 26 countries in Latin America, and is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment...
.
In southeast Asia, this show is brought to the audiences via satellite by STAR TV World
STAR World
STAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after. Philippines airs episodes every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after its US telecast on GMA News TV
GMA News TV
GMA News TV is a news and lifestyle-oriented channel in the Philippines. It is owned and operated by GMA Network Inc. through the supervision GMA News and Public Affairs...
. Australia airs episodes a few hours after their US showing. The UK airs episodes one day after their US showing on digital channel ITV2
ITV2
ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
. It is also aired in Ireland on TV3 Ireland
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
two days after the showing. In Brazil and Israel, the show airs two days after the showing in the United States. In the instances where the airing is delayed, the shows may sometimes be combined into one episode to summarize the results.
| Country / Region | Channel |
|---|---|
| United States (origin) | Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
| Armenia | Shant TV Shant TV Shant TV is a private television broadcasting company in Armenia. Shant TV was founded by Arthur Yezekyan in Gyumri, the second largest city of Armenia, in 1994. In 2001 Shant TV moved to Yerevan, capital, and within 3 years gained high popularity and trust... |
| Australia | Network Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country... (2005–2007), FOX8 FOX8 Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms... (2008–present) |
| Asia Pacific/Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau | STAR TV World STAR World STAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation... |
| Brazil | Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television is a series of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. At least 9 International versions of this channel exist:*Sony Entertainment Television Asia... |
| Canada | CTV CTV television network CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival... /Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
| China | STAR TV World |
| Chile | Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television is a series of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. At least 9 International versions of this channel exist:*Sony Entertainment Television Asia... |
| Croatia | RTL Televizija RTL Televizija RTL Televizija is a Croatian commercial broadcaster with national availability that has been broadcasting since April 30, 2004.RTL Televizija is 74% owned by the RTL Group.... |
| Denmark | TV3 Viasat |
| Estonia | TV6 TV6 (Estonia) TV6 Estonia is an entertainment television channel broadcasting to Estonia featuring series, music, fashion and sports. It was launched on 24 March 2008, as all of the current channels are obliged to have digital sister channels at the end of March 2008. On 9 January 2010 TV6 Estonia left... |
| Fiji | Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television is a series of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. At least 9 International versions of this channel exist:*Sony Entertainment Television Asia... |
| Finland | Sub Sub (TV channel) Sub is a Finnish TV channel owned by Bonnier. The previous owner Alma Media sold Sub and its sister channels to Swedish Bonnier and Proventus in 2005.-Programs and audience:... |
| France | M6, W9 |
| Germany | RTL Television RTL Television Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres... |
| Greece | Alpha Alpha Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Alpha or ALPHA may also refer to:-Science:*Alpha , the highest ranking individuals in a community of social animals... |
| Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong | ATV World Channel ATV World ATV World , is one of the free-to-air English language television channels in Hong Kong, the other being its arch-rival TVB Pearl. Its sister station, ATV Home, broadcasts in Cantonese language... , STAR TV World |
| Hungary | TV2 TV2 (Hungary) TV2 is a Hungarian commercial television channel operating since 1997, providing a large variety of programming. It is owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG... |
| Iceland | Stöð 2 Stöð 2 Stöð 2 is an Icelandic television channel, owned and operated by 365. Founded in 1986, It was the first privately owned television station in Iceland following the lifting of the state monopoly on television broadcasting... |
| India | Mera Zee TV, STAR World India STAR World India STAR World India is an English language television channel, part of the STAR World network, owned by Star TV broadcast in India. It syndicates popular shows from U.S. and U.K. to appeal to the English-speaking population of India and other South Asian countries... |
| Indonesia | STAR TV World, B Channel (2011), RCTI RCTI RCTI is Indonesia's first privately owned television network and is based in West Jakarta. RCTI broadcasts Indonesian Idol as well as sinetron , films, news and current affairs, reality shows and religious programs... (2005–2007) |
| Iran | PMC Persian Music Channel PMC is a free-to-air satellite TV network owned by Persian Media Corporation and headquartered in Dubai Media City. Launched in 2003, the network is devoted to Persian music videos from ex-pat Iranian singers and also Iranian singers in Iran. Arabic, Kurdish and Turkish hit songs are also shown on... (Season 9–10–11) |
| Ireland | TV3 Ireland TV3 Ireland TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:... ,3e 3E 3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3... |
| Israel | HOT family / yes Base (Seasons 1-9), yes Drama/yes Drama HD (Season 10-Present) |
| Italy | Sky Uno |
| Japan | FOXlife, FOX HD, BS11 |
| Latin America | Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television (Latin America) Sony Entertainment Television, commonly shortened to Canal Sony , is a general entertainment channel co-based in Perú, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil and Miami, Florida, United States. It airs in 26 countries in Latin America, and is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment... |
| Malaysia | 8TV 8TV (Malaysia) 8TV is a private Malaysian Chinese television station, previously known as MetroVision Channel 8. Metrovision closed on 1 November 1999. 8TV was officially launched on Thursday, 8 January 2004 as 8TV after being acquired by Media Prima Berhad.... , STAR TV World |
| Middle East | STAR TV World, MBC4 (Season 9), OSN (Season 10) |
| New Zealand | TV2 TV 2 (New Zealand) TV2 is a national television network in New Zealand, which is owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster TVNZ. It targets a younger audience than its sister network, TV One... |
| Norway | TV2 Zebra TV2 Zebra TV 2 Zebra is a Norwegian television channel showing entertainment programmes, interactive programmes and live sport. The channel started as TV 2 Xtra in 2004. TV 2 Zebra is the sixth largest television channel in Norway.... |
| Philippines | ABC Associated Broadcasting Company The Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal... (2004–2007) (Season 3–6) (Free-to-air) QTV (2008–2011) (Season 7–10) (Free-to-air) GMA News TV GMA News TV GMA News TV is a news and lifestyle-oriented channel in the Philippines. It is owned and operated by GMA Network Inc. through the supervision GMA News and Public Affairs... (2011) (Season 10) (Free-to-air) ETC (TV Channel) (2012) (Season 11) (Free-to-air) STAR TV World (2002–present) (Season 1-present) (Cable) |
| Poland | TV6 TV6 (Poland) TV6 is a Polish television channel owned by Polskie Media . It was launched on 30 May 2011.. The sister channel is TV4, which exists since 2000.- Schedule :... , AXN AXN AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America... |
| Portugal | FOXlife |
| Puerto Rico | Fox Latin America Fox Latin America Canal FOX is the Latin American version of the American channel FOX. It was launched on October 15, 1993. The channel is mainly oriented towards family audiences, unlike its sister channel FX... |
| Romania | AXN AXN AXN is a Pay television, cable and satellite television channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was first launched on May 22, 1997. The network is now spread across several regions in the world, including Japan, Europe, other parts of Asia and Latin America... |
| Russia | MTV Russia MTV Russia MTV Russia is a Russian language free-to-air 24 hour entertainment and music service seen in 22 million households in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Omsk, Voronezh, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, among other cities.-History:... (Season 8-9) |
| Singapore | MediaCorp TV Channel 5 MediaCorp TV Channel 5 MediaCorp Channel 5 or Channel 5 is a 24-hour free-to-air English and Malay language television channel based in Singapore.... , STAR TV World |
| South Africa | M-Net Series (Season 1–8) M-Net M-Net M-Net is a subscription-funded television channel in South Africa, established in 1986 by Naspers.... (Season 9) |
| Sweden | TV11 |
| Taiwan | STAR TV World |
| Thailand | STAR TV World |
| United Kingdom | ITV2 ITV2 ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the... |
| Vietnam | HTV2 Ho Chi Minh City Television Ho Chi Minh City Television is the official televised channel of Ho Chi Minh City. HTV broadcasts in three channels: entertainment & advertisement service and gameshow on HTV7, information, propaganda-trend, official and analog-digital on HTV9, and HTV4. HTV also has several specific cable and... (season 6 & 8), STAR TV World |
| Venezuela | Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television Sony Entertainment Television is a series of general entertainment television channels, owned by Sony Pictures Television. At least 9 International versions of this channel exist:*Sony Entertainment Television Asia... |
Spin-offs
- American Juniors
- American Idol RewindAmerican Idol RewindAmerican Idol Rewind is a syndicated television series that ran from September 30, 2006 to May 15, 2010. The hour-long weekly series was a repurposed edition of the hit reality talent show American Idol, featuring present day interviews with the contestants, semi-finalists and rejected auditioners...
- American Idol ExtraAmerican Idol ExtraAmerican Idol Extra was a television show that was shown on the Fox Reality Channel and Star! and billed as "the show that picks up right where American Idol leaves off"...
- The Next Great American BandThe Next Great American BandThe Next Great American Band is a reality television talent show. The show premiered on October 19, 2007 and aired on FOX at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times Friday nights...
- From Justin to KellyFrom Justin to KellyFrom Justin to Kelly is a 2003 American romantic comedy musical film starring Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, the winner and runner-up, respectively, of the first season of American Idol...
- An American Idol ChristmasAn American Idol ChristmasAn American Idol Christmas is a Christmas television special for the television shows American Idol, American Juniors and Canadian Idol, but focused mostly on American Idol– the Canadian winner Ryan Malcolm was edited out in the American release, due to legal reasons...
- Idol CampIdol CampIdol Camp is a performing arts summer camp held in 2007 in Northfield, Massachusetts on one of Northfield Mount Hermon School's campuses. This year, Idol Camp will be heading towards Pali Mountain in Running Springs, CA....
- Idol WrapIdol WrapIdol Wrap is a reality show airing on TV Guide Network. This show recaps the latest results on the FOX reality program American Idol . The hosts of "Idol Wrap" are Season 2 contestant Kimberley Caldwell and runner-up of the first season, Justin Guarini. There also may be an occasional guest host,...
External links
- American Idol Official web site (owned by Fox Interactive MediaFox Interactive MediaNews Corporation's Digital Media Group , also known as News Corp. Digital Media and formerly Fox Interactive Media, oversees the Internet business operations of media giant News Corporation, and was formed to oversee News Corporation's new media acquisitions, including IGN Entertainment, MySpace...
) - American Idol Official Music web site
- American Idol Episodes on Fox TV Guide