American Idol (Season 2) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The second season of American Idol
American Idol
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...

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

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:...

quit after the first season, and Seacrest therefore became the lone host in Season 2 as well as all subsequent seasons. Kristin Holt

Kristin Holt

Kristin Nicole Adams , née Holt, is a television personality and entertainment news correspondent. She is most noted as a host of G4's Cheat!, a television show dedicated to video game cheats and strategies. The show now airs as a segment on G4's X-Play. She also substitutes hosting roles for the...

was a special correspondent.

It was won by 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...

. It was the first season to crown a male winner, and the first season to have a finale with two male contestants, Studdard and 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...

, being followed by the seventh season

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...

with 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:...

and 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...

, and then the eighth season

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...

with 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...

and 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...

.

Studdard released his coronation song "Flying Without Wings

Flying Without Wings

"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of...

" after the show and reached number two in U.S. 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...

. Aiken also released a single with "This Is the Night", written by Chris Braide, Aldo Nova and Gary Burr. It became the first non-winning contestant to have a Billboard Hot 100 number-one It was the biggest US single of 2003, selling over one million copies and reaching six times platinum status in Canada as well as number 1 in New Zealand.

In addition to Studdard and Aiken, Kimberley Locke

Kimberley Locke

Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres....

, 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...

, Kimberly Caldwell

Kimberly Caldwell

Kimberly Ann Caldwell is an American singer, actress, and television hostess, from Katy, Texas who was the seventh place finalist on the second season of American Idol. She used to work as an entertainment correspondent and hosted various shows on the TV Guide Network...

, and Carmen Rasmusen

Carmen Rasmusen

Carmen Rasmusen is a Canadian-American country music artist who ranked sixth on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar.-Early life:...

have signed with various record labels.

Auditions

Auditions were held in the fall of 2002 in the following cities:

Episode Air Date	Audition City	Date	Audition Venue	Callback Venue	Tickets to Hollywood
January 21, 2003	New York, New York	October 24-28, 2002	Regent Wall Street Hotel	Rhiga Royal Hotel	35
	Miami, Florida Miami, Florida Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...	November 2-6, 2002	Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel		20
	Austin, Texas Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...	November 6-10, 2002	Doubletree Hotel	Hyatt Regency	36
January 22, 2003	Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...	November 18-20, 2002	Rose Bowl Rose Bowl (stadium) The Rose Bowl is an outdoor athletic stadium in Pasadena, California, U.S., in Los Angeles County. The stadium is the site of the annual college football bowl game, the Rose Bowl, held on New Year's Day. In 1982, it became the home field of the UCLA Bruins college football team of the Pac-12...	Renaissance Hollywood Hotel	45
January 22, 2003	Detroit, Michigan Detroit, Michigan Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...	October 21, 2002	Atheneum Suites Hotel		22
January 28, 2003	Atlanta, Georgia	October 27, 2002	AmericasMart AmericasMart AmericasMart Atlanta is a leading gift, home furnishings and area rug marketplace and the largest trade mart and tradeshow complex of its kind in the world. The mart was founded in 1957 by architect and developer, John C. Portman, Jr. who jointly owns and manages the mart with his son Jeffrey L...	Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Callanwolde is a Gothic-Tudor mansion on a 12.5 acre estate in Druid Hills, adjacent to Atlanta, Georgia. From 1920 to 1959, it was the family home of Charles Howard Candler , the eldest son of Asa Griggs Candler, the co-founder of Coca-Cola....	46
January 28, 2003	Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...	October 30, 2002	Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville Municipal Auditorium The Nashville Municipal Auditorium is an indoor sports and concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee...	Wildhorse Saloon Wildhorse Saloon The Wildhorse Saloon is a country/western-themed restaurant, live music venue, and dance club located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It is owned by Gaylord Entertainment Company. Originally opened on June 1, 1994 in a converted warehouse, the Wildhorse initially capitalized on the line dancing...	30
Total Tickets to Hollywood					234

The number of auditioners increased significantly after the success of the Season 1, and arenas and stadia started to be used to hold the first auditions from this season onwards when the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was used this season instead of the hotel originally planned. Around 70,000 attended the auditions this season and 234 were selected to proceed on to the Hollywood round. Radio DJ 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...

was originally signed up as a fourth judge, but quit after a few days, stating that "it became too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream". Paula Abdul was absent from the Atlanta audition.

At the Miami auditions, one failed auditioner was Edgar Nova who, after being rejected, tried to get back again and had to be escorted off the premise. Nova then auditioned in Los Angeles, but with a different hairstyle to avoid recognition, and was again unsuccessful. He also tried further in Season 3 and 4.

Another auditioner named Bryan Washington auditioned in Atlanta, Georgia, and made it to Hollywood, but did not make it into the top 32. He was also overweight at the time of his American Idol audition, and later became a contestant on The Biggest Loser (Season 4

The Biggest Loser (Season 4)

The Biggest Loser is the fourth season of the NBC reality television series entitled The Biggest Loser. The fourth season premiered on September 11, 2007 with 18 overweight contestants in a weight loss competition for an ultimate prize of $250,000...

Hollywood week

The contestants performed in a series of rounds and number of contestants trimmed in each round. In the first round they performed a song, in the second round they were asked to compose a melody for one of five set of lyrics, and 80 remained after this round. In the third round the contestants were separate into the girls and boys and they performed in small groups. They chose a song from "Superstar

Superstar (Delaney and Bonnie song)

"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best known version is by the Carpenters in 1971.-Original Delaney and Bonnie version:Accounts of the song's origin vary...

", Seal

Kiss from a Rose

"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album Seal . The song was first released as a single in July 1994. Re-released in 1995, it was included on the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the U.S. and Australia. It took the 1996 Grammy Awards for both...

's "Kiss from a Rose

Kiss from a Rose

", Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow

Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...

's "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again

Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again

"Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" is a song written by David Pomeranz. It was sung by '70s superstars Barry Manilow and the Carpenters. Manilow's version was included on his album, Tryin' to Get the Feeling, and the Carpenters' version wasn't released until 1995, on their 25th anniversary CD,...

", Freda Payne

Freda Payne

Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in...

's "Band of Gold

Band of Gold

"Band of Gold" can refer to:*"Band of Gold" , a 1955 song popularized by Don Cherry*"Band of Gold" , a 1970 song popularized by Freda Payne and various other artists...

", and Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....

's "(You'll Never Get to Heaven) If You Break My Heart". During the group performance, 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....

, who was later to claim a relationship with 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...

, sang to Paula directly and kissed her hand. 48 contestant were left at the end of this round.

In the last round each contestants performed solo. After their performances, the contestants were then divided into 3 group of 16 and placed in separate rooms. One group was eliminated, and 32 contestants proceeded on to the semi-final rounds.

Semi-finals

The format changed slightly in Season 2; instead of three groups of 10, the semi-finalists were grouped into four groups of 8. The singers performed solo in a new improved stage with piano accompaniment by Michael Orland, and the performance pre-taped. There were no live audience although family members of contestants were present in the Red Room where the contestants were placed.

The results of the public vote were announced live the next day. From each group, two were selected to proceed on to the top 12, and those selected reprised their performance in the result show. Nine of those who failed at any of previous stages (including the Hollywood rounds and the initial regional auditions) were given one more chance to perform again in the wild-card show. Each of the three judges put one contestant from the wild-card group through to the top 12, with the final one selected by the public vote.

Semi-final Group 1

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kimberly Caldwell Kimberly Caldwell Kimberly Ann Caldwell is an American singer, actress, and television hostess, from Katy, Texas who was the seventh place finalist on the second season of American Idol. She used to work as an entertainment correspondent and hosted various shows on the TV Guide Network...	"Come to My Window Come to My Window "Come to My Window" is a Grammy Award-winning song by Melissa Etheridge released in 1994 on her 1993 album Yes I Am. This was the first song to be released after Etheridge publicly announced her sexual orientation of being a lesbian. With the driving force of gay rights, the song gained a lot of... " (Melissa Etheridge Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals... )	Wild Card (Top 3)
2	Patrick Fortson	"Un-Break My Heart Un-Break My Heart "Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American recording artist Toni Braxton from her second studio album, Secrets . Written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the ballad was released as the album's second single... " (Toni Braxton Toni Braxton Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide... )	Eliminated
3	J.D. Adams	"All in Love Is Fair" (Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist... )	Eliminated
4	Trenyce Trenyce Lashundra Trenyce Cobbins , known professionally as Trenyce, is an American singer and was a finalist for the second season of American Idol in 2003, finishing in fifth place.- Biography:...	"Love Sneakin' Up on You Longing in Their Hearts Longing in Their Hearts is the twelfth album by Bonnie Raitt, released in 1994 . The album contained the mainstream pop hit, "Love Sneakin' up on You," which reached #19 on the Billboard singles chart.-Track listing:... " (Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially... )	Wild Card
5	Meosha Denton	"How Do I Live How Do I Live "How Do I Live" is the title of a song written by Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by LeAnn Rimes in 1997 and shortly afterward by Trisha Yearwood... " (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... )	Eliminated
6	Bettis Richardson	"Thank You Thank You (Boyz II Men song) "Thank You" is a New jack swing song released by American R&B/soul-singing group, Boyz II Men in 1995. "Thank You" was co-produced by Dallas Austin and Boyz II Men, it was released as the third single from Boyz II Men's second studio album, II... " (Boyz II Men Boyz II Men Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary... )	Eliminated
7	Charles Grigsby Charles Grigsby Charles William Grigsby, Jr. is an American singer and contestant on the second season of American Idol.-Early life:The youngest of six siblings, Grigsby was born in Oberlin, Ohio....	"Overjoyed Overjoyed (Stevie Wonder song) "Overjoyed" is a 1985 hit single released by American and Motown music legend Stevie Wonder on the Tamla label. The single peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1986, remaining in the Top 40 for six weeks. In addition, "Overjoyed" was a No... " (Stevie Wonder)	Advanced
8	Julia DeMato Julia DeMato Julia Megan DeMato is an American professional cosmetologist and singer who made it to tenth place on the second season on the television show American Idol.-Early life:...	"Son of a Preacher Man Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song recorded by Dusty Springfield in September 1968 and featured on the album, Dusty in Memphis. It was written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins. The rights to cover "Son of a Preacher Man" were originally offered to Aretha Franklin, who turned it down... " (Dusty Springfield Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s... )	Advanced

Semi-final Group 2

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	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...	"Open Arms Open Arms (Journey song) "Open Arms" is a popular song originally recorded by American rock band Journey, and released as a single from their 1981 album, Escape. Co-written by band members Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, the song is a power ballad whose lyrics are an empowering plea to a lover to forgive past wrongdoings... " (Journey Journey (band) Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded... )	Wild Card (Top 3)
2	Candice Coleman	"Piece of My Heart Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song in 1968 and had a hit with it... " (Erma Franklin Erma Franklin Erma Franklin was an American gospel and R&B singer. She was the oldest daughter of Barbara and the Reverend C. L. Franklin and the elder sister of Aretha Franklin... )	Eliminated
3	Rebecca Bond	"Caught Up in the Rapture" (Anita Baker Anita Baker Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit.... )	Eliminated
4	Jacob John Smalley	"Anytime" (Brian McKnight Brian McKnight Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet.... )	Eliminated
5	Hadas Shalev	"You Light Up My Life You Light Up My Life (song) Many artists have covered "You Light Up My Life" since 1977. The following year, Johnny Mathis recorded and named his album after the song. LeAnn Rimes released her version as a single in 1997, 20 years after Boone's version was released and on the same record label . Her version fared modestly... " (Kasey Cisyk Kvitka Cisyk Kvitka "Kacey" Cisyk was an American soprano of Ukrainian ethnicity. Cisyk, a classically-trained opera singer, successfully pursued a career in four different musical genres: popular music, classical opera, Ukrainian folk music and commercial jingles for radio and TV advertisements.Cisyk... )	Eliminated
6	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...	"Superstar Superstar (Delaney and Bonnie song) "Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best known version is by the Carpenters in 1971.-Original Delaney and Bonnie version:Accounts of the song's origin vary... " (Delaney & Bonnie)	Advanced
7	Kimberley Locke Kimberley Locke Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres....	"Over the Rainbow Over the Rainbow "Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie... " (Judy Garland Judy Garland Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage... )	Advanced
8	Jennifer Fuentes	"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) "I Wanna Dance with Somebody " is the first single from Whitney Houston's second studio album Whitney. It was produced by Narada Michael Walden, and written by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam of the band Boy Meets Girl, who had previously written the number-one Whitney Houston hit "How Will I... " (Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among... )	Eliminated

Semi-final Group 3

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kimberly Kelsey	"It's All Coming Back to Me Now It's All Coming Back to Me Now "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" is a power ballad, written by Jim Steinman. According to Steinman the song was inspired by Wuthering Heights, and was an attempt to write "the most passionate, romantic song" he could ever create. The Sunday Times posits that "Steinman protects his songs as if they... " (Pandora's Box Pandora's Box (band) Pandora's Box was a female pop music group assembled by Jim Steinman in the 1980s. Some of its members had previously worked with Steinman, in the ensemble Fire Inc., on the album Bat Out of Hell, on live shows and on other studio recordings... )	Eliminated
2	Jordan Segundo	"For Your Love For Your Love (Stevie Wonder song) "For Your Love" is a song written and performed by Stevie Wonder that appears on his 1995 soul album Conversation Peace. It won 2 Grammy awards for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song.-Chart performance:... " (Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist... )	Eliminated
3	Vanessa Olivarez Vanessa Olivarez Vanessa Denae Olivarez is an American singer and songwriter who is the vocalist/songwriter/autoharpist for the alt country band Granville Automatic, who has written songs for country superstars Sugarland, and appeared on the second season of the television series American Idol...	"Out Here On My Own Fame (soundtrack) Fame is the original soundtrack of the 1980 Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning film Fame starring Irene Cara, Lee Curreri, Paul McCrane and Laura Dean. The original score was composed by Michael Gore.... " (Irene Cara Irene Cara Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman... )	Advanced
4	Rickey Smith	"One Last Cry" (Brian McKnight Brian McKnight Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet.... )	Advanced
5	Samantha Elizabeth Cohen	"Something He Can Feel" (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... )	Eliminated
6	Louis Gazzara	"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You How Am I Supposed to Live Without You "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" is a song originally recorded by Laura Branigan in 1983. The song was recorded later the same decade by its co-writer, Michael Bolton.-Background:... " (Laura Branigan Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"... )	Eliminated
7	Equoia Coleman	"The Way We Were The Way We Were (song) "The Way We Were" is the title song to the 1973 movie The Way We Were, starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. The song was written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman, scored by Marvin Hamlisch and performed by Streisand... " (Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,... )	Eliminated (Top 3)
8	George Trice	"Unchained Melody Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.... " (Todd Duncan Todd Duncan Robert Todd Duncan was an American baritone opera singer and actor.-Biography:Todd Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky in 1903. He obtained his musical training at Butler University in Indianapolis with a B.A. in music followed by an M.A... )	Eliminated

Semi-final Group 4

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Sylvia Chilbilti	"Didn't We Almost Have It All Didn't We Almost Have It All "Didn't We Almost Have It All" is the second single from Whitney Houston's second album Whitney, and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 1988 Grammy Awards. The song was written by Michael Masser and Will Jennings and was released in August 1987... " (Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among... )	Eliminated
2	Chip Days	"A Song for You A Song for You "A Song for You" is a soulful love song written and originally recorded by rock singer-songwriter and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album 'Leon Russell', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understanding from an estranged lover, the tune... " (Leon Russell Leon Russell Claude Russell Bridges , known professionally as Leon Russell, is an American musician and songwriter, who has recorded as a session musician, sideman, and maintained a solo career in music.... )	Wild Card
3	Juanita Barber	"What About the Children More Than a Melody More Than a Melody is the fourth studio album by gospel singer Yolanda Adams. More Than a Melody included singles such as "Gotta Have Love" and the Steve Miller classic "Fly Like An Eagle." The album also includes musical collaborations with the late O'Landa Draper on "The Good Shepherd" and BeBe... " (Yolanda Adams Yolanda Adams Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy- and Dove-award-winning Yolanda Adams is an American [[Grammy Awards\|Grammy]]- and [[Dove Awards\|Dove]]-award-winning... )	Eliminated
4	Patrick Lake	"When I See You Smile When I See You Smile When I See You Smile is the second single of American/British hard rock band Bad English, taken from their self-titled debut album of the same name, released in 1989.... " (Bad English Bad English Bad English was an American/British hard rock supergroup formed in 1988, reuniting keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in The Babys.- History :... )	Eliminated (Top 3)
5	Nasheka Siddall	"Open My Heart Open My Heart "Open My Heart" is a song by Yolanda Adams, the song gained Adams great popularity in the secular audiences. Being the most groundbreaking single of her career, she won several awards for this song... " (Yolanda Adams)	Wild Card
6	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...	"I'll Be" (Edwin McCain Edwin McCain Edwin McCain is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:While his albums are released under his name, he does have a permanent band, referred to as the Edwin McCain Band... )	Advanced
7	Ashley Hartman Ashley Hartman Ashley Christina Hartman is an American actress and fashion model.-Early life:Hartman was born to Michele Knutsen and Kip Hartman in Orange County, California. When she was four years of age, her parents divorced and Hartman lived with Knutsen and her two sisters...	"Touch Me in the Morning Touch Me in the Morning "Touch Me in the Morning" is a popular song recorded by Diana Ross on the Motown label. It became her second solo number-one single in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.... " (Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway... )	Eliminated
8	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....	"Foolish Heart Foolish Heart (song) "Foolish Heart" is a rock song written by Steve Perry, formerly of the band Journey and Randy Goodrum, and was performed by Perry from his first solo album, Street Talk... " (Steve Perry Steve Perry (musician) Stephen Ray "Steve" Perry is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey from 1977–1987 and 1995–1998. Perry had a successful solo career throughout the late 1980s and early '90s.Perry's voice has garnered acclaim from musical peers and music... )	Advanced

Wild Card

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kimberly Caldwell	"I Feel the Earth Move" (Carole King Carole King Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S... )	Selected (Randy's choice)
2	Clay Aiken	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is the first single from British musician Elton John's 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States.-Lyrics and music:... " (Elton John Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor... )	Selected (Public vote)
3	Nasheka Siddall	"Wind Beneath My Wings Wind Beneath My Wings "Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad... " (Mighty Clouds of Joy Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy is an American gospel quartet.-Career:The Mighty Clouds of Joy were formed in 1960 and started out in a tradition-based style. Eventually they added soul, R&B, and rock flourishes into their musical mix without diluting the essential religious essence of their material... )	Eliminated
4	Carmen Rasmusen Carmen Rasmusen Carmen Rasmusen is a Canadian-American country music artist who ranked sixth on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar.-Early life:...	"Can't Fight the Moonlight Can't Fight the Moonlight "Can't Fight the Moonlight" is a song written by Diane Warren, recorded by LeAnn Rimes and featured on the soundtrack of the film Coyote Ugly, and in the film itself... " (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... )	Selected (Simon's choice)
5	Olivia Mojica	"Because You Loved Me Because You Loved Me "Because You Loved Me" is a song from Céline Dion's album Falling into You, released as the first single on February 19, 1996 in North America and Japan. In other parts of the world it was released in May 1996 as the second single, after "Falling into You".... " (Celine Dion Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record... )	Eliminated
6	Janine Falsone	"We Belong We Belong "We Belong" is a 1984 single from Pat Benatar's sixth studio album Tropico. It matched the success of "Love Is a Battlefield" on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S., peaking at number five, and reaching number three on Billboard's Top Rock Tracks chart and the top 40 on its Adult... " (Pat Benatar Pat Benatar Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States... )	Eliminated
7	Chip Days	"Rock with You" (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... )	Eliminated
8	Aliceyn Cooney	"Angel Angel (Sarah McLachlan song) "Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits... " (Sarah McLachlan Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four... )	Eliminated
9	Trenyce	"Let's Stay Together Let's Stay Together (song) "Let's Stay Together" is a song by Al Green on his 1972 album of the same name. Released as a single in 1971, the song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained on the chart for 16 weeks and also topped Billboards R&B chart for nine weeks. It was ranked the 60th greatest song of all time... " (Al Green Al Green Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"... )	Selected (Paula's choice)

Finalists

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...

(born September 12, 1978 in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, 24 year old at the time of the show) is from Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...

and auditioned in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

with Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

's "Ribbon in the Sky
Ribbon in the Sky
"Ribbon in the Sky" is a hit 1982 R&B single released by Motown star, American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the greatest-hits compilation, Original Musiquarium, and charted at #54 pop and #10 R&B when it was released...

.
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...

(born November 30, 1978 in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...

, 24 years at the time of the show) auditioned in Atlanta, Georgia with Heatwave
Heatwave (band)
Heatwave was an international funk/disco musical band featuring Americans Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and Keith Wilder of Dayton, Ohio, Englishman Rod Temperton , Swiss Mario Mantese , Czechoslovak Ernest "Bilbo" Berger , Jamaican Eric Johns and Briton Roy Carter .They were known for their successful...

's "Always and Forever
Always and Forever (Heatwave song)
"Always and Forever" is a R&B song written by Rod Temperton and first recorded by the British-based multinational funk-disco band Heatwave in 1976...

". He studied at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where he graduated with a degree in special education.
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Locke
Kimberley Dawn Locke is an American singer-songwriter and model. She has recorded in the dance, pop and adult contemporary music genres....

(born January 3, 1978 in Hartsville, Tennessee
Hartsville, Tennessee
Hartsville is a town in Trousdale County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Trousdale County, with which it shares a consolidated city-county government...

, 25 at the time of the show) is from Nashville, Tennessee where she auditioned with Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...

's Over the Rainbow
Over the Rainbow
"Over the Rainbow" is a classic Academy Award-winning ballad song with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg. It was written for the movie The Wizard of Oz, and was sung by Judy Garland in the movie...

.
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...

(born October 18, 1980 in Westland, Michigan
Westland, Michigan
Westland is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located about west of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 84,094.-Politics:...

, 22 year old at the time of the show) is from Oceanside, California
Oceanside, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Oceanside had a population of 167,086. The population density was 3,961.8 people per square mile...

, where he was stationed while serving in the Marine Corps. He auditioned in Los Angeles with O-Town's All or Nothing.
Trenyce
Trenyce
Lashundra Trenyce Cobbins , known professionally as Trenyce, is an American singer and was a finalist for the second season of American Idol in 2003, finishing in fifth place.- Biography:...

(born March 31, 1980 in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, 22 year old at the start of the season) is from Bartlett, Tennessee
Bartlett, Tennessee
Bartlett is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and part of the Memphis metropolitan area. The population was 54,613 at the 2010 census.-History:...

and auditioned in Nashville with Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

's "I Learned from the Best
I Learned from the Best
"I Learned from the Best" is a 1999 single from American R&B/Pop singer Whitney Houston; the fifth and final single from Houston's multi-platinum 1998 album My Love Is Your Love. The ballad became a moderate hit, peaking at number twenty-seven on the US Hot 100. Dance remixes of the song by Hex...

". She turned down a record deal at 14 and she auditioned using her full name LaShundra "Trenyce" Cobbins.
Carmen Rasmusen
Carmen Rasmusen
Carmen Rasmusen is a Canadian-American country music artist who ranked sixth on the second season of American Idol in 2003. Rasmusen also plays piano and guitar.-Early life:...

(born March 25, 1985 in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada, 17 at the start of the season) is from Bountiful, Utah
Bountiful, Utah
Bountiful is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301...

and auditioned in Los Angeles. She did not make the semi-final initially but was brought back for the wild card show and put through to the final.
Kimberly Caldwell
Kimberly Caldwell
Kimberly Ann Caldwell is an American singer, actress, and television hostess, from Katy, Texas who was the seventh place finalist on the second season of American Idol. She used to work as an entertainment correspondent and hosted various shows on the TV Guide Network...

(born February 25, 1982 in Katy, Texas
Katy, Texas
Katy is a city located in Harris, Fort Bend and Waller Counties in the U.S. state of Texas, within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area...

, 19 at the start of the season) Prior to American Idol, she had appeared on 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...

where won five times as a junior vocalist, and in Popstars: USA.
Rickey Smith (born May 10, 1979 in Keene, Texas
Keene, Texas
Keene is a city in Johnson County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,196 in 2006.-Geography:Keene is located at ....

, 23 at the time of the show) auditioned in Nashville with Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

's One Last Cry. He worked as a teacher before the show.
Julia DeMato
Julia DeMato
Julia Megan DeMato is an American professional cosmetologist and singer who made it to tenth place on the second season on the television show American Idol.-Early life:...

(born March 7, 1979 in Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....

, 23 at the start of the show) is from Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,452 at the 2010 census. First settled in 1710 by John Muirwood and several other colonial founders who bartered for the land From the Wyantenuck Nation Under the Sachem Waramaugs who lived...

and auditioned with Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...

's Un-Break My Heart
Un-Break My Heart
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American recording artist Toni Braxton from her second studio album, Secrets . Written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the ballad was released as the album's second single...

.
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....

(born July 13, 1980 in San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...

, 22 at the time of the show) is from San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...

and auditioned in Nashville with Jackson 5's Never Can Say Goodbye
Never Can Say Goodbye
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. Released as a single in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs...

. He was disqualified hours after the website The Smoking Gun
The Smoking Gun
The Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is damning, shocking, outrageous, or amazing, yet also somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources...

revealed his misdemeanor charges of battery and resisting arrest on March 31, 2003.
Charles Grigsby
Charles Grigsby
Charles William Grigsby, Jr. is an American singer and contestant on the second season of American Idol.-Early life:The youngest of six siblings, Grigsby was born in Oberlin, Ohio....

(born September 15, 1978 in Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin, Ohio
Oberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...

, 24 at the time of the show) auditioned in Detroit.
Vanessa Olivarez
Vanessa Olivarez
Vanessa Denae Olivarez is an American singer and songwriter who is the vocalist/songwriter/autoharpist for the alt country band Granville Automatic, who has written songs for country superstars Sugarland, and appeared on the second season of the television series American Idol...

(born April 7, 1981, 21 at the start of the season) is from Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

and auditioned in Atlanta with Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

's "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...

".

Finals

In this season, guests were introduced as celebrity judges, some of whom who may also act as a mentor in for the week they were on.

During Top 9, it was announced that Corey Clark had been disqualified.

In most weeks the bottom vote-getter performed his or her song again after their elimination was announced, but at Top 5 and Top 9 both the bottom 2 vote-getters performed their song.

Top 12 (Motown)

Guest judge and mentor - Lamont Dozier

Lamont Dozier

Lamont Herbert Dozier is an American songwriter and record producer, born in Detroit, Michigan. Dozier has either co-written or produced several US Billboard #1 hits.-Career:...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kimberley Locke	"(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave (Love is Like a) Heat Wave " Heat Wave" is a 1963 hit single penned by the Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team and made popular by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. It was originally released in July 1963, on the Motown subsidiary label Gordy, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Hot... " (Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas Martha and the Vandellas were among the most successful groups of the Motown roster during the period 1963–1967... )	Bottom 3
2	Josh Gracin	"Baby I Need Your Loving Baby I Need Your Loving "Baby I Need Your Loving" is a 1964 hit single recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song was the group's first Motown single and their first pop Top 20 hit, making it to number eleven on the Billboard Hot... " (The Four Tops)	Safe
3	Charles Grisgby	"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) "How Sweet It Is " is a 1964 hit song written and produced by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland. It was originally recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye and became one of his most popular songs... " (Marvin Gaye Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range.... )	Safe
4	Kimberly Caldwell	"Nowhere to Run" (Martha and the Vandellas)	Safe
5	Rickey Smith	"1-2-3" (Len Barry Len Barry Len Barry is a retired American vocalist, songwriter and record producer.-Career:... )	Safe
6	Julia DeMato	"Where Did Our Love Go Where Did Our Love Go "Where Did Our Love Go" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Where Did Our Love Go" was the first single by the Supremes to go to the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart... " (The Supremes The Supremes The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco... )	Bottom 2
7	Clay Aiken	"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch) "I Can't Help Myself " is a 1965 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most well-known Motown tunes of the 1960s... " (The Four Tops)	Safe
8	Vanessa Olivarez	"You Keep Me Hangin' On You Keep Me Hangin' On Vanilla Fudge's 1967 psychedelic/hard rock remake of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" reached #6 on the Hot 100 chart two years after the release of the Supremes' recording. While the version released on 45 RPM single was under three minutes long, the album version was extended to six minutes and... " (The Supremes)	Eliminated
9	Corey Clark	"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You) "This Old Heart of Mine " is an Isley Brothers song from 1966 that was a hit for them during their brief tenure on Motown's Tamla label... " (The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers are a highly influential, successful and long-running American music group consisting of different line-ups of six brothers, and a brother-in-law, Chris Jasper... )	Safe
10	Carmen Rasmusen	"You Can't Hurry Love You Can't Hurry Love "You Can't Hurry Love" is 1966 song originally released by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song topped the United States Billboard pop singles chart and in the UK in the top 5, released and peaking late summer in 1966... " (The Supremes)	Safe
11	Trenyce	"Come See About Me Come See About Me "Come See About Me" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.The song became third of five consecutively released Supremes songs to top the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States... " (The Supremes)	Safe
12	Ruben Studdard	"Baby I Need Your Loving" (The Four Tops)	Safe

Result Show:

Top 12 - "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas

Top 11 (Movie Soundtracks)

Guest judge - Gladys Knight

Gladys Knight

Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Featured film	Result
1	Corey Clark	"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) "Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying... " (Phil Collins Phil Collins Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.... )	"Against All Odds"	Bottom 2
2	Ruben Studdard	"A Whole New World A Whole New World "A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together.... " (Brad Kane Brad Kane Bradley Caleb Kane is a singer, actor, and writer.-Career:Kane began to act when he was three years old, with a small role in the movie Six Weeks. At the age of eight, he obtained the role of one of the four chorus boys in the Broadway musical Evita... / Lea Salonga Lea Salonga Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and... )	"Aladdin"	Safe
3	Trenyce	"I Have Nothing I Have Nothing "I Have Nothing" is a song by American singer Whitney Houston and released as the third single from The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album on February 20, 1993 by Arista Records. The song was written by David Foster and Linda Thompson, and produced by Foster... " (Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among... )	"The Bodyguard The Bodyguard The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic-thriller film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker. Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s,... "	Safe
4	Clay Aiken	"Somewhere Out There Somewhere Out There (James Horner song) "Somewhere Out There" is a song written by James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Its single was released by American recording artists, pop rock icon Linda Ronstadt and R&B musician James Ingram... " (Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden... / James Ingram James Ingram James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards... )	"An American Tail An American Tail An American Tail is a 1986 American animated adventure film directed by Don Bluth and produced by Sullivan Bluth Studios and Amblin Entertainment. The film tells the story of Fievel Mouskewitz and his family as they immigrate from Russia to America for freedom. However, Fievel gets lost and must... "	Safe
5	Kimberly Caldwell	"The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss) The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss) "The Shoop Shoop Song " is a song written by Rudy Clark. The song was made a hit when recorded by Betty Everett, who hit #1 on the Cashbox magazine R&B charts with it in 1964... " (Betty Everett Betty Everett Betty Everett was an African-American soul singer and pianist, best known for her biggest hit single, the million-selling "The Shoop Shoop Song ".-Early career:... )	"Mermaids Mermaids (film) Mermaids is a 1990 comedy-drama film directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Cher, Bob Hoskins, Winona Ryder , and Christina Ricci in her first film role... "	Safe
6	Josh Gracin	"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing I Don't Want to Miss a Thing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American rock band Aerosmith for the 1998 film Armageddon. Written by Diane Warren, the song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song stayed at number one for four weeks from September 5 to September 26, 1998... " (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... )	"Armageddon"	Safe
7	Carmen Rasmusen	"Hopelessly Devoted to You Hopelessly Devoted to You "Hopelessly Devoted to You", written by John Farrar, is a song originally performed by Olivia Newton-John. The song, featured in the film version of Grease, received an Oscar nomination as Best Original Song, losing to "Last Dance" at the 51st Academy Awards. She performed the song at the 21st... " (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... )	"Grease Grease (film) Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway... "	Safe
8	Charles Grigsby	"You Can't Win You Can't Win (song) "You Can't Win" is an R&B, pop and soul song performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson in the 1978 musical film The Wiz. The song was written by composer Charlie Smalls specifically for Jackson's role as Scarecrow in the movie, a retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that featured an... " (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... )	"The Wiz The Wiz (film) The Wiz is a 1978 musical film produced by Motown Productions and Universal Pictures, and released by Universal on October 24, 1978. An urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz featuring an entirely African-American cast, The Wiz was adapted from the 1975 Broadway musical... "	Eliminated
9	Rickey Smith	"It Might Be You It Might Be You "It Might Be You" is a popular song with music written by Dave Grusin, and lyrics written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. It was performed by singer/songwriter Stephen Bishop in the 1982 film, Tootsie, starring Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange.... " (Stephen Bishop Stephen Bishop (musician) Stephen Bishop is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and guitarist.-History:Bishop was born in San Diego, California, and attended Will C. Crawford High School... )	"Tootsie Tootsie Tootsie is a 1982 American comedy film that tells the story of a talented but volatile actor whose reputation for being difficult forces him to go to extreme lengths to land a job. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange, with a supporting cast that includes Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman,... "	Safe
10	Julia DeMato	"Flashdance... What a Feeling Flashdance... What a Feeling "Flashdance... What a Feeling" is a song from the 1983 film Flashdance, written by Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, and Irene Cara, and performed by Cara. Despite the title, the word "Flashdance" is never used in the lyrics; however, the line "In a flash, take a hold of my heart" refers to the... " (Irene Cara Irene Cara Irene Cara is an American singer and actress. Cara won an Academy Award in 1984 in the category of Best Original Song for co-writing "Flashdance... What a Feeling." She is also known for her recording of the song "Fame", and she also starred in the 1980 film Fame.She married Hollywood stuntman... )	"Flashdance Flashdance Another song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance... "	Bottom 3
11	Kimberley Locke	"Home" (Stephanie Mills Stephanie Mills Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times... )	"The Wiz"	Safe

Result Show:

Top 11 - "Footloose

Footloose (song)

"Footloose" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was released in January 1984 as the first of two single by Loggins from the 1984 film of the same name. The song spent three weeks at number one, March 31—April 14, 1984 on the U.S. Billboard...

" by Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins

During the next decade, Loggins recorded so many successful songs for film soundtracks that he was referred to as, King of the Movie Soundtrack.He began with "I'm Alright" , "Mr. Night", and "Lead the Way" from Caddyshack...

from "Footloose" and "(I've Had) the Time of My Life

(I've Had) The Time of My Life

" The Time of My Life" is a song composed by Franke Previte, John DeNicola, and Donald Markowitz. It was recorded by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, after having been selected to be the finale song for the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, by choreographer Kenny Ortega and his assistant Miranda Garrison...

" by Bill Medley

Bill Medley

William Thomas Medley is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers....

/
Jennifer Warnes

Jennifer Warnes

Jennifer Jean Warnes is an American singer, songwriter, arranger and record producer. She is known for her interpretations of compositions written by herself and many others, as well as an extensive playlist as a vocalist on movie soundtracks.Between 1979 and 1987 Warnes surpassed Frank Sinatra as...

from "Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing
Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic film. Written by Eleanor Bergstein and directed by Emile Ardolino, the film features Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the lead roles, as well as Cynthia Rhodes and Jerry Orbach...

"

Top 10 (Country Rock)

Guest judge - 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...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Josh Gracin	"Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up) Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up) "Ain't Goin' Down " is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American Country Music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in July 1993 as the lead single from his album, In Pieces. The song also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, The Ultimate Hits, and Double Live... " (Garth Brooks Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart... )	Safe
2	Trenyce	"I Need You I Need You (LeAnn Rimes song) "I Need You" is a song performed by American country pop artist, LeAnn Rimes. It was released on July 18, 2000 as a single from Jesus: Music From & Inspired by the Epic Mini Series. It spent 25 weeks on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart and peaked at #11... " (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... )	Safe
3	Kimberley Locke	"I Can't Make You Love Me I Can't Make You Love Me "I Can't Make You Love Me" is a 1991 popular song, written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by Bonnie Raitt on her Luck of the Draw album from that year. In August 2000, Mojo magazine voted "I Can't Make You Love Me" #8 on its The 100 Greatest Songs Of All Time list... " (Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially... )	Safe
4	Corey Clark	"Drift Away Drift Away "Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a... " (John Henry Kurtz)	Safe¹
5	Carmen Rasmusen	"Wild Angels Wild Angels (song) "Wild Angels" is the title of a song performed by American country music artist Martina McBride. Released in November 1995, it was the second single from McBride's album of the same name. The song reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, giving McBride her first... " (Martina McBride Martina McBride Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range.... )	Safe
6	Rickey Smith	"I've Done Enough Dyin' Today" (Larry Gatlin Larry Gatlin Larry Wayne Gatlin is an American country music singer/songwriter. He is perhaps best known for teaming up with his brothers Steve and Rudy in the late 1970s, becoming one of country music's most successful acts of the 1970s and 1980s. Gatlin has had a total of 33 Top 40 singles... )	Bottom 3
7	Kimberly Caldwell	"Anymore" (Travis Tritt Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt is an American country music singer from Marietta, Georgia. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 2000s, he released two albums on Columbia Records and one for the defunct... )	Bottom 2
8	Ruben Studdard	"Sweet Home Alabama Sweet Home Alabama (song) "Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.It reached #8 on the US charts in 1974, and was the band's second hit single.-Creation and recording:... " (Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird... )	Safe
9	Julia DeMato	"Breathe Breathe (Faith Hill song) "Breathe" is a country song by American recording artist Faith Hill, released as the first single from her 1999 album of the same name. The song was written by Stephanie Bentley and Holly Lamar. "Breathe" became Hill's 7th number one on the country music charts in the US. The song spent four weeks... " (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... )	Eliminated
10	Clay Aiken	"Someone Else's Star Someone Else's Star "Someone Else's Star" is a country song co-written by Skip Ewing and Jim Weatherly, and first recorded by singer Davis Daniel on his 1994 album Davis Daniel. A year later, Bryan White cut the song for his self-titled debut album, and released his version as a single... " (Davis Daniel Davis Daniel Robert Andrykowski is an American country music artist who records under the name Davis Daniel. Between 1991 and 1996, he recorded three studio albums on various divisions of Mercury Records: 1991's Fighting Fire with Fire, 1994's Davis Daniel, and 1995's I Know a Place... )	Safe

Result Show:

Top 10 - "Where the Blacktop Ends

Where the Blacktop Ends

"Where the Blacktop Ends" is the title of a song written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Wariner, and recorded by country music singer Keith Urban. It was released in April 2001 as the last single from Urban's self-titled album and the third Top Five single of his career, reaching a peak of #3 on the...

" by Keith Urban

Keith Urban

Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...

and "God Bless the USA

God Bless the USA

"God Bless the USA" is an American patriotic song written and recorded by country musician Lee Greenwood. The first Greenwood album it appears on is 1984's You've Got a Good Love Comin'. It reached No...

"² by Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood

Melvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts....

Note 1: Corey Clark was later disqualified due to his controversy.

Note 2: The song was performed twice. The Iraq War had earlier been announced.

Top 9 (Disco)

Guest judge - Verdine White

Verdine White

Verdine White is the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire and the younger brother of fellow band member Maurice White. White is known for his high energy and dancing while playing his bass guitar during Earth, Wind & Fire concerts.-Early life:...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Rickey Smith	"Let's Groove Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a 1981 song from the album Raise! by the R&B act Earth, Wind & Fire. The song peaked at #3 in the U.S. and in the UK. It also spent eight weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late-1981/early-1982 and was the second R&B song of 1982 on the year end charts... " (Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of... )	Safe
2	Carmen Rasmusen	"Turn the Beat Around Turn the Beat Around In 1994 , the song was recorded by Gloria Estefan for the soundtrack to the film The Specialist. Released as a single, it became a hit reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is also featured on Estefan's fourth solo album Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me. She also sang the song as her opening... " (Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson was an American theatre and film actress and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, "Turn the Beat Around."-Early life and career:... )	Bottom 2¹
3	Kimberly Caldwell	"Knock on Wood Knock on Wood (song) "Knock on Wood" is a hit 1966 song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper and originally performed by Eddie Floyd. The Eddie Floyd version peaked at number twenty-eight on the Hot 100, and spent one week at number one on the soul singles.... " (Eddie Floyd Eddie Floyd Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:... )	Safe
4	Clay Aiken	"Everlasting Love Everlasting Love "Everlasting Love" is a song written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden that has been a hit for various artists, including Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Love Affair, and Gloria Estefan.- Overview :... " (Robert Knight Robert Knight (musician) Robert Knight is an American singer best known for the 1967 recording of the song "Everlasting Love".-Career:Born in Franklin, Tennessee, Knight made his professional vocal debut with the Paramounts, a harmony quintet consisting of schoolfriends... )	Safe
5	Trenyce	"I'm Every Woman I'm Every Woman "I'm Every Woman" is a hit song recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978. It was Chaka Khan's first hit outside of her recordings with funk band Rufus; the song was included on her platinum debut solo album Chaka. Produced by Arif Mardin and written by successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie... " (Chaka Khan Chaka Khan Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career... )	Bottom 2¹
6	Ruben Studdard	"Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" is a song written, recorded and produced by Barry White. Released as the first single from White's album Can't Get Enough in 1974, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and U.S. R&B chart and has since become one of White's signature tunes. It was his second... " (Barry White Barry White Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring... )	Safe
7	Kimberley Locke	"It's Raining Men It's Raining Men "It's Raining Men" is a song written by Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer in 1979 originally for Dave Balfour's album Stars , and originally recorded by The Weather Girls in 1982... " (The Weather Girls)	Bottom 3
8	Josh Gracin	"Celebration Celebration (song) "Celebration" is a song released in 1980 by Kool & the Gang from their album Celebrate!. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 7, 1981 and held that position until February 20, 1981. Late in 1980, the song had also reached number one on both the Billboard Dance and R&B... " (Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang are an American jazz, R&B, soul, and funk group, originally formed as the Jazziacs in Jersey City, New Jersey in 1964.They went through several musical phases during the course of their recording career, starting out with a purist jazz sound, then becoming practitioners of R&B and... )	Safe

Result Show:

Top 9 - "A Night to Remember" by Shalamar

Shalamar

Shalamar was an American music group, primarily of the 1970s and 1980s, that was originally a disco-driven vehicle created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator Don Cornelius. They went on to be an influential dance trio, masterminded by Soul Train producer Don Cornelius...

and "Boogie Wonderland

Boogie Wonderland

"Boogie Wonderland" is a 1979 hit single by Earth, Wind & Fire featuring The Emotions. Boogie Wonderland was written by Allee Willis and Jon Lind, and included on the album I Am...

" by Earth, Wind & Fire/
The Emotions

The Emotions

The Emotions are an American all female soul and R&B singing group. The group was formed in its current hometown of Chicago, Illinois originally consisting of the three Hutchinson sisters, all the children of Joseph and Lillian Hutchinson....

Video - "God Bless the USA

God Bless the USA

" by Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood

Note 1: Because of Corey Clark's disqualification the previous week, it was never revealed whether Trenyce or Rasmusen had received the lowest amount of votes that week and so both were declared safe.

Top 8 (Billboard Number Ones)

Guest judge - 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...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Clay Aiken	"At This Moment At This Moment "At This Moment" is a song that was first recorded by Billy Vera & The Beaters in 1981 during a string of performances at the Roxy in West Hollywood and featured on their self-titled live album, Billy and the Beaters, released that same year.When it was originally released as a single, as the... " (Billy Vera Billy Vera Billy Vera is an American singer, actor, writer and music historian.-Life and career:Vera was born in Riverside, California. He began his singing career in 1962 as a member of the Resolutions. He went on to write several songs throughout the early 1960s, writing for the likes of Barbara Lewis,... )	Safe
2	Kimberley Locke	"My Heart Will Go On My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is the theme song/love theme of the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic. With music by James Horner, lyrics by Will Jennings, and production by Simon Franglen, James Horner and Walter Afanasieff ,, it was recorded by Céline Dion... " (Celine Dion Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record... )	Bottom 3
3	Rickey Smith	"Endless Love Endless Love (song) "Endless Love" is a song written by Lionel Richie and originally recorded as a duet between Richie and fellow soul singer Diana Ross. In this ballad, the singers declare their "endless love" for one another. It was covered by soul singer Luther Vandross with R&B singer Mariah Carey and also by... " (Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway... / 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... )	Eliminated
4	Kimberly Caldwell	"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You (Everything I Do) I Do It for You " I Do It for You" is a power ballad performed by Bryan Adams and co-written with Michael Kamen and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, featured on the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and on Adams' album Waking Up the Neighbours... " (Bryan Adams Bryan Adams Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written... )	Bottom 2
5	Josh Gracin	"Amazed Amazed "Amazed" is the title of a song written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey. The first version of the song was recorded by the American country music group Lonestar, whose version was released in March 1999 as the second single from their 1999 album Lonely Grill... " (Lonestar Lonestar Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011... )	Safe
6	Carmen Rasmusen	"Call Me Call Me (Blondie song) "Call Me" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie. Released in 1980, "Call Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and the UK .... " (Blondie Blondie (band) Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s... )	Safe
7	Trenyce	"The Power of Love The Power of Love (Jennifer Rush song) "The Power of Love" is a power ballad co-written and originally recorded by Jennifer Rush. It has been covered by several artists, most notably by Laura Branigan, Air Supply, and Céline Dion, and translated into several languages, becoming a pop standard.... " (Jennifer Rush Jennifer Rush Jennifer Rush is an American/German-based pop/rock singer, best known for the million-selling single "The Power of Love", which she co-wrote and which went on to be covered by Laura Branigan and Celine Dion.-Career:... )	Safe
8	Ruben Studdard	"Kiss and Say Goodbye Kiss and Say Goodbye "Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a song recorded by the American R&B vocal group The Manhattans. The song was written by Manhattans member Winfred "Blue" Lovett... " (The Manhattans The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group, with a string of hit records spanning four decades. Their best known million-selling songs being "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and 'Shining Star' in 1980... )	Safe

Result Show:

Top 8 - "All Night Long (All Night)

All Night Long (All Night)

"All Night Long " is a hit single for Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down, it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This new, more dance approach proved popular, as the single reached number one on three Billboard charts...

" by Lionel Richie

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,...

- "Miss Independent"

Top 7 (Billy Joel)

Guest judge - Smokey Robinson

Smokey Robinson

William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Kimberly Caldwell	"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me It's Still Rock and Roll to Me "It's Still Rock & Roll to Me" is a hit 1980 song performed by Billy Joel, from the hit album Glass Houses. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for two weeks, from July 19 through August 1, 1980... "	Eliminated
2	Ruben Studdard	"Just the Way You Are"	Safe
3	Kimberley Locke	"New York State of Mind New York State of Mind "New York State of Mind" is a song written by Billy Joel which initially appeared on the album Turnstiles in 1976. While not a hit when it was first released, it has received much more frequent airplay in recent years... "	Safe
4	Carmen Rasmusen	"And So It Goes And So It Goes "And So It Goes" is a ballad written by Billy Joel in 1983, though it wasn't released until six years later. It appeared as the tenth and final track of his megahit album Storm Front. The original 1983 demo was released on the 2005 box set My Lives. Joel wrote the song about a doomed relationship... "	Bottom 2
5	Josh Gracin	"Piano Man Piano Man (song) "Piano Man" was Billy Joel's first major hit and his signature song. "Piano Man" was released as a single in November 1st, 1973 and has been on several albums... "	Safe
6	Trenyce	"Baby Grand Baby Grand "Baby Grand" is the fourth and final single released off Billy Joel's album The Bridge. A duet with Joel and Ray Charles, the song is a ballad dedicated to the baby grand piano, and the relationship it can share with its players. The two originally got together when Charles contacted Joel about the... "	Bottom 3
7	Clay Aiken	"Tell Her About It Tell Her About It "Tell Her About It" is a hit 1983 song performed by Billy Joel, from the hit album An Innocent Man. An apparent homage to the Motown Sound, the song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for one week on September 24, 1983, replacing the Phil Ramone-produced song, "Maniac" by Michael Sembello. The... "	Safe

Result Show:

Top 7 - "The Longest Time

The Longest Time

"The Longest Time" is a doo-wop single by Billy Joel. The song was released as a single in 1984 as the fourth single from the album An Innocent Man. It reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboards Adult Contemporary chart...

" and Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA"

Top 6 (Diane Warren)

Guest judge and mentor - Diane Warren

Diane Warren

Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kimberley Locke	"If You Asked Me To If You Asked Me To "If You Asked Me To" is the title of a song written and originally released as the lead single for Patti LaBelle's seventh solo studio album, entitled Be Yourself, and for the Licence to Kill soundtrack. The song is a ballad written by critically acclaimed songwriter Diane Warren... " (Patti LaBelle Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry... )	Safe
2	Clay Aiken	"I Could Not Ask for More I Could Not Ask for More "I Could Not Ask for More" is a song composed by American songwriter Diane Warren and originally recorded by American recording artist Edwin McCain. McCain's version was released on January 11, 2000 as the last single from his third studio album, Messenger. In 2001, American country music artist... " (Edwin McCain Edwin McCain Edwin McCain is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:While his albums are released under his name, he does have a permanent band, referred to as the Edwin McCain Band... )	Safe
3	Trenyce	"Have You Ever?" (Brandy Brandy (entertainer) Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu.... )	Bottom 3
4	Josh Gracin	"That's When I'll Stop Loving You" (*NSYNC)	Bottom 2
5	Carmen Rasmussen	"Love Will Lead You Back Love Will Lead You Back "Love Will Lead You Back" is a song performed by Taylor Dayne. Released as the second single from Dayne's second album Can't Fight Fate , the ballad debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on January 27, 1990. It reached number one on April 7 that same year and spent 15 weeks in the Top 40... " (Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne was born Leslie Wunderman on March 7, 1962 before later adopting her current stage name. She is an American pop vocalist, songwriter, and dance artist. Overall, she has had eighteen individual hit songs reach the top ten in Billboard magazine... )	Eliminated
6	Ruben Studdard	"Music of My Heart Music of My Heart "Music of My Heart" is a song by Cuban American recording artist Gloria Estefan featuring American pop band 'N Sync. The teen pop song was written by Dianne Warren and produced by David Foster, for the Wes Craven directed movie "Music of the Heart" . It was released as the first single from the... " (*NSYNC/ Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those... )	Safe

Result Show:

Top 6 - "Shine" by Ashanti

Ashanti (singer)

Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...

Top 5 (1960s/Neil Sedaka)

Guest judge - Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka

Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Ruben Studdard	"Ain't Too Proud to Beg Ain't Too Proud to Beg "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" is a 1966 song and hit single by The Temptations for Motown Records' Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield and written by Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr. The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B charts for... " (The Temptations The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,... )	Bottom 2
2	Trenyce	"Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival was an American rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a number of successful singles drawn from various albums....	Eliminated
3	Josh Gracin	"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" is the title of a doo-wop song written by John D. Loudermilk. It was first released in 1962 by Don Cherry, and again in 1967 by the group The Casinos on its album of the same name, becoming a #6 pop hit that year... " (Don Cherry Don Cherry (singer/golfer) Donald Ross Cherry is an American singer of traditional pop music, best known for his 1955 hit, "Band of Gold"; and a former amateur and professional golfer.-Biography:... )	Safe
4	Kimberley Locke	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine I Heard It through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles... " (The Miracles The Miracles The Miracles are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Record Corporation . Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature... )	Safe
5	Clay Aiken	"Build Me Up Buttercup Build Me Up Buttercup "Build Me Up Buttercup" is the name of a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by The Foundations with Colin Young singing the lead vocals in 1968. This was the third major hit for The Foundations. Colin Young replaced Clem Curtis in 1968 and this was the first Foundations hit... " (The Foundations The Foundations The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" , written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The Foundations... )	Safe
6	Ruben Studdard	"Breaking Up is Hard to Do" (Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard... )	Bottom 2
7	Trenyce	"Love Will Keep Us Together Love Will Keep Us Together "Love Will Keep Us Together" is a popular song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield in 1973. It was first released in the United Kingdom on Sedaka's 1973 LP The Tra-La Days Are Over, which was never released in the U.S. The song arrived in the U.S... " (Neil Sedaka)	Eliminated
8	Josh Gracin	"Bad Blood Bad Blood (Neil Sedaka song) "Bad Blood" was a popular song written by Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody. The song, with uncredited backing vocals by Elton John, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975, remaining in the top position for three weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA and was the most successful individual... " (Neil Sedaka)	Safe
9	Kimberley Locke	"Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis Connie Francis Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw... )	Safe
10	Clay Aiken	"Solitaire" (Neil Sedaka)	Safe

Result Show:

Top 5 - 60's medley (Various)

Group¹ - "What the World Needs Now Is Love

What the World Needs Now Is Love

"What the World Needs Now Is Love" is a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David and music composed by Burt Bacharach. First recorded and made popular by Jackie DeShannon, it was released on April 15, 1965, on the Imperial label after a release on sister label Liberty records the previous month...

" by Jackie DeShannon

Jackie DeShannon

Jackie DeShannon is an American singer-songwriter with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards. She was one of the first female singer-songwriters of the rock 'n' roll period.- Life and early career :...

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:...

- "I Saw Your Face

Justin Guarini (album)

Justin Guarini is the self-titled debut album from American Idol runner-up Justin Guarini. It was released by RCA Records on June 10, 2003.- Background :...

Note 1: The Top 11 but without Corey Clark.

Top 4 (Bee Gees)

Guest judge - 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....

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Josh Gracin	"Jive Talkin' Jive Talkin' "Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top-five on the UK singles chart in the summer of 1975. Largely recognized as the group's "comeback" song, it was their first U.S. top ten hit since "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" in... "	Eliminated
2	Clay Aiken	"To Love Somebody To Love Somebody (song) "To Love Somebody" is the second single released by the Bee Gees from their third LP, Bee Gees 1st.The band's manager Robert Stigwood wanted Barry Gibb to write a soul song for Otis Redding. Barry, along with Robin wrote "To Love Somebody," a soulful ballad in the style of Sam & Dave or The Rascals... "	Safe
3	Kimberley Locke	"I Just Want to Be Your Everything I Just Want to Be Your Everything "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" was a hit song by pop singer Andy Gibb. The first single released from his debut album, Flowing Rivers, it became the first of three consecutive number one Billboard Hot 100 singles for Gibb... "	Bottom 2
4	Ruben Studdard	"Nights on Broadway Nights on Broadway "Nights on Broadway" is a song by the Bee Gees for the Main Course album in 1975. The second single release from the album, it immediately followed their number-one hit "Jive Talkin'".... "	Safe
5	Josh Gracin	"To Love Somebody"	Eliminated
6	Clay Aiken	"Grease Grease (song) "Grease" is the title song for the musical motion picture Grease, which was based on the stage play of the same name. The song was sung by Frankie Valli and was featured twice on the film's soundtrack, as the first track and reprised as the final track. It became a No. 1 single in the United States... "	Safe
7	Kimberley Locke	"Emotion"	Bottom 2
8	Ruben Studdard	"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"	Safe

Result Show:

Top 4 - Bee Gees medley

Top 3 (Random from a bowl of Producers' picks, Judges' Choice, Idol's Choice)

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kimberley Locke	"Band of Gold Band Of Gold (Freda Payne song) "Band of Gold" is a popular song written by Holland–Dozier–Holland under the pseudonym Edythe Wayne, and Ron Dunbar, and first recorded by Freda Payne... " (Freda Payne Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944. is an American singer and actress best known for her million selling, 1970 hit single, "Band of Gold". She was also an actress in... )	Eliminated
2	Ruben Studdard	"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" is a soul single by American musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for Motown's Tamla label. Released in June 1970, the song spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S. Pop chart... " (Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist... )	Safe
3	Clay Aiken	"Vincent Vincent (song) "Vincent" is a song by Don McLean written as a tribute to Vincent van Gogh. It is also known by its opening line, "Starry Starry Night", a reference to van Gogh's painting The Starry Night. The song also describes different paintings done by the artist.McLean wrote the lyrics in 1971 after reading... " (Don McLean Don McLean Donald "Don" McLean is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs "American Pie" and "Vincent".-Musical roots:... )	Safe
4	Kimberley Locke	"Anyone Who Had a Heart" - Randy Jackson (Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health.... )	Eliminated
5	Ruben Studdard	"Smile" - Simon Cowell (Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I... )	Safe
6	Clay Aiken	"Mack the Knife Mack the Knife "Mack the Knife" or "The Ballad of Mack the Knife", originally "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer", is a song composed by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht for their music drama Die Dreigroschenoper, or, as it is known in English, The Threepenny Opera. It premiered in Berlin in 1928 at the... " - Paula Abdul (Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.... )	Safe
7	Kimberley Locke	"Inseparable Inseparable (song) "Inseparable" is a song originally recorded by R&B singer Natalie Cole. Released in 1975, it was her second straight number one single on the Hot Soul Singles chart from her debut album,Inseparable, and also reached number thirty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart... " (Natalie Cole Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"... )	Eliminated
8	Ruben Studdard	"If Ever You're in My Arms Again If Ever You're in My Arms Again "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" is a 1984 popular song recorded by the American R&B singer Peabo Bryson. Released as a single from his album Straight from the Heart, the single became Bryson's first Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at #10 during the summer of 1984... " (Peabo Bryson Peabo Bryson Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina... )	Safe
9	Clay Aiken	"Unchained Melody Unchained Melody "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.... " (Todd Duncan Todd Duncan Robert Todd Duncan was an American baritone opera singer and actor.-Biography:Todd Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky in 1903. He obtained his musical training at Butler University in Indianapolis with a B.A. in music followed by an M.A... )	Safe

Result show:

Top 3 - Medley - "Up Where We Belong

Up Where We Belong

"Up Where We Belong" is a song from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Written by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie, with lyrics by Will Jennings, it was performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes.-Charts and awards:...

", "Reunited", "Solid

Solid (song)

"Solid" is a hit single recorded by the husband-and-wife songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson. It was featured on their album, also titled Solid and released as a single in late 1984....

" (Various)

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...

- "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (Judy Garland

Judy Garland

Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...

)

Justin Guarini - "Unchained Melody

Unchained Melody

"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....

" (Todd Duncan

Todd Duncan

Robert Todd Duncan was an American baritone opera singer and actor.-Biography:Todd Duncan was born in Danville, Kentucky in 1903. He obtained his musical training at Butler University in Indianapolis with a B.A. in music followed by an M.A...

)

Top 2 (Finale)

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Ruben Studdard	"A House is Not a Home A House Is Not a Home (song) "A House Is Not a Home" is a 1964 song recorded by American singer Dionne Warwick. Written by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, the song was a modest hit in the U.S. for Warwick, peaking at #71 on the pop singles chart as the B-side of the top 40 single, "You'll Never Get to Heaven "... " (Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health.... )	Winner
2	Clay Aiken	"This Is the Night" (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... )	Runner-Up
3	Ruben Studdard	"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... " (John Lennon John Lennon John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music... )	Winner
4	Clay Aiken	"Here, There and Everywhere Here, There and Everywhere "Here, There and Everywhere" is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney , recorded for The Beatles 1966 album Revolver. In his biography Many Years From Now, McCartney said the song is one of his favourites. Beatles' producer George Martin has also mentioned it as one of his favourite McCartney... " (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... )	Runner-Up
5	Ruben Studdard	"Flying Without Wings Flying Without Wings "Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of... " (Westlife Westlife Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one... )	Winner
6	Clay Aiken	"Bridge Over Troubled Water Bridge over Troubled Water (song) "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at... " (Simon & Garfunkel)	Runner-Up

Paul Anka

Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...

- "My Way

My Way (song)

"My Way" is a song popularized by Frank Sinatra. Its lyrics were written by Paul Anka and set to music based on the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed in 1967 by Claude François and Jacques Revaux, with lyrics by Claude François and Gilles Thibault. Anka's English lyrics are unrelated to the...

"¹ (Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

)

Note 1: The song was rewritten by Paul Anka specially for the episode.

Performer	Song	Artist
Finale result show
Top 12¹ and Kelly Clarkson	"One Voice"	Barry Manilow Barry Manilow Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
Kelly Clarkson	Miss Independent	Kelly Clarkson
Top 12¹	Let's Groove Let's Groove "Let's Groove" is a 1981 song from the album Raise! by the R&B act Earth, Wind & Fire. The song peaked at #3 in the U.S. and in the UK. It also spent eight weeks at number one on the Hot Soul Singles chart in late-1981/early-1982 and was the second R&B song of 1982 on the year end charts... Baby Love Baby Love "Baby Love" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland ,... Tears of a Clown Midnight Train to Georgia Midnight Train to Georgia "Midnight Train to Georgia" is a 1973 number-one hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records... Words Words (Bee Gees song) "Words" is a song written and sung by the Bee Gees, released in the beginning of 1968. Barry Gibb said in 1996 on the VH1 Storytellers television show that it was written for their manager Robert Stigwood. It was originally intended for Cliff Richard, but he never got round to recording the track... Phyisical Physical (Olivia Newton-John song) "Physical" is a song by Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released in September 1981. The song was an immediate success, shipping 2 million copies in the United States, being certified Platinum, and spending 10 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ultimately becoming Newton-John's... That's Where The Music Takes Me Hello Hello (Lionel Richie song) "Hello" is a song by Lionel Richie. Taken as the third single from Richie's multi-platinum album Can't Slow Down, the song was released in 1984 and reached number one on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart , the R&B chart , and the adult contemporary chart . The song also went to number one... Rhythm of the Night Rhythm of the Night (song) "Rhythm of the Night" is a 1985 hit single by the American R&B band DeBarge. The song is said to have been what jump started the career of songwriter Diane Warren and was the biggest hit recorded by the Motown family singing group.-History:...	Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire is an American soul and R&B band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 by Verdine and Maurice White. Also known as EWF, the band has won six Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards. They have been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of... The Supremes Smokey Robinson Gladys Knight Neil Sedaka Bee Gees Bee Gees The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a... Olivia Newton-John Lionel Richie Debarge DeBarge DeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing from...
Top 3	Solitaire (Ruben) Over the Rainbow (Kimberley) On the Wings of Love (Clay)	The Carpenters Judy Garland Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Osborne Jeffrey Linton Osborne is an American funk and R&B musician, songwriter, lyricist, and former lead singer of the band, L.T.D.-Early life and career:...
Ruben Studdard	Flying Without Wings	Westlife
Clay Aiken	Bridge Over Troubled Water	Simon & Garfunkel
Top 2	"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" is a disco song performed by R&B duo McFadden & Whitehead from their debut album, McFadden & Whitehead. They wrote and produced this along with keyboard player Jerry Cohen. Released from their self-titled debut album in 1979, the song spent a week at number one on the R&B... "	McFadden & Whitehead McFadden & Whitehead McFadden and Whitehead were an American songwriting, production, and recording duo, best known for their signature tune "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now"...
Ruben Studdard	Flying Without Wings	Westlife

Note 1: Corey Clark and Josh Gracin were absent from the group.

The two night season finale was held 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...

in Los Angeles, California.

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 with Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken

as a very close runner-up. Out of 24 million votes recorded, Studdard finished just 134,000 votes ahead of Aiken, and the smallness of the margin of victory made this result highly controversial.

Elimination chart

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" style="background:gray; border:1px solid gray; border-collapse:collapse; margin:0 1em 1em 0; text-align:center;"
|-
|+ Legend
|-
| style="background:#F5F5DC;" width="25%" | Did Not Perform
| style="background:#CCCCCC;" width="25%" | Top 32
| style="background:#FBF373;" width="25%" | Wild Card
| style="background:palegoldenrod;" width="25%" | Top 12
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|colspan="2" align="right"|Stage:
|colspan="4" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Semi-Finals
|colspan="1" bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center"|Wild
Card
|colspan="11" bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="Center"|Finals
|-
|colspan="2" align="right"|Week:
|align="center"|2/5
|align="center"|2/12
|align="center"|2/19
|align="center"|2/26
|align="center"|3/5
|align="center"|3/12
|align="center"|3/19
|align="center"|3/26
|align="center"|4/1*
|align="center"|4/9
|align="center"|4/16
|align="center"|4/23
|align="center"|4/30
|align="center"|5/7
|align="center"|5/14
|align="center"|5/21
|-
!Place
!Contestant
!colspan="16" align="center"|Result
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"| 1
|Ruben Studdard
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|1st
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|
|
|bgcolor="lime" align="center"|Winner
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"| 2
|Clay Aiken
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |3rd
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center"|1st
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|3
|Kimberley Locke
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|2nd
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|4
|Josh Gracin
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|1st
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|Elim
|colspan="2" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|5
|Trenyce
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |Elim
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center"|Adv
|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|Elim
|colspan="3" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|6
|Carmen Rasmusen
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center"|Adv
|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|Elim
|colspan="4" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|7
|Kimberly Caldwell
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |3rd
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center"|Adv
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|Elim
|colspan="5" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|8
|Rickey Smith
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|1st
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center" |Elim
|colspan="6" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|9
|Corey Clark
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|2nd
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|DQ
|colspan="7" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|10
|Julia DeMato
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|2nd
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FFFF99" align="center"|
|bgcolor="#FFFFCC" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center" |Elim
|colspan="8" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|11
|Charles Grigsby
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|1st
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center" |Elim
|colspan="9" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|12
|Vanessa Olivarez
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|2nd
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center" |Elim
|colspan="10" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center" rowspan="5"|Wild
Card
|Aliceyn Cooney
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center" rowspan="5"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|Chip Days
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|Janine Falsone
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|Olivia Mojica
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|Nasheka Siddall
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Semi-
Final
4
|Juanita Barber
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|Sylvia Chibiliti
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|Ashley Hartman
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|Patrick Lake
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="6"|Semi-
Final
3
|Samantha Cohen
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="6"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|Equoia Coleman
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|Louis Gazzara
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|Kimberly Kelsey
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|Jordan Segundo
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|George Trice
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="5"|Semi-
Final
2
|Rebecca Bond
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="5"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|Candice Coleman
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|Jennifer Fuentes
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|Hadas
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Semi-
Final
1
|J.D. Adams
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="15"|
|-
|Meosha Denton
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="15"|
|-
|Patrick Fortson
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="15"|
|-
|Bettis Richardson
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="15"|
|}

* None of the bottom 3 were eliminated on the April 2nd results show due to the disqualification of Corey Clark on previous day.

Controversy

The finale vote had been controversial due to the smallness of the margin. Ryan Seacrest also added fuel by mistakenly announcing the difference in vote count first as 13,000, then 1,335, but eventually revealed later to be around 130,000. There was much discussion in the communication industry about the phone system being overloaded, and that more than 150 million votes were dropped, making the voting results suspect. In an interview prior to the start of the fifth season

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 -...

, 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...

revealed that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wild card week onward until the finale.

A mini-controversy emerged after the finale when Simon Cowell alleged that Clay Aiken

Clay Aiken

knew the results of the show nearly an hour before they were announced on-air because he had snuck a peek at Ryan Seacrest's handheld cue card backstage. On Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....

the next day, Aiken admitted he had indeed seen the card but could not read it in the backstage light; however, he had seen enough to determine that the name on it was too long to be "Clay Aiken". On the live broadcast, Aiken can be seen turning his body to face Studdard and whispering something in his ear right before the results were announced, a visual clue fans took as confirmation that Aiken had somehow found out he was not the winner.

There was controversy when contestant 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...

was disqualified from the competition after topless photos of her surfaced on the Internet. Shortly afterwards, she landed a role in the Broadway

Broadway theatre

Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...

musical Rent
Rent (musical)
Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème...

. The producers of the show added a Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

marketing team to protect and build faith viewers with faith guru Rick Hendrix

Rick Hendrix

Richard Binghames Hendrix Jr. , better known by the name Rick Hendrix, is an American entertainment promoter and songwriter of southern gospel, country music and pop music...

after the Frenchie Davis incident.

Corey Clark

Corey Clark

was also disqualified from the show because, according to the Idol producers, Clark had a police record he had not disclosed to the show. However, in 2005, contestant Corey Clark alleged in an interview on ABC's Primetime Live

Primetime (TV series)

Primetime is an American news magazine show which debuted on ABC in 1989 with co-hosts Sam Donaldson and Diane Sawyer and originally had the title Primetime Live.-Early history:...

and in a book, They Told Me to Tell the Truth, So... The Sex, Lies and Paulatics of One of America's Idols, that he and judge Paula Abdul had an affair while he was on the show and that this contributed to his removal. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show and tips on song choice. A subsequent investigation by an independent counsel hired by Fox "could not corroborate the evidence or allegations provided by Mr. Clark or any witnesses". Paula Abdul was therefore considered exonerated but an "enhanced non-fraternization policy" was put in place after the investigation.

Trenyce was also found to have been arrested on felony theft charge, however Nigel Lythgoe considered her offence to be minor and one which she has been honest about, therefore "warranted no concern regarding her participation in the show."

During the Top 10, a problem with the telephony system resulted in some votes not being registered for Julia DeMato, however, Fox insisted that the mistake would not have made any difference in Julia DeMato being voted off.

During the course of the contest, Studdard became known for wearing 205 Flava jerseys representing his area code; when asked about them early in the season, Studdard told Seacrest that he was "just representing 205". Shortly after the end of the contest, Studdard sued 205 Flava, Inc. for $2 Million dollars for using his image for promotional purposes. 205 Flava responded by alleging that Studdard had accepted over $10,000 in return for wearing 205 shirts, and produced eight cashed checks to validate their claim. The allegations, if true, were a clear violation of the American Idol rules. The lawsuit was settled out of court.

Some questions were raised about the participation of Josh Gracin, who was then in the Marine Corps, in American idol during the time of the Iraq War. He later missed both the finale performance night as well as the Idol tour that year after being recalled to duty by the Marines.

Some speculation about Vanessa Olivarez' dismissal and treatment by American Idol surfaced in 2007. During the show, Olivarez took part in a scripted joke where, after Seacrest had asked Olivarez to read a cue card taking the viewers to a commercial, Olivarez would reply by saying, "Ryan, I'm a real artist, not a performing monkey like you, so why don't you read your own script?" However, viewers booed, and Olivarez was voted off afterwards, a result of what some thought to be negative public perception of her due to the joke. It was suggested that she was deliberately ousted because she had come out as a lesbian to other contestants. She had also posed nude for an ad campaign for the animal rights group PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...

after she was voted off. Olivarez was the only finalist omitted from the Season 2 CD, and she was not chosen for the tour after Joshua Gracin was recalled to the Marines.

US Nielsen ratings

The number of average viewers per episode this season was 21.7 million, an increase of 71% over season 1. Its Wednesday episodes finished as the third most-watched show of the year averaging 21.93 million, and the Tuesday episodes fifth at 21.56 million. The show ranked second in the coveted 18/49 demographic for the 2002-2003 season. This season's finale episode still ranks as the most-watched single episode in Idol history at 38.1 million, the finale night itself averaged 33.7 million when the pre-show special is taken into consideration. The show also helped Fox become the season's number three network in total viewers for the first time.

Episode list

EWLINE

Show	Episode	Air date	Week rank	18-49 rating	Viewers (in millions)
1	"New York, Miami & Austin Auditions"	January 21, 2003	4	12.4	26.5
2	"Special: American Idol revisited"	January 21, 2003	7	11.3	23.6
3	"Pasadena & Detroit Auditions"	January 22, 2003	5	11.8	24.9
4	"Atlanta & Nashville Auditions"	January 28, 2003	4	11.6	24.1
5	"Hollywood Week"	January 29, 2003	2	12.6	26.0
6	"Top 32: Group 1"	February 4, 2003	9	9.7	20.1
7	"Top 32: Group 1 results"	February 5, 2003	10	9.4	19.3
8	"Top 32: Group 2"	February 11, 2003	8	9.7	20.0
9	"Top 32: Group 2 results"	February 12, 2003	11	9.0	18.7
10	"Top 32: Group 3"	February 18, 2003	9	9.2	19.7
11	"Top 32: Group 3 results"	February 19, 2003	19	7.4
12	"Special: Best of the Worst"	February 19, 2003	11	8.8	19.5
13	"Top 32: Group 4"	February 25, 2003	5	9.7	20.0
14	"Top 32: Group 4 results"	February 26, 2003	12	8.7	17.1
15	"Wildcard Show"	March 4, 2003	3	8.5	18.7
16	"Wildcard Results"	March 5, 2003	4	8.5	18.0
17	"Top 12 Perform"	March 11, 2003	2	10.3	22.0
18	"Top 12 Results"	March 12, 2003	9	8.7	18.3
19	"Top 11 Perform"	March 18, 2003	2	10.0	21.1
20	"Top 11 Results"	March 19, 2003	4	7.9	17.2
21	"Top 10 Perform"	March 25, 2003	1	9.4	19.8
22	"Top 10 Results"	March 26, 2003	2	8.7	19.0
23	"Top 9 Perform"	April 1, 2003	2	9.6	21.2
24	"Top 9 Results"	April 2, 2003	4	9.7	20.3
25	"Top 8 Perform"	April 8, 2003	2	9.7	20.1
26	"Top 8 Results"	April 9, 2003	3	9.4	19.2
27	"Top 7 Perform"	April 15, 2003	1	8.8	20.0
28	"Top 7 Results"	April 16, 2007	4	8.4	18.1
29	"Special: Halfway Home"	April 21, 2007	12	6.2	14.1
30	"Top 6 Perform"	April 22, 2003	4	9.6	20.6
31	"Top 6 Results"	April 23, 2003	6	9.3	19.5
32	"Top 5 Perform"	April 29, 2003	2	9.7	20.4
33	"Top 5 Results"	April 30, 2003	3	9.0	20.2
34	"Top 4 Perform"	May 6, 2003	4	10.1	22.2
35	"Top 4 Results"	May 7, 2003	2	10.4	22.7
36	"Top 3 Perform"	May 13, 2003	4	10.7	23.4
37	"Top 3 Results"	May 14, 2003	2	11.4	25.3
38	"Top 2 Special"	May 19, 2003	8	7.4	16.9
39	"Top 2 Showdown"	May 20, 2003	3	11.2	25.7
40	"Finale Pre-show Special"	May 21, 2003	2	13.1	30.4
41	"American Idol Season 2 Finale"	May 21, 2003	1	16.8	38.1

A couple of specials were aired later in the year - From Justin To Kelly: The Rise of Two American Idols on June 20, 2003, and American Idol: Christmas Songs on November 25, 2003, the latter of which was ranked #30 with total viewer number of 10.9 million, and #28 in the 18/49 demo with a 4.1 rating.

Major releases

American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs
American Idol Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs
Season 2: All-Time Classic American Love Songs was compiled of classic American love songs performed by the top eleven finalists from season 2 of American Idol and contains two ensemble tracks. It was released in 2003....

(Compilation - CD)
"Bridge over Troubled Water
Bridge over Troubled Water (song)
"Bridge Over Troubled Water" is the title song of Simon & Garfunkel's album of the same name. The single was released on January 26, 1970, though it also appears on the live album Live 1969, released in 2008. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on February 28, 1970, and stayed at...

"/"This Is the Night" (Clay Aiken - single)
"Flying Without Wings
Flying Without Wings
"Flying Without Wings" is a song released by Irish boyband Westlife from their self-titled debut album.-Background:The song became an instant hit in the United Kingdom and many parts of the world. The song became the group's third UK number 1 single, spending 13 weeks on charts. It is also one of...

"/"Superstar
Superstar (Delaney and Bonnie song)
"Superstar" is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell that has been a hit for many artists in different genres and interpretations in the years since; the best known version is by the Carpenters in 1971.-Original Delaney and Bonnie version:Accounts of the song's origin vary...

" (Ruben Studdard - single)
Measure of a Man (Clay Aiken - CD)
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...

(Ruben Studdard - CD)
"Sorry 2004
Sorry 2004
"Sorry 2004" is a song recorded by the American R&B singer Ruben Studdard. It was released as a single from his 2003 album Soulful.-Chart performance:...

" (Ruben Studdard - single)
"8th World Wonder
8th World Wonder
"8th World Wonder" is the 2004 debut single from American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke, from her One Love album. The single debuted on the Billboard Singles Sales Chart at #1, making it the first non-Idol single to top the chart from any Idol finalist...

" (Kimberley Locke - single)
"The Way/Solitaire
The Way/Solitaire
"The Way"/"Solitaire" is the second commercial double A-side CD single by Clay Aiken released on March 16, 2004, on the RCA label.In the summer of 2004, "Solitaire" replaced "This is the Night" as the bonus track on new versions of Aiken's Measure of a Man.The Way was featured in Scooby Doo 2:...

" (Clay Aiken - single)
"Photograph" (Carmen Rasmusen - single)
"What If" (Ruben Studdard - single)
One Love
One Love (Kimberley Locke album)
One Love is the debut album of American Idol contestant Kimberley Locke. According to SoundScan, total sales of the album to date is approximately 213,000 copies.-Track listing:# "8th World Wonder" – 3:59...

(Kimberley Locke - CD)
Josh Gracin
Josh Gracin (album)
Josh Gracin is the self-titled debut album of American country music singer Josh Gracin. It was released in the United States on June 15, 2004 on Lyric Street Records, reached number eleven on the Nielsen Soundscan album chart and sold 57,048 the first week...

(Josh Gracin - CD)
Merry Christmas with Love
Merry Christmas with Love
Merry Christmas with Love is Clay Aiken's first Christmas album, released by RCA Records on November 16, 2004. It was certified platinum and was recognized by Billboard as the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of 2004 and the best-selling Christian album of 2005.The album was re-released on...

(Clay Aiken - Holiday CD)
I Need an Angel
I Need an Angel (album)
I Need an Angel is the 2004 second album from American singer Ruben Studdard.-Track listing:# "I Need an Angel" – 4:51# "Center of My Joy" – 5:52# "Goin' Up Yonder" – 3:40# "Fix It, Jesus" – 3:46# "Amazing Grace" – 4:31...

(Ruben Studdard - Gospel CD)
Carmen (EP) (Carmen Rasmusen - CD)
Corey Clark (Corey Clark - CD)
"Coulda Been
Coulda Been
"Coulda Been" is the third single from American Idol finalist, Kimberley Locke, from her One Love album. This is an enhanced disc which contains the music video for the single. Though originally plans were to release "You've Changed" as the third single in the USA while "Coulda Been" would be the...

" (Kimberley Locke - single)
'"Favorite State of Mind" (Josh Gracin - single)
A Thousand Different Ways
A Thousand Different Ways
A Thousand Different Ways is the third studio album by Clay Aiken. The album, which was executive produced by Jaymes Foster, consists of ten covers and four new songs. It was released by RCA on September 19, 2006...

(Clay Aiken - CD)
The Return
The Return (Ruben Studdard album)
The Return is the third album by R&B-pop artist Ruben Studdard and was released on October 17, 2006. The first single, "Change Me", was released on July 31, 2006.-Reception:...

(Ruben Studdard - CD)
"All Is Well
All Is Well (EP)
All Is Well, released November 28, 2006 is a studio EP recorded by Clay Aiken. Originally an exclusive for Walmart the album was made available on iTunes in December 2007. The four tracks are all Christmas songs...

" (Clay Aiken - Holiday EP)
"Nothin' Like the Summer" (Carmen Rasmusen - single)
Based on a True Story
Based on a True Story (Kimberley Locke album)
Based On A True Story is the second album from American Idol finalist, Kimberley Locke. Kimberley chose this title because the songs on the album, 8 of which co-written by Kimberley herself, tell the true story of the emotions she dealt with during and after her relationship with her ex-fiance...

(Kimberley Locke - CD)
Nothin' Like the Summer
Nothin' Like the Summer
Nothin' Like the Summer is the debut album of country music artist Carmen Rasmusen . It was released on iTunes on August 14, 2007, and was physically released on August 28, 2007 on Lofton Creek Records....

(Carmen Rasmusen - CD)
We Weren't Crazy
We Weren't Crazy
We Weren't Crazy is the second studio album from American country music artist Josh Gracin. Originally titled All About Y'all, the album was slated for release in mid-2006 after the release of its debut single "Favorite State of Mind". However the album release was delayed when the debut single...

(Josh Gracin - CD)
On My Way Here
On My Way Here
On My Way Here is the fourth full length studio album released by Clay Aiken on May 6, 2008. This album of both ballads and pop-rock is an eclectic mix of styles and tempos. Aiken wanted to get away from using multiple producers and chose Grammy Award-winning British producer Mark 'Kipper' Eldridge...

(Clay Aiken - CD)
Tried and True
Tried and True
Tried and True is the fifth full length studio album released by Clay Aiken on June 1, 2010. This album is Aiken's first release on the Decca label. The deluxe edition includes two additional tracks plus a second disk with behind the scenes video and a live performance.-Background:The songs on...

(Clay Aiken - CD/DVD)
Without Regret
Without Regret
Without Regret is the debut album from American Idol season two seventh place finalist, Kimberly Caldwell. The album was supposed to be released on April 6, 2010 by Vanguard Records and Capitol Records, but according to Caldwell's website and YouTube channel, the album was pushed back to a July...

(Kimberly Caldwell - CD)

Minor or independent releases

(This list does not include pre-Idol releases)

The One (Vanessa Olivarez)
Jordan (Jordan Segundo)
Charles Grigsby (Charles Grigsby)
Use Your Gift (Quiana Parler)
George Trice (George Trice) - released in the summer of 2007

Source: Idolsmusic.com

External links

Official American Idol Contestants Website

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