List of American Idol finalists
American Idol is an American talent reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2020, there have been eighteen seasons. Each season, the final round of competition features ten to thirteen singers. A total of 178 contestants have reached the finals of their season. The show's age requirements have varied year-to-year. Of the finalists, 55 of them were under the age of 20, including three winners and five runners-up. First season-winner Kelly Clarkson currently holds the record for the highest-selling album sales worldwide, with more than 25 million copies, while fourth season-winner Carrie Underwood currently holds the record for the highest-selling album sales in the United States, with more than 13 million copies.
In first season, Jim Verraros, an openly gay contestant, was told by Fox to remove all mentions of his homosexuality from his online journal as producers "thought [he] was trying to gain more votes".[1] During the second season, finalist Corey Clark was disqualified when it was revealed that he had been arrested and charged with resisting arrest, battery upon his sister, and criminal restraint. In fifth season, voters claimed that phone calls dialed for Chris Daughtry during the first few minutes of voting were misrouted to Katharine McPhee's lines, when they heard her recorded message thanking them for voting for McPhee.[2] In seventh season, it was revealed that Carly Smithson held a prior label record deal with MCA Records. Reports suggested that MCA spent over $2 million promoting Smithson's previous album which she made under the name Carly Hennessy. The album sold fewer than 400 copies.[3] Smithson remained on the show, and placed sixth in her season. Jermaine Jones of eleventh season was disqualified for having theft cases and outstanding warrants on Top 11 week.
Contestants[]
Name | Age[1] | Hometown | Season | Place finish |
---|---|---|---|---|
EJay Day | 20 | Lawrenceville, Georgia | 1 | 9th–10th |
Jim Verraros | 19 | Chicago, Illinois | 1 | 9th–10th |
AJ Gil | 17 | San Diego, California | 1 | 8th |
Ryan Starr | 19 | Sunland, California | 1 | 7th |
Christina Christian | 21 | Brooklyn, New York | 1 | 6th |
R. J. Helton | 21 | Cumming, Georgia | 1 | 5th |
Tamyra Gray | 23 | Takoma Park, Maryland | 1 | 4th |
Nikki McKibbin | 23 | Grand Prairie, Texas | 1 | 3rd |
Justin Guarini | 23 | Doylestown, Pennsylvania | 1 | Runner-up |
Kelly Clarkson | 20 | Burleson, Texas | 1 | Winner |
Vanessa Olivarez | 22 | Atlanta, Georgia | 2 | 12th |
Charles Grigsby | 24 | Oberlin, Ohio | 2 | 11th |
Julia DeMato | 24 | Brookfield, Connecticut | 2 | 10th |
Corey Clark | 22 | Nashville, Tennessee | 2 | 9th |
Rickey Smith | 23 | Keene, Texas | 2 | 8th |
Kimberly Caldwell | 21 | Katy, Texas | 2 | 7th |
Carmen Rasmusen | 18 | Bountiful, Utah | 2 | 6th |
Trenyce | 23 | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 5th |
Josh Gracin | 22 | Oceanside, California | 2 | 4th |
Kimberley Locke | 25 | Nashville, Tennessee | 2 | 3rd |
Clay Aiken | 24 | Raleigh, North Carolina | 2 | Runner-up |
Ruben Studdard | 25 | Birmingham, Alabama | 2 | Winner |
Leah LaBelle | 17 | Seattle, Washington | 3 | 12th |
Matthew Rogers | 25 | Rancho Cucamonga, California | 3 | 11th |
Amy Adams | 24 | Bakersfield, California | 3 | 10th |
Camile Velasco | 18 | Haiku, Hawaii | 3 | 9th |
Jon Peter Lewis | 24 | Rexburg, Idaho | 3 | 8th |
Jennifer Hudson | 22 | Chicago, Illinois | 3 | 7th |
John Stevens | 16 | East Amherst, New York | 3 | 6th |
George Huff | 22 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 3 | 5th |
LaToya London | 25 | Oakland, California | 3 | 4th |
Jasmine Trias | 17 | Mililani, Hawaii | 3 | 3rd |
Diana DeGarmo | 16 | Snellville, Georgia | 3 | Runner-up |
Fantasia Barrino | 19 | High Point, North Carolina | 3 | Winner |
Lindsey Cardinale | 20 | Ponchatoula, Louisiana | 4 | 12th |
Mikalah Gordon | 17 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 4 | 11th |
Jessica Sierra | 19 | Tampa Bay, Florida | 4 | 10th |
Nikko Smith | 22 | Town & Country, Missouri | 4 | 9th |
Nadia Turner | 28 | Miami, Florida | 4 | 8th |
Anwar Robinson | 25 | East Orange, New Jersey | 4 | 7th |
Constantine Maroulis | 29 | New York, New York | 4 | 6th |
Scott Savol | 28 | Shaker Heights, Ohio | 4 | 5th |
Anthony Fedorov | 19 | Trevose, Pennsylvania | 4 | 4th |
Vonzell Solomon | 21 | Fort Myers, Florida | 4 | 3rd |
Bo Bice | 29 | Helena, Alabama | 4 | Runner-up |
Carrie Underwood | 21 | Checotah, Oklahoma | 4 | Winner |
Melissa McGhee | 21 | Tampa, Florida | 5 | 12th |
Kevin Covais | 16 | Levittown, New York | 5 | 11th |
Lisa Tucker | 16 | Anaheim, California | 5 | 10th |
Mandisa | 29 | Antioch, Tennessee | 5 | 9th |
Bucky Covington | 28 | Rockingham, North Carolina | 5 | 8th |
Ace Young | 25 | Denver, Colorado | 5 | 7th |
Kellie Pickler | 19 | Albemarle, North Carolina | 5 | 6th |
Paris Bennett | 17 | Fayetteville, Georgia | 5 | 5th |
Chris Daughtry | 26 | McLeansville, North Carolina | 5 | 4th |
Elliott Yamin | 27 | Richmond, Virginia | 5 | 3rd |
Katharine McPhee | 21 | Los Angeles, California | 5 | Runner-up |
Taylor Hicks | 29 | Birmingham, Alabama | 5 | Winner |
28 | North Hollywood, California | 6 | 12th | |
Stephanie Edwards | 19 | Savannah, Georgia | 6 | 11th |
Chris Sligh | 28 | Greenville, South Carolina | 6 | 10th |
Gina Glocksen | 22 | Naperville, Illinois | 6 | 9th |
Haley Scarnato | 24 | San Antonio, Texas | 6 | 8th |
Sanjaya Malakar | 17 | Federal Way, Washington | 6 | 7th |
Phil Stacey | 29 | Jacksonville, Florida | 6 | 5th–6th |
Chris Richardson | 22 | Chesapeake, Virginia | 6 | 5th–6th |
LaKisha Jones | 27 | Fort Meade, Maryland | 6 | 4th |
Melinda Doolittle | 29 | Brentwood, Tennessee | 6 | 3rd |
Blake Lewis | 25 | Bothell, Washington | 6 | Runner-up |
Jordin Sparks | 17 | Glendale, Arizona | 6 | Winner |
David Hernandez | 24 | Glendale, Arizona | 7 | 12th |
Amanda Overmyer | 23 | Mulberry, Indiana | 7 | 11th |
Chikezie | 22 | Inglewood, California | 7 | 10th |
Ramiele Malubay | 20 | Miramar, Florida | 7 | 9th |
Michael Johns | 29 | Buckhead, Georgia | 7 | 8th |
Kristy Lee Cook | 24 | Selma, Oregon | 7 | 7th |
Carly Smithson | 24 | San Diego, California | 7 | 6th |
Brooke White | 24 | Mesa, Arizona | 7 | 5th |
Jason Castro | 20 | Rockwall, Texas | 7 | 4th |
Syesha Mercado | 21 | Sarasota, Florida | 7 | 3rd |
David Archuleta | 17 | Murray, Utah | 7 | Runner-up |
David Cook | 25 | Blue Springs, Missouri | 7 | Winner |
Jasmine Murray | 16 | Starkville, Mississippi | 8 | 12th–13th |
Jorge Núñez | 21 | Carolina, Puerto Rico | 8 | 12th–13th |
Alexis Grace | 21 | Memphis, Tennessee | 8 | 11th |
Michael Sarver | 27 | Jasper, Texas | 8 | 10th |
Megan Joy | 22 | Sandy, Utah | 8 | 9th |
Scott MacIntyre | 23 | Scottsdale, Arizona | 8 | 8th |
Lil Rounds | 23 | Memphis, Tennessee | 8 | 6th–7th |
Anoop Desai | 21 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 8 | 6th–7th |
Matt Giraud | 23 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 8 | 5th |
Allison Iraheta | 16 | Los Angeles, California | 8 | 4th |
Danny Gokey | 28 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 8 | 3rd |
Adam Lambert | 27 | San Diego, California | 8 | Runner-up |
Kris Allen | 23 | Conway, Arkansas | 8 | Winner |
Lacey Brown | 24 | Amarillo, Texas | 9 | 12th |
Paige Miles | 24 | Naples, Florida | 9 | 11th |
Didi Benami | 23 | Hollywood, California | 9 | 10th |
Andrew Garcia | 24 | Moreno Valley, California | 9 | 8th–9th |
Katie Stevens | 17 | Middlebury, Connecticut | 9 | 8th–9th |
Tim Urban | 20 | Duncanville, Texas | 9 | 7th |
Siobhan Magnus | 19 | Cape Cod, Massachusetts | 9 | 6th |
Aaron Kelly | 16 | Sonestown, Pennsylvania | 9 | 5th |
Michael Lynche | 26 | St. Petersburg, Florida | 9 | 4th |
Casey James | 27 | Fort Worth, Texas | 9 | 3rd |
Crystal Bowersox | 23 | Elliston, Ohio | 9 | Runner-up |
Lee DeWyze | 23 | Mount Prospect, Illinois | 9 | Winner |
Ashthon Jones | 24 | Goodlettsville, Tennessee | 10 | 13th |
Karen Rodriguez | 21 | New York, New York | 10 | 12th |
Thia Megia | 16 | Mountain House, Alameda County, California | 10 | 10th–11th |
Naima Adedapo | 26 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 10 | 10th–11th |
Pia Toscano | 22 | Howard Beach, New York | 10 | 9th |
Paul McDonald | 26 | Nashville, Tennessee | 10 | 8th |
Stefano Langone | 21 | Kent, Washington | 10 | 7th |
Casey Abrams | 20 | Idyllwild, California | 10 | 6th |
Jacob Lusk | 23 | Compton, California | 10 | 5th |
James Durbin | 22 | Santa Cruz, California | 10 | 4th |
Haley Reinhart | 20 | Wheeling, Illinois | 10 | 3rd |
Lauren Alaina | 16 | Rossville, Georgia | 10 | Runner-up |
Scotty McCreery | 17 | Garner, North Carolina | 10 | Winner |
Jeremy Rosado | 19 | Valrico, Florida | 11 | 13th |
Jermaine Jones | 25 | Pine Hill, New Jersey | 11 | 12th |
Shannon Magrane | 16 | Tampa, Florida | 11 | 11th |
Erika Van Pelt | 26 | South Kingstown, Rhode Island | 11 | 10th |
Heejun Han | 22 | Flushing, New York | 11 | 9th |
DeAndre Brackensick | 17 | San Jose, California | 11 | 8th |
Colton Dixon | 20 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 11 | 7th |
Elise Testone | 28 | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | 11 | 6th |
Skylar Laine | 18 | Brandon, Mississippi | 11 | 5th |
Hollie Cavanagh | 18 | McKinney, Texas | 11 | 4th |
Joshua Ledet | 19 | Westlake, Louisiana | 11 | 3rd |
Jessica Sanchez | 16 | San Diego, California | 11 | Runner-up |
Phillip Phillips | 21 | Leesburg, Georgia | 11 | Winner |
24 | St. Louis, Missouri | 12 | 10th | |
Paul Jolley | 23 | Palmersville, Tennessee | 12 | 9th |
Devin Velez | 18 | Chicago, Illinois | 12 | 8th |
Burnell Taylor | 19 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 12 | 7th |
Lazaro Arbos | 22 | Naples, Florida | 12 | 6th |
Janelle Arthur | 23 | Oliver Springs, Tennessee | 12 | 5th |
Amber Holcomb | 19 | Houston, Texas | 12 | 4th |
Angie Miller | 19 | Beverly, Massachusetts | 12 | 3rd |
Kree Harrison | 22 | Woodville, Texas | 12 | Runner-up |
Candice Glover | 23 | St. Helena Island, South Carolina | 12 | Winner |
Kristen O'Connor | 24 | Sebastian, Florida | 13 | 13th |
Emily Piriz | 18 | Orlando, Florida | 13 | 12th |
Ben Briley | 24 | Gallatin, Tennessee | 13 | 11th |
MK Nobilette | 20 | San Francisco, California | 13 | 10th |
Majesty Rose | 21 | Goldsboro, North Carolina | 13 | 9th |
Malaya Watson | 16 | Southfield, Michigan | 13 | 8th |
Dexter Roberts | 22 | Fayette, Alabama | 13 | 7th |
C.J. Harris | 23 | Jasper, Alabama | 13 | 6th |
Sam Woolf | 17 | Bradenton, Florida | 13 | 5th |
Jessica Meuse | 23 | Slapout, Alabama | 13 | 4th |
Alex Preston | 20 | Mont Vernon, New Hampshire | 13 | 3rd |
Jena Irene | 17 | Farmington Hills, Michigan | 13 | Runner-up |
Caleb Johnson | 23 | Asheville, North Carolina | 13 | Winner |
Sarina-Joi Crowe | 19 | Columbia, Tennessee | 14 | 12th |
Maddie Walker | 17 | Ankeny, Iowa | 14 | 10th–11th |
Adanna Duru | 18 | Diamond Bar, California | 14 | 10th–11th |
Daniel Seavey | 15 | Portland, Oregon | 14 | 9th |
Qaasim Middleton | 19 | Brooklyn, New York | 14 | 8th |
Joey Cook | 23 | Woodbridge, Virginia | 14 | 7th |
Quentin Alexander | 20 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 14 | 6th |
Tyanna Jones | 16 | Jacksonville, Florida | 14 | 5th |
Rayvon Owen | 23 | Richmond, Virginia | 14 | 4th |
Jax | 19 | East Brunswick, New Jersey | 14 | 3rd |
Clark Beckham | 22 | White House, Tennessee | 14 | Runner-up |
Nick Fradiani | 29 | Guilford, Connecticut | 14 | Winner |
Gianna Isabella | 15 | Jackson, New Jersey | 15 | 9th–10th |
Olivia Rox | 17 | Agoura Hills, California | 15 | 9th–10th |
Lee Jean | 16 | Bluffton, South Carolina | 15 | 7th–8th |
Avalon Young | 21 | San Diego, California | 15 | 7th–8th |
Tristan McIntosh | 16 | Nashville, Tennessee | 15 | 6th |
Sonika Vaid | 20 | Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts | 15 | 5th |
MacKenzie Bourg | 23 | Lafayette, Louisiana | 15 | 4th |
Dalton Rapattoni | 20 | Dallas, Texas | 15 | 3rd |
La'Porsha Renae | 22 | McComb, Mississippi | 15 | Runner-up |
Trent Harmon | 26 | Amory, Mississippi | 15 | Winner |
Jonny Brenns | 18 | St. Augustine, Florida | 16 | 11th-14th |
Marcio Donaldson | 28 | Compton, California | 16 | 11th-14th |
Garrett Jacobs | 18 | Bossier City, Louisiana | 16 | 11th-14th |
Mara Justine | 15 | Galloway Township, New Jersey | 16 | 11th-14th |
Ada Vox | 24 | San Antonio, Texas | 16 | 8th-10th |
Michelle Sussett | 22 | Miami, Florida | 16 | 8th-10th |
Dennis Lorenzo | 26 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 16 | 8th-10th |
Catie Turner | 17 | Langhorne, Pennsylvania | 16 | 6th-7th |
Jurnee | 18 | Denver, Colorado | 16 | 6th-7th |
Michael J. Woodard | 20 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 16 | 4th-5th |
Cade Foehner | 21 | Shelbyville, Texas | 16 | 4th-5th |
Gabby Barrett | 17 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 16 | 3rd |
Caleb Lee Hutchinson | 19 | Dallas, Georgia | 16 | Runner-Up |
Maddie Poppe | 20 | Clarksville, Iowa | 16 | Winner |
Evelyn Cormier | 20 | Claremont, New Hampshire | 17 | 11th-14th |
Ashley Hess | 27 | Fremont, California | 17 | 11th-14th |
Eddie Island | 25 | Nashville, Tennessee | 17 | 11th-14th |
Riley Thompson | 16 | Mabank, Texas | 17 | 11th-14th |
Dimitrius Graham | 27 | Baltimore, Maryland | 17 | 9th-10th |
Uché Ndubizu | 24 | Sugarland, Texas | 17 | 9th-10th |
Walker Burroughs | 20 | Birmingham, Alabama | 17 | 7th-8th |
Alyssa Raghu | 17 | Orlando, Florida | 17 | 7th-8th |
Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon | 26 | Catonsville, Maryland | 17 | 6th |
Wade Cota | 27 | Phoenix, Arizona | 17 | 4th-5th |
Laci Kaye Booth | 23 | Livingston, Texas | 17 | 4th-5th |
Madison VanDenburg | 17 | Cohoes, New York | 17 | 3rd |
Alejandro Aranda | 25 | Pomona, California | 17 | Runner-Up |
Laine Hardy | 18 | Livingston, Louisiana | 17 | Winner |
Grace Leer | 28 | Danville, California | 18 | 8th-11th |
Jovin Webb | 29 | Gonzales, Louisiana | 18 | 8th-11th |
Makayla Phillips | 17 | Temecula, California | 18 | 8th-11th |
Sophia James | 20 | Long Beach, California | 18 | 8th-11th |
Louis Knight | 19 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 18 | 6th-7th |
Julia Gargano | 22 | Staten Island, New York | 18 | 6th-7th |
Dillon James | 27 | Bakersfield, California | 18 | 3rd-5th |
Francisco Martin | 19 | San Francisco, California | 18 | 3rd-5th |
Jonny West | 23 | Murrieta, California | 18 | 3rd-5th |
Arthur Gunn | 22 | Wichita, Kansas | 18 | Runner-up |
Just Sam | 21 | Harlem, New York | 18 | Winner |
Ava August | 15 | Laguna Niguel, California | 19 | 11th-13th |
Brennan "Beane" Hepler | 23 | Brighton, Massachusetts | 19 | 11th-13th |
Madison Watkins | 25 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 19 | 11th-13th |
Alyssa Wray | 19 | Perryville, Kentucky | 19 | 8th-10th |
Cassandra Coleman | 24 | Columbia, Tennessee | 19 | 8th-10th |
Deshawn Goncalves | 20 | Cleveland, Ohio | 19 | 8th-10th |
Arthur Gunn | 23 | Wichita, Kansas | 19 | 6th-7th |
Hunter Metts | 22 | Franklin, Tennessee | 19 | 6th-7th |
Caleb Kennedy | 16 | Roebuck, South Carolina | 19 | 5th |
Casey Bishop | 16 | Estero, Florida | 19 | 4th |
Grace Kinstler | 20 | Lakewood, Illinois | 19 | 3rd |
Willie Spence | 21 | Douglas, Georgia | 19 | Runner-up |
Chayce Beckham | 24 | Apple Valley, California | 19 | Winner |
Deaths[]
- Michael Johns (35), August 1, 2014
- Rickey Smith (36), May 10, 2016
- Leah LaBelle (31), January 31, 2018
- Nikki McKibbin (42), October 31, 2020
Notes[]
- ^ Contestant's age at the time the season's final round began.
References[]
- General
- "Season 1 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 2 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 3 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 4 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 5 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 6 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 7 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- "Season 8 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
- "Season 9 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol.
- "Season 10 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol.
- "Season 11 Top 5 Contestants". American Idol.
- Specific
- ^ Steele, Bruce. C (2003-01-21). "A Teen Idol's dreams". The Advocate via Findarticles.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-07. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- ^ "Some callers claim 'Idol' votes were misdirected". Today.com. 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2008-10-01.
- ^ Gorman, Steve (2008-02-15). "Ex-MCA Records flop advances on "American Idol"". Reuters.com. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
External links[]
- American Idol participants
- Lists of reality show participants