American Idol (season 1)

American Idol
Season 1
Hosted by	Ryan Seacrest Brian Dunkleman
Judges	Paula Abdul Simon Cowell Randy Jackson
Winner	Kelly Clarkson
Runner-up	Justin Guarini
Finals venue	Kodak Theatre
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	June 11 (2002-06-11) – September 4, 2002 (2002-09-04)
Season chronology
Next → Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002 (under the full title American Idol: The Search for a Superstar) and continued until September 4, 2002. It was won by Kelly Clarkson. The first season was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman, the latter of whom left the show after the season ended.

The winner, Kelly Clarkson, signed with RCA Records, the label in partnership with American Idol's 19 Recordings. Immediately post-finale, Clarkson released two singles, including the coronation song, "A Moment Like This". "A Moment Like This" went on to break a thirty-eight-year-old record held by The Beatles for a song's biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It jumped up from number fifty-two to number one in just one week. She held that record for five years but she reclaimed that record back in 2009 with her hit single "My Life Would Suck Without You" when it jumped up from number ninety-seven to number one. Clarkson has enjoyed a successful recording career since winning, with multiple-platinum albums, a number of Top 10 hit singles and three Grammy Awards. Runner-up Justin Guarini also signed with RCA Records, eventually debuting an album in 2003 after the conclusion of season 2. RCA dropped him shortly after its debut. In addition to Clarkson and Guarini, also signed were Nikki McKibbin, Tamyra Gray, R. J. Helton, and Christina Christian.

After the finale, a special show in Las Vegas was also shown on September 23, 2002, where all 30 of the contestants who made the judges' initial cut performed in a two-hour concert.

The show inspired a 2003 musical film, From Justin to Kelly, featuring Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini.

Regional auditions[]

Auditions were held in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, and Seattle in the spring of 2002,^[1] and around 10,000 attended the auditions.

Episode Air Date	Audition City	Date	Audition Venues	Golden Tickets
June 11, 2002	Los Angeles, California	April 20–22, 2002	Westin Bonaventure Hotel	31
	Seattle, Washington	April 23–25, 2002	Hyatt Regency Hotel	10
	Chicago, Illinois	April 26–28, 2002	Congress Plaza Hotel[2]	23
	New York City, New York	April 29–May 1, 2002	Millenium Hilton Hotel[3]	25
	Atlanta, Georgia	May 3–5, 2002	AmericasMart[4]/ Callanwolde Fine Arts Center	15
	Dallas, Texas	May 5–7, 2002	Wyndham Anatole Hotel[5]	11
	Miami, Florida	May 11, 2002	Fontainebleau Hilton[6]	6
Total Tickets to Hollywood				121

One of the more prominent auditioners was Tamika Bush who objected to the judges' critiques and their pronunciation of her name. She was later invited back to critique the contestants' semifinal performance. Kristin Holt, who auditioned in Dallas, was put through to the Hollywood rounds, but in her rush to embrace the judges, fell and slipped under the judges' table.

Kelly Clarkson was notable for being largely absent in the audition episode, and she remains the only winner whose audition was not aired in the original broadcast. The other top 10 finalists in Season 1 whose auditions were not shown were Nikki McKibbin and EJ Day.

Structure of auditions[]

There are usually three stages in the audition process in every season, the first stage being the open call audition advertised. In this stage those auditioning each sings briefly in groups of five in front of selectors, though some may be asked to sing further. Most of those who attended are eliminated at this stage with only a limited number of auditioners selected to proceed further. In the second round they sing in front the executive producers and more are eliminated. In some later years a further round may be added before this round of audition. In the last round those who survive the first two-stage sing in front of the judges and this is the audition shown on television. Those who gain at least two "yes" votes from the three judges then receive a golden ticket to Hollywood.

In the first season, the second and third stage of the audition may take place within a single day, but in the following seasons each stage of the audition may take place on separate days. The initial audition venue need not necessarily be the final audition venue in front of the judges, and in later seasons, up to three separate venues may be used for the auditions in each city. The venues and dates of the second audition in front of the producers are not specifically listed in these pages. In the early seasons, the entire audition process in each city took place within a relatively short span of time, three days in the case of Season 1, but became progressively extended in later seasons until the callback date may be many weeks after the initial auditions.

Hollywood week[]

The Hollywood week rounds were held in Pasadena Civic Center where 121 contestants competed for a place in the finals. The contestants first emerged on stage in groups of nine or ten but performed solo unaccompanied, and those who did not impress the judges were cut after the group finished their individual performances. The 65 singers who were selected to proceed on to the next round were then separated by gender and given a crash course to learn their next song overnight, which they were expected to perform the next day in small groups. The girls' song was Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" and the boys' song was Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life". Many, however, frequently forgot the lyrics. Again, those who failed to impress were cut immediately after their performance. The 20 singers who were cut were given their last chance to voice their opinion to the judges.

In the final round, the remaining 45 were given new songs to learn and each performed solo and a cappella. The Top 15 were first announced, and the judges then selected 15 more out of the remaining 30. The 30 were split into two groups and the judges then went to each group to announce the chosen group.

Delano Cagnolatti was initially amongst those announced as the Top 30, but he was later disqualified for falsifying his age,^[7] and became the first person to be disqualified on American Idol. He was replaced by EJay Day.

Semi-finals[]

The 30 contestants who reached this stage in this season were referred to in the show as the finalists.

Before their performance, the contestants took part in intensive music workshop where they were given vocal coaching by Debra Byrd and advice by stylists. The contestants were held in the Red Room before they each emerged to perform solo with piano accompaniment. There was no studio audience at this stage and the performance was pre-taped. The audience voted after each round of performance, and the results of the vote were announced the next day live. A total of 3.3 million votes were cast in the first week of voting.^[8]

Below are the three semi-final groups with contestants listed in their performance order. In each group, three people advanced to the next round, based on votes by the viewers.

Color key:

Contestant was chosen by the public vote and moved on to the live shows

Contestant was not chosen by the public and was left to perform again for the judges

Contestant was chosen by the judges via wild card and moved on to the live shows

Contestant was eliminated

Group 1[]

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Tamyra Gray	"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"	Advanced (1st)
2	Jim Verraros	"When I Fall in Love"	Advanced (3rd)
3	Adriel Herrera	"I'll Be"	Eliminated
4	Rodesia Eaves	"Daydream Believer"	Eliminated
5	Natalie Burge	"Crazy"	Eliminated
6	Brad Estrin	"Just Once"	Eliminated
7	Ryan Starr	"The Frim-Fram Sauce"	Advanced (2nd)
8	Justinn Waddell	"When a Man Loves a Woman"	Eliminated
9	Kelli Glover	"I Will Always Love You"	Wild Card
10	Christopher Aaron	"Still in Love"	Wild Card

Group 2[]

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Alexis Lopez	"I Will Survive"	Wild Card
2	Gil Sinuet	"Ribbon in the Sky"	Eliminated
3	Angela Peel	"Run to You"	Wild Card
4	AJ Gil	"All or Nothing"	Advanced (3rd)
5	Tenia Taylor	"Greatest Love of All"	Eliminated
6	Alexandra Bachelier	"Save the Best for Last"	Eliminated
7	Jazmin Lowery	"You Put a Move on My Heart"	Eliminated
8	Jamar	"Careless Whisper"	Eliminated
9	Kelly Clarkson	"Respect"	Advanced (2nd)
10	Justin Guarini	"Ribbon in the Sky"	Advanced (1st)

Group 3[]

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	R. J. Helton	"I'll Be There"	Wild Card
2	Kristin Holt	"Fallin'"	Eliminated
3	Mark Scott	"My Girl"	Eliminated
4	Nikki McKibbin	"Total Eclipse of the Heart"	Advanced (2nd)
5	Chris Badano	"I Swear"	Eliminated
6	Melanie Sanders	"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"	Eliminated
7	EJay Day	"I'll Be"	Advanced (3rd)
8	Tanesha Ross	"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"	Eliminated
9	Khaleef Chiles	"My Cherie Amour"	Eliminated
10	Christina Christian	"At Last"	Advanced (1st)

Wild Card Round[]

Following those nine singers advancing, five of the remaining 21 semi-finalists were selected by the judges to compete in the Wild Card round. Following another performance by each Wild Card contender, the judges selected one contestant to advance to the final group of 10.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Kelli Glover	"How Am I Supposed to Live Without You"	Eliminated
2	Christopher Aaron	"On Bended Knee"	Eliminated
3	Alexis Lopez	"Saving All My Love for You"	Eliminated
4	R. J. Helton	"Lately"	Advanced
5	Angela Peel	"As We Lay"	Eliminated

Finals[]

The finals were broadcast live, in front of a live studio audience. The finals lasted for eight weeks, each finalist performed a song or songs selected from a weekly theme. During the first few weeks, contestants sang one song each. By the top four week, the contestants sang two songs each, and in the finale the two finalists performed three songs apiece.

The results of public vote were revealed in the night following the performance night in the results show. The three or two contestants in the later rounds who received the lowest number of votes were typically called the Bottom Three or Two. From the bottom three, one contestant was sent to safety so that two contestants remained and finally the contestant who received the fewest votes was eliminated from the competition. A farewell video with montage of the eliminated contestant is shown.

This season largely set the pattern for later seasons, such as group performance by the contestants during the result shows, hometown visits for the top 3, and performing the songs for the top 2 that would be released immediately after the finale. In this season, there were no guest mentors apart from the Burt Bacharach week where the composer helped the contestants prepare their songs.

The finale was between Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, and Kelly Clarkson was declared the winner with 58% out of 15.5 million votes cast.^[9] Over 110 million votes were cast over the entire season.^[8]

A television special from Las Vegas starring the top thirty-two finalists aired later, a thirty date tour with the top ten followed, as did the box office bomb movie titled From Justin to Kelly.

Color key:

Contestant was saved by America's vote

Contestant was in the bottom three or two, but was saved by America's vote

Contestant was eliminated

Week 1: Top 10 – Motown (July 17)[]

The first round featured double elimination, which will eliminate the two contestants with the two fewest votes cast from the America's vote.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Ryan Starr	"If You Really Love Me"	Safe
2	R. J. Helton	"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)"	Safe
3	Nikki McKibbin	"Ben"	Bottom Three
4	EJay Day	"My Girl"	Eliminated
5	Tamyra Gray	"Touch Me in the Morning"	Safe
6	Justin Guarini	"For Once in My Life"	Safe
7	Jim Verraros	"Easy"	Eliminated
8	Kelly Clarkson	"You're All I Need to Get By"	Safe
9	AJ Gil	"My Cherie Amour"	Safe
10	Christina Christian	"Ain't No Mountain High Enough"	Safe

Week 2: Top 8 – 1960s (July 24)[]

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	R. J. Helton	"Under the Boardwalk"	Safe
2	Tamyra Gray	"A Fool in Love"	Safe
3	Nikki McKibbin	"Piece of My Heart"	Safe
4	AJ Gil	"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)"	Eliminated
5	Kelly Clarkson	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"	Safe
6	Christina Christian	"When a Man Loves a Woman"	Bottom Three
7	Justin Guarini	"Sunny"	Safe
8	Ryan Starr	"You Really Got Me"	Bottom Two

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
2.1	Top 8	"California Dreamin'"

Week 3: Top 7 – 1970s (July 31)[]

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Nikki McKibbin	"Heartbreaker"	Bottom Three
2	Ryan Starr	"Last Dance"	Eliminated
3	Christina Christian	"Ain't No Sunshine"	Safe
4	Justin Guarini	"Someday We'll All Be Free"	Bottom Two
5	Kelly Clarkson	"Don't Play That Song (You Lied)"	Safe
6	R. J. Helton	"Superstition"	Safe
7	Tamyra Gray	"If I Were Your Woman"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
3.1	Top 7	"Joy to the World"

Week 4: Top 6 – Big Band (August 7)[]

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Tamyra Gray	"Minnie the Moocher"	Safe
2	Justin Guarini	"Route 66"	Safe
3	Nikki McKibbin	"Hard-Hearted Hannah"	Bottom Three
4	Christina Christian	"The Glory of Love"	Eliminated
5	R. J. Helton	"I Won't Dance"	Bottom Two
6	Kelly Clarkson	"Stuff Like That There"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
4.1	Top 6	"Bandstand Boogie"

Week 5: Top 5 – Burt Bacharach Love Songs (August 14)[]

Burt Bacharach served as the guest mentor this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Kelly Clarkson	"Walk On By"	Safe
2	R. J. Helton	"Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"	Eliminated
3	Tamyra Gray	"A House is Not a Home"	Safe
4	Justin Guarini	"The Look of Love"	Safe
5	Nikki McKibbin	"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me"	Bottom Two

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
5.1	Top 5	That's What Friends Are For" (performance night)
5.2		Burt Bacharach Medley

Week 6: Top 4 – 1980/1990s (August 21)[]

Each contestant sang two songs.

Contestant	Order	First Song	Order	Second Song	Result
Tamyra Gray	1	"New Attitude"	5	"Feel the Fire"	Eliminated
Nikki McKibbin	2	"Mary Jane"	6	"I'm the Only One"	Bottom Two
Kelly Clarkson	3	"It's Raining Men"	7	"I Surrender"	Safe
Justin Guarini	4	"Get Here"	8	"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
6.1	Top 4	Paula Abdul Medley

Week 7: Top 3 – Contestant's choice & Judges' choice (August 28)[]

Each contestant sang two songs, one chosen by the contestant itself and a second song by the judges.

Contestant	Order	Contestant's choice	Order	Judge's choice	Result
Nikki McKibbin	1	"Edge of Seventeen"	4	"Black Velvet"	Third Place
Justin Guarini	2	"Let's Stay Together"	5	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"	Safe
Kelly Clarkson	3	"Think Twice"	6	"Without You"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
6.1	Top 3	"Love Will Keep Us Together"
6.2	Nikki McKibbin	"Black Velvet"
6.3	Justin Guarini	"Let's Stay Together"
6.4	Kelly Clarkson	"Without You"

Week 8: Finale (September 4)[]

The Top two performed their winner’s song, a reprise of their favorite performance of the season and another original song.

Contestant	Order	First Song	Order	Second Song	Order	Third Song	Result
Justin Guarini	1	"Before Your Love"	3	"Get Here"	5	"A Moment Like This"	Runner-up
Kelly Clarkson	2	"A Moment Like This"	4	"Respect"	6	"Before Your Love"	Winner

Elimination chart[]

Color key:

Results per stage

Place	Contestant		Top 30			Wildcard	Top 10	Top 8	Top 7	Top 6	Top 5	Top 4	Top 3	Finale
			6/19	6/26	7/3	7/10	7/17	7/24	7/31	8/7	8/14	8/21	8/28	9/4
1		Kelly Clarkson	N/A	Safe (2nd)	N/A	N/A	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Winner
2		Justin Guarini	N/A	Safe (1st)	N/A	N/A	Safe	Safe	Bottom Two	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Runner-Up
3		Nikki McKibbin	N/A	N/A	Safe (2nd)	N/A	Bottom Three	Safe	Bottom Three	Bottom Three	Bottom Two	Bottom Two	Eliminated
4		Tamyra Gray	Safe (1st)	N/A	N/A	N/A	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
5		R. J. Helton	N/A	N/A	Wild Card	Saved	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom Two	Eliminated
6		Christina Christian	N/A	N/A	Safe (1st)	N/A	Safe	Bottom Three	Safe	Eliminated
7		Ryan Starr	Safe (2nd)	N/A	N/A	N/A	Safe	Bottom Two	Eliminated
8		AJ Gil	N/A	Safe (3rd)	N/A	N/A	Safe	Eliminated
9–10		Jim Verraros	Safe (3rd)	N/A	N/A	N/A	Eliminated
		EJay Day	N/A	N/A	Safe (3rd)	N/A
11–14		Christopher Aaron	Wild Card	N/A	N/A	Eliminated
		Kelli Glover	Wild Card	N/A	N/A
		Alexis Lopez	N/A	Wild Card	N/A
		Angela Peel	N/A	Wild Card	N/A
15–30		Chris Badano	N/A	N/A	Eliminated
		Khaleef Chiles	N/A	N/A
		Kristin Holt	N/A	N/A
		Melanie Sanders	N/A	N/A
		Mark Scott	N/A	N/A
		Tanesha Ross	N/A	N/A
		Alexandra Bachelier	N/A	Eliminated
		Jamar	N/A
		Jazmin Lowery	N/A
		Gil Sinuet	N/A
		Tenia Taylor	N/A
		Natalie Burge	Eliminated
		Rodesia Eaves
		Brad Estrin
		Adriel Herrera
		Justinn Waddell

Top 10 Finalists[]

• Kelly Clarkson (born April 24, 1982 in Fort Worth, Texas, 20 years old at the time of the show) is from Burleson, Texas and auditioned in Dallas, Texas with Etta James' "At Last" and Madonna's "Express Yourself." She performed Aretha Franklin's version of "Respect" and Vanessa Williams' "Save The Best For Last" in the Hollywood rounds.

• Justin Guarini (born October 28, 1978 in Columbus, Georgia, 23 years old at the time of the show) is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania and auditioned in New York City with The Jackson 5's version of "Who's Lovin' You." He performed Oleta Adams' version of "Get Here" in the Hollywood rounds.
• Nikki McKibbin (September 28, 1978 - November 1, 2020) in Grand Prairie, Texas, 23 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in Dallas with her married name Nikki Ozment. She had previously been on Popstars: USA and auditioned with Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" and Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time." She performed The Righteous Brothers' version of "Unchained Melody" in the Hollywood rounds. McKibbin died on November 1, 2020, after suffering an aneurysm, making her the fourth American Idol finalist to die, following Leah LaBelle in 2018, Rickey Smith in 2016, and Michael Johns in 2014.^[10][11]
• Tamyra Gray (born July 26, 1979 in Takoma Park, Maryland, 22 years old at the start of the season) is from Atlanta, Georgia and auditioned there with Mariah Carey's "Vision Of Love." She had appeared on TV commercials and worked with other artists before auditioning for Idol, and was crowned Miss Atlanta in 1998. She performed Oleta Adams' version of "Get Here" in Hollywood.
• R. J. Helton (born May 17, 1981 in Pasadena, Texas, 21 years old at the time of the show) is from Cumming, Georgia, and auditioned in Atlanta with The Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye." He had made demo CDs before appearing on American Idol.
• Christina Christian (born June 21, 1981 in Brooklyn, New York, 21 years old at the time of the show) and auditioned in Miami, Florida with Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?" She performed Diana Ross' version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in Hollywood
• Ryan Starr (born November 21, 1982 in Sunland, California, 19 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in Los Angeles using her birth name Tiffany Montgomery. Her audition song was Bill Withers' "Lean On Me." She performed Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" in the Hollywood rounds.
• AJ Gil (born July 5, 1984 in San Diego, California, 17 years old at the time of the show) is from Tacoma, Washington and auditioned in Seattle, Washington with "The Star-Spangled Banner".
• Jim Verraros (born February 8, 1983 in Chicago, Illinois, 19 years old at the time of the show) is from Crystal Lake, Illinois, and auditioned in Chicago with Nat King Cole's version of "When I Fall In Love." He grew up with Deaf parents and is fluent in ASL (American Sign Language). He performed Diana Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in Hollywood.
• EJay Day (born September 13, 1981 in Lawrenceville, Georgia, 20 years old at the time of the show) did not originally qualify for the semifinals, but was later chosen to replace disqualified contestant Delano Cagnolatti. He auditioned in Atlanta with Oleta Adams' "Get Here."

Controversy[]

It was revealed during the season that around 100 phone-phreak hackers with power-dialing hardware and software were able to place as many as 10,000 votes a night from a single phone line with the touch of a button.^[12] However, FremantleMedia, which produces the show, contended that the hackers have had 'statistically insignificant' effect on the vote. Simon Cowell also insisted that Tamyra Gray's unexpected ouster from the show only strengthened the producers' contention that the voting was fair.^[13] Nevertheless, concerns were raised about possible unfairness in the situation of a tight vote.^[14] Ken Warwick later said in Season 5 that equipment was put in place afterwards to address this issue but it allegedly has never detected such a problem since.^[15]

Idol contestants were reported to having to sign a 'phone book-thick' contract that gives producers 'sole discretion' to pick the winners and change the rules.^[16]

Controversy erupted when the winner of Season 1, Kelly Clarkson, was invited to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a deal arranged by her then management company, 19 Entertainment, at a special commemoration for the first anniversary of September 11 attacks at Washington's Lincoln Memorial. Some critics suggested that Clarkson's appearance would turn a somber occasion of national mourning into a "giant promotional opportunity".^[17] Kelly Clarkson herself considered withdrawing from the commemoration, saying "I think it is a bad idea ... If anybody thinks I'm trying to market anything, well, that's awful." and added "I am not going to do it."^[18] She was however unable to withdraw from the event.

US Nielsen ratings[]

Season one of American Idol was a surprise summer hit show of 2002 and had an average viewership of 12.7 million per episode.^[19] It was the summer's highest-rated show in the 18/49 demographic.^[20]

hideEpisode list

Show Episode Air date Week rank Rating/Share 18-49 rating Viewers (millions) 1 "Auditions"[21] June 11, 2002 12 6.1 / 11 4.8 9.85 2 "Hollywood Week"[21] June 12, 2002 6 6.9 / 12 5.2 11.24 3 "Top 30: Group 1"[22] June 18, 2002 6 6.2 / 11 5.2 10.30 4 "Top 30: Group 1 results"[22] June 19, 2002 22 5.8 / 10 4.7 9.47 5 "Top 30: Group 2"[23] June 25, 2002 11 5.5 / 9 4.5 9.08 6 "Top 30: Group 2 results"[23] June 26, 2002 17 5.3 / 9 4.2 8.53 7 "Top 30: Group 3"[24] July 2, 2002 7 5.9 / 10 5.3 10.28 8 "Top 30: Group 3 results"[25] July 3, 2002 26 4.4 / 8 N/A 7.5 9 "Wildcard Show"[26] July 10, 2002 14 5.4 / 9 4.1 8.97 10 "Top 10 Perform"[27] July 16, 2002 6 6.0 / 11 5.3 10.28 11 "Top 10 Results"[27] July 17, 2002 12 5.5 / 9 4.8 9.39 12 "Top 8 Finalists"[28] July 23, 2002 7 6.6 / 11 5.5 10.77 13 "Top 8 Results"[28] July 24, 2002 16 5.7 / 10 4.4 9.13 14 "Top 7 Finalists"[29] July 30, 2002 5 7.1 / 12 6.3 12.20 15 "Top 7 Results"[29] July 31, 2002 10 6.2 / 10 5.0 10.20 16 "Top 6 Finalists"[30] August 6, 2002 4 7.0 / 12 6.2 12.20 17 "Top 6 Results"[30] August 7, 2002 8 6.4 / 11 5.2 10.82 18 "Top 5 Finalists"[31] August 13, 2002 3 7.4 / 12 6.2 12.67 19 "Top 5 Results"[31] August 14, 2002 4 6.9 / 11 5.7 12.05 20 "Top 4 Finalists"[32] August 20, 2002 1 8.8 / 14 7.9 15.29 21 "Top 4 Results"[32] August 21, 2002 2 8.0 / 13 7.1 14.10 22 "Top 3 Finalists"[33] August 27, 2002 2 8.7 / 14 7.5 14.98 23 "Top 3 Results"[33] August 28, 2002 1 9.7 / 16 8.3 16.94 24 "Top 2 Finalists"[34] September 3, 2002 2 10.5 / 16 9.3 18.69 25 "Season 1 Finale"[34] September 4, 2002 1 12.6 / 21 10.7 22.77

American Idol Rewind[]

Re-edited episodes of American Idol season 1 were being shown in syndication as American Idol Rewind. The new episodes featured commentary from some of the first season's top 30, including Justin Guarini, Jim Verraros, Christina Christian, Nikki McKibbin, Angela Peel, and Kelli Glover. Rewind also showcased footage that was not seen in the initial run of season 1, including Kelly Clarkson's full audition.^[35]

Releases[]

Compilations[]

• American Idol: Greatest Moments (Album, 2002)
• American Idol: The Great Holiday Classics (Feat. Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Tamyra Gray, Christina Christian - Album, 2003)
• Christmas in a Fishbowl (Feat. Nikki McKibbin, Brad Estrin - Album, 2004)
• (Feat. Alexandria Bachelier, Brad Estrin – Album, 2006)
• American Christmas (Feat. Nikki McKibbin, RJ Helton, Alexis Lopez - Album, 2008)
• American Christmas 2 (Feat. Nikki McKibbin, RJ Helton, Alexis Lopez - Album, 2010)

Kelly Clarkson[]

• "Before Your Love" / "A Moment Like This" (Single, 2002)
• Thankful (Album, 2003)
• "Miss Independent" (Single, 2003)
• "Low" (Single, 2003)
• "The Trouble with Love Is" (Single, 2003)
• Breakaway (Album, 2004)
• "Breakaway" (Single, 2004)
• "Since U Been Gone" (Single, 2005)
• "Behind These Hazel Eyes" (Single, 2005)
• "Because of You" (Single, 2005)
• "Walk Away" (Single, 2006)
• My December (Album, 2007)
• "Never Again" (Single, 2007)
• "Because of You" (Reba Duets version) (Single, 2007)
• "Sober" (Single, 2007)
• "One Minute" (Single, 2007)
• "Don't Waste Your Time" (Single, 2007)
• All I Ever Wanted (Album, 2009)
• "My Life Would Suck Without You" (Single, 2009)
• "I Do Not Hook Up" (Single, 2009)
• "Already Gone" (Single, 2009)
• "All I Ever Wanted" (Single, 2010)
• "Don't You Wanna Stay" (Single, 2010)
• Stronger (Album, 2011)
• "Mr. Know It All (Single, 2011)
• "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" (Single, 2012)
• "Dark Side" (Single, 2012)
• Greatest Hits: Chapter One (Album, 2012)
• "Catch My Breath" (Single, 2012)
• "Don't Rush" (Single, 2012)
• "People Like Us" (Single, 2013)
• "Tie It Up" (Single, 2013)
• Wrapped in Red (Album, 2013)
• "Underneath the Tree" (Single, 2013)
• "Wrapped in Red" (Single, 2014)
• Piece by Piece (Album, 2015)
• "Heartbeat Song" (Single, 2015)
• 'Meaning of Life(Album, 2017)
• "Love So Soft" / "Move You" (Single, 2017)
• "Christmas Eve" (Single, 2017)
• "I Don't Think About You" (Single, 2018)
• "Heat" (Single, 2018)
• "Broken & Beautiful" (Single, 2019)
• "I Dare You" (Single, 2020)
• "Under the Mistletoe" (Single, 2020)
• "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (Single, 2020)

Justin Guarini[]

• Justin Guarini (Album, 2003)
• "Sorry" (Single, 2003)
• "Unchained Melody" (Single, 2003)
• Stranger Things Have Happened (Album, 2005)
• Revolve (EP, 2008)
• "What You Wont Do For Love" (Single, 2016)
• "A Change is Gonna Come" (Single, 2019)
• "Love Has Found You" (Single, 2019)

Nikki McKibbin[]

• "To Be with You" (Single, 2006)
• "The Lie" (Single, 2006)
• Unleashed (Album, 2007)
• "Electrik" (Single, 2007)
• "Here to There" (Single, 2008)
• "Inconsolable" (Single, 2009)
• "Made it" (Single, 2011)
• "Celebrity High" (Nikki McKibbin's band Love Stricken Demise – Single, 2011)
• Psychotrip (Nikki McKibbin's band Love Stricken Demise – EP, 2012)

Tamyra Gray[]

• The Dreamer (Album, 2004)
• "Raindrops Will Fall" (Single, 2004)

RJ Helton[]

• Real Life (Album, 2004)
• "Even If" (Single, 2004)
• "My Devotion" (Single, 2004)
• "All We Need to Know" (Single, 2004)
• "Why Do We Pray" (Single, 2004)

Ryan Starr[]

• "My Religion" (Single, 2004)
• "Blue" (Single, 2008)
• "Broken" (Single, 2008)
• "Chemically" (Single, 2010)
• "Crazy For You" (Single, 2010)

AJ Gil[]

• "Calling All Angels" (Single, 2003)
• "She's Hot" (Single, 2003)
• Love Me Later (Album, 2011)
• Life, Death & Resurrection (Album, 2013)
• "I Live" (Single, 2013)

Jim Verraros[]

• Unsaid and Understood (Album, 2003)
• Rollercoaster (Album, 2005)
• "You Turn It On" (Single, 2005)
• "You're Getting Crazy" (Single, 2005)
• "You Make it Better" (Single, 2007)
• "Electric Love" (Single, 2009)
• "Touch (Dont U Want 2?) (Single, 2009)
• "Do Not Disturb" (Single, 2009)
• Do Not Disturb (Album, 2011)

Ejay Day[]

• "Calling All Angels" (Single, 2003)

Other Contestants[]

• "The Edge" (Kristin Adams - Single, 2005)
• Numb (Angela Peel – Album, 2007)
• Human Again (Adriel Herrera's band Asphalt Apology – Album)

Source:^[36]

See also[]

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2002

Footnotes[]

References[]

External links[]

• Official American Idol Contestants Website
• American Idol (Season 1) at IMDb