American Idol is an American singing competition series created by Simon Fuller. It is the American version of Pop Idol, and started airing on the FOX network June 11, 2002 to April 7, 2016 and began its second run on ABC on March 11, 2018. The premise of the show is to find undiscovered singers without signed contracts, with the winner being determined by a live vote across America.
The show was hosted in every season by Ryan Seacrest and co-hosted by Brian Dunkleman in Season 1. The judges for the series included Randy Jackson for the first twelve seasons, Paula Abdul for the first eight, Simon Cowell for the first nine, Kara DioGuardi for Seasons Eight and Nine, Ellen DeGeneres for Season Nine, Steven Tyler for Seasons Ten and Eleven, Jennifer Lopez from Season Ten to Eleven and then again from Season Thirteen to Fifteen, Nicki Minaj for Season Twelve, Mariah Carey for Season Twelve, Keith Urban from Season Twelve to Fifteen and Harry Connick Jr. from season Thirteen to Fifteen. Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie are the judges from Season 16 onwards.
Season 1[]
The first season of American Idol debuted June 11, 2002, and ended September 4, 2002.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Kelly Clarkson | 20 | Burleston, Texas | 2311 |
2nd | Justin Guarini | 23 | Doyleston, Pennsylvania | |
3rd | Nikki McKibbin | 23 | Grand Prairie, Texas | |
4th | Tamyra Gray | 22 | Norcross, Georgia | 9061 |
5th | R.J. Helton | 20 | Cumming, Georgia | 9000 |
6th | Christina Christian | 20 | Miami, Florida | 10010 |
7th | Ryan Starr | 19 | Sunland, California | 1031 |
8th | A.J. Gil | 17 | Tacoma, Washington | 3148 |
9th-10th | Jim Verraros | 19 | Crystal Lake, Illinois | 5379 |
9th-10th | EJay Day | 20 | Lawrenceville, Georgia |
Season 2[]
The second season of American Idol debuted January 21, 2003, and ended May 21, 2003.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Ruben Studdard | 24 | Birmingham, Alabama | 8336 |
2nd | Clay Aiken | 24 | Raleigh, North Carolina | 5230 |
3rd | Kimberley Locke | 24 | Nashville, Tennessee | 8758 |
4th | Joshua Gracin | 22 | Oceanside, California | 13635 |
5th | Trenyce | 22 | Bartlett, Tennessee | 7684 |
6th | Carmen Rasmusen | 17 | Bountiful, Utah | |
7th | Kimberly Caldwell | 20 | Katy, Texas | |
8th | Rickey Smith | 22 | Keene, Texas | 7823 |
9th | Corey Clark | 22 | Rialto, California | |
10th | Julia DeMato | 23 | Broomfield, Connecticut | |
11th | Charles Grigsby | 24 | Oberlin, Ohio | 1853 |
12th | Vanessa Olivarez | 21 | Atlanta, Georgia | 5254 |
Season 3[]
The third season of American Idol debuted January 19, 2004, and ended May 26, 2004.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Fantasia Barrino | 19 | High Point, North Carolina | 34572 |
2nd | Diana DeGarmo | 16 | Snellville, Georgia | 49094 |
3rd | Jasmine Trias | 17 | Mililani, Hawaii | |
4th | LaToya London | 24 | Oakland, California | 1234 |
5th | George Huff | 22 | Norman, Oklahoma | 16676 |
6th | John Stevens | 16 | East Amherst, New York | |
7th | Jennifer Hudson | 21 | Chicago, Illinois | 34403 |
8th | Jon Peter Lewis | 23 | Rexburg, Idaho | 49285 |
9th | Camile Velasco | 18 | Haiku, Hawaii | 59260 |
10th | Amy Adams | 24 | Bakersfield, California | 40755 |
11th | Matthew Rogers | 24 | Rancho Cucamonga, California | 2609 |
12th | Leah LaBelle | 16 | Seattle, Washington | 45154 |
Season 4[]
The fourth season of American Idol debuted January 18, 2005, and ended May 25, 2005.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Carrie Underwood | 21 | Checotah, Oklahoma | 14887 |
2nd | Bo Bice | 28 | Helena, Alabama | 40513 |
3rd | Vonzell Solomon | 20 | Fort Myers, Florida | 37828 |
4th | Anthony Fedorov | 19 | Trevose, Pennsylvania | 3674 |
5th | Scott Savol | 28 | Shaker Heights, Ohio | 502 |
6th | Constantine Maroulis | 28 | New York, New York | 25483 |
7th | Anwar Robinson | 25 | Newark, New Jersey | 29163 |
8th | Nadia Turner | 27 | Miami, Florida | |
9th | Nikko Smith | 25 | Evanston, Illinois | 18147 |
10th | Jessica Sierra | 19 | Tampa, Florida | 41385 |
11th | Mikalah Gordon | 16 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 68116 |
12th | Lindsey Cardinale | 19 | Ponchatoula, Louisiana | 52808 |
Season 5[]
The fifth season of American Idol debuted January 17, 2006, and ended May 24, 2006.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Taylor Hicks | 29 | Birmingham, Alabama | 74094 |
2nd | Katharine McPhee | 21 | Sherman Oaks, California | 32342 |
3rd | Elliott Yamin | 27 | Richmond, Virginia | 19991 |
4th | Chris Daughtry | 25 | McLeansville, North Carolina | 36483 |
5th | Paris Bennett | 17 | Fayetteville, Georgia | 60377 |
6th | Kellie Pickler | 19 | Albemarle, North Carolina | 61615 |
7th | Ace Young | 24 | Los Angeles, California | 36456 |
8th | Bucky Covington | 28 | Rockingham, North Carolina | |
9th | Mandisa | 28 | Antioch, Tennessee | 6369 |
10th | Lisa Tucker | 16 | Anaheim, California | 36047 |
11th | Kevin Covais | 16 | Levittown, New York | 10182 |
12th | Melissa McGhee | 21 | Tampa, Florida | 35673 |
Season 6[]
The sixth season of American Idol debuted January 16, 2007, and ended May 23, 2007.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Jordin Sparks | 16 | Glendale, Arizona | 80066 |
2nd | Blake Lewis | 25 | Bothell, Washington | 77804 |
3rd | Melinda Doolittle | 28 | Brentwood, Tennessee | 57073 |
4th | LaKisha Jones | 26 | Fort Meade, Maryland | 8292 |
5th-6th | Chris Richardson | 22 | Chesapeake, Virginia | 8963 |
5th-6th | Phil Stacey | 28 | Jacksonville, Florida | 51815 |
7th | Sanjaya Malakar | 17 | Federal Way, Washington | 80203 |
8th | Haley Scarnato | 24 | San Antonio, Texas | 50411 |
9th | Gina Glocksen | 22 | Naperville, Illinois | 53750 |
10th | Chris Sligh | 28 | Greenville, South Carolina | 24994 |
11th | Stephanie Edwards | 19 | Savannah, Georgia | 52357 |
12th | Brandon Rogers | 28 | North Hollywood, California | 74191 |
Season 7[]
The seventh season of American Idol debuted January 15, 2008, and ended May 21, 2008.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | David Cook | 25 | Blue Springs, Missouri | 36214 |
2nd | David Archuleta | 16 | Murray, Utah | 11394 |
3rd | Syesha Mercado | 20 | Miami, Florida | 62735 |
4th | Jason Castro | 20 | Rockwall, Texas | |
5th | Brooke White | 24 | Mesa, Arizona | 86122 |
6th | Carly Smithson | 23 | San Diego, California | 175 |
7th | Kristy Lee Cook | 23 | Selma, Oregon | 77610 |
8th | Michael Johns | 29 | Buckhead, Georgia | 474 |
9th | Ramiele Malubay | 19 | Miramar, Florida | 74854 |
10th | Chikezie | 22 | Inglewood, California | 663 |
11th | Amanda Overmyer | 23 | Mulberry, Indiana | 39933 |
12th | David Hernandez | 24 | Glendale, Arizona | 4713 |
Season 8[]
The eighth season of American Idol debuted January 13, 2009, and ended May 20, 2009.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Kris Allen | 23 | Conway, Arkansas | 25439 |
2nd | Adam Lambert | 26 | Hollywood, California | 1877 |
3rd | Danny Gokey | 28 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 70891 |
4th | Allison Iraheta | 16 | Los Angeles, California | |
5th | Matt Giraud | 23 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 13758 |
6th | Anoop Desai | 21 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 74002 |
7th | Lil Rounds | 23 | Memphis, Tennessee | 70315 |
8th | Scott MacIntyre | 27 | Scottsdale, Arizona | 38136 |
9th | Megan Joy | 23 | Sandy, Utah | 43768 |
10th | Michael Sarver | 27 | Jasper, Texas | 36762 |
11th | Alexis Grace | 20 | Memphis, Tennessee | 20075 |
12th | Jorge Nunez | 20 | Carolina, Puerto Rico | 63695 |
13th | Jasmine Murray | 16 | Starkville, Mississippi | 84112 |
Season 9[]
The ninth season of American Idol debuted January 12, 2010, and ended May 26, 2010.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | ||||
2nd | ||||
3rd | ||||
4th | ||||
5th | ||||
6th | ||||
7th | ||||
8th | ||||
9th | ||||
10th | ||||
11th | ||||
12th |
Season 10[]
The tenth season of American Idol debuted January 19, 2011, and ended May 25, 2011.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Scotty McCreery | 17 | ||
2nd | Lauren Alania | 16 | ||
3rd | Haley Reinhart | 20 | ||
4th | James Durbin | 22 | ||
5th | Jacob Luask | 23 | ||
6th | Casey Abrams | 20 | ||
7th | Stefano Langone | 22 | ||
8th | Paul McDonald | 26 | ||
9th | Pia Toscano | 22 | ||
10th | Naima Adedadpo | 26 | ||
11th | Thia Megia | 16 | ||
12th | Karen Rodriguez | 22 | ||
13th | Ashton Jones | 24 |
Season 11[]
The eleventh season of American Idol debuted January 18, 2012, and ended May 23, 2012.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Phillip Phillips | 31 | Leesburg, Georgia | |
2nd | Jessica Sanchez | 26 | San Diego, California | |
3rd | Joshua Ledet | 30 | Westlake, Louisisana | |
4th | Hollie Cavanagh | 28 | Liverpool, Merseyside | |
5th | Skylar Laine | 28 | Brandon, Mississippi | |
6th | Elise Testone | 38 | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | |
7th | Colton Dixon | 30 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | |
8th | DeAndre Brackensick | 27 | San Jose, California | |
9th | Heejun Han | 33 | Flushing, New York | |
10th | Erika Van Pelt | 36 | South Kingston, Rhoade Island | |
11th | Shannon Magrane | 26 | Tampa, Florida | |
12th | Jermaine Jones | 35 | Pine Hill, New Jersey | |
13th | Jeremy Rosado | 30 | Valrico, Florida |
Season 12[]
The twelfth season of American Idol debuted January 16, 2013, and ended May 16, 2013.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Candice Glover | 22 | St. Helena Island, South Carolina | 26382 |
2nd | Kree Harrison | 22 | Woodville, Texas | |
3rd | Angie Miller | 17 | Beverly, Massassuchetts | 48809 |
4th | Amber Holcomb | 18 | Houston, Texas | 56689 |
5th | Janelle Arthur | 22 | Oliver Springs, Tennessee | 29827 |
6th | Lazaro Arbos | 21 | Naples, Florida | 18383 |
7th | Burnell Taylor | 19 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 58681 |
8th | Devin Velez | 18 | Chicago, Illinois | |
9th | Paul Jolley | 22 | Orlando, Florida | 112142 |
10th | Curtis Finch, Jr. | 24 | St. Louis, Missouri | 22405 |
Season 13[]
The thirteenth season of American Idol debuted January 15, 2014, and ended May 21, 2014.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Caleb Johnson | 22 | Ashville, North Carolina | 81614 |
2nd | Jena Irene | 17 | Farmington Hills, Michigan | |
3rd | Alex Preston | 20 | Mont Vernon, New Hampshire | |
4th | Jessica Meuse | 23 | Slapout, Alabama | 89046 |
5th | Sam Woolf | 17 | Bradenton, Florida | 52479 |
6th | C.J. Harris | 23 | Jasper, Alabama | 112504 |
7th | Dexter Roberts | 22 | Fayette, Alabama | 112536 |
8th | Malaya Watson | 16 | Southfield, Michigan | 43437 |
9th | Majesty Rose | 21 | Goldsboro, North Carolina | 89477 |
10th | MK Nobilette | 20 | San Francisco, California | 7420 |
11th | Ben Briley | 24 | Gallatin, Tennessee | 85691 |
12th | Emily Piriz | 18 | Orlando, Florida | 81655 |
13th | Kristen O'Connor | 24 | Sebastian, Florida | 83511 |
Season 14[]
The fourteenth season of American Idol debuted January 7, 2015, and ended May 13, 2015.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Nick Fradiani | 36 | Guilford, Connecticut | |
2nd | Clark Beckham | 30 | White House, Tennessee | |
3rd | Jax | 26 | East Brunswick, New Jersey | |
4th | Rayvon Owen | 30 | Richmond, Virginia | |
5th | Tyanna Jones | 23 | Jacksonville, Florida | |
6th | Queation Alexander | 28-29 | New Orleans, Louisiana | |
7th | Joey Cook | 31 | Woodbridge, Virginia | |
8th | Qaasim Middleton | 27 | Brooklyn, New York | |
9th | Daniel Seavey | 23 | Vancouver, Washington | |
10th | Adanna Duru | 25 | Diamond Bar, California | |
11th | Maddie Walker | 24 | Ankeny, Iowa | |
12th | Sarina -Joi Crowe | 26 | Columbia, Tennessee |
Season 15[]
The fifteenth season of American Idol debuted January 6, 2016, and ended April 7, 2016.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Trent Harmon | 31 | Amory, Mississippi | |
2nd | La'Porsha Renae | 28 | McComb,Mississippi | |
3rd | Dalton Rapattoni | 26 | Sunnyvale, Texas | |
4th | MacKenzie Bourg | 29 | Lafayette, Louisiana | |
5th | Sonika Vaid | 26 | Weston, Masschusetts | |
6th | Tristan Mclntosh | 22 | Nashville, Tennessee | |
7th | Lee Jean | 22 | Bluffton, South Carolina | |
8th | Avalon Young | 27 | San Diego, California | |
9th | Gianna Isabella | 22 | Jackson New Jersey | |
10th | Olivia Rox | 22 | Agoura Hills, California | N/A |
Season 16[]
The sixteenth season of American Idol debuted March 11, 2018, and ended May 21, 2018.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Maddie Poppe | 19 | Clarksville, Iowa | 60092 |
2nd | Caleb Lee Hutchinson | 18 | Dallas, Georgia | 30037 |
3rd | Gabby Barrett | 17 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 40011 |
4th-5th | Cade Foehner | 21 | Shelbyville, Texas | |
4th-5th | Michael J. Woodard | 20 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 20068 |
6th-7th | Jurnee | 18 | Denver, Colorado | 30047 |
6th-7th | Catie Turner | 17 | Langhorne, Pennsylvania | 60084 |
8th-10th | Dennis Lorenzo | 26 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 20086 |
8th-10th | Michelle Sussett | 22 | Miami, Florida | 20053 |
8th-10th | Ada Vox | 24 | San Antonio, Texas | 30003 |
11th-14th | Jonny Brenns | 18 | St. Augustine, Florida | 60044 |
11th-14th | Marcio Donaldson | 28 | Compton, California | 20058 |
11th-14th | Garrett Jacobs | 17 | Bossier City, Louisiana | 50039 |
11th-14th | Mara Justine | 16 | Galloway, New Jersey | 60079 |
Season 17[]
The seventeenth season of American Idol debuted March 3, 2019, and ended May 19, 2019.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Laine Hardy | 18 | Livingston, Louisiana | 31072 |
2nd | Alejandro Aranda | 24 | Pomona, California | 61137 |
3rd | Madison VanDenburg | 16 | Cohoes, New York | 51033 |
4th-5th | Laci Kaye Booth | 23 | Livingston, Texas | 21028 |
4th-5th | Wade Cota | 27 | Phoenix, Arizona | 61120 |
6th | Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon | 25 | Catonsville, Maryland | 51032 |
7th-8th | Walker Burroughs | 20 | Birmingham, Alabama | 41150 |
7th-8th | Alyssa Raghu | 16 | Orlando, Florida | 61087 |
9th-10th | Dimitrius Graham | 27 | Baltimore, Maryland | |
9th-10th | Uché | 24 | Sugarland, Texas | 31076 |
11th-14th | Evelyn Cormier | 19 | Claremont, New Hampshire | 51080 |
11th-14th | Ashley Hess | 27 | Fremont, California | 51015 |
11th-14th | Eddie Island | 25 | Nashville, Tennessee | 31044 |
11th-14th | Riley Thompson | 16 | Mabank, Texas | 61146 |
Season 18[]
The eighteenth season of American Idol debuted February 16, 2020, and ended May 17, 2020.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown | Number |
---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Just Sam | 20 | Harlem, New York | 41038 |
2nd | Arthur Gunn | 21 | Wichita, Kansas | 21042 |
3rd-5th | Dillon James | 26 | Bakersfield, California | 31051 |
3rd-5th | Francisco Martin | 18 | San Francisco, Califfornia | 51065 |
3rd-5th | Jonny West | 23 | Murrieta, California | 51021 |
6th-7th | Julia Gargano | 21 | Staten Island, New York | 41016 |
6th-7th | Louis Knight | 19 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 41032 |
8th-11th | Sophia James | 20 | Long Beach, California | 41103 |
8th-11th | Grace Leer | 27 | Nashville, Tennessee | 21024 |
8th-11th | Makayla Phillips | 17 | Temecula, California | |
8th-11th | Jovin Webb | 29 | Gonzales, Louisiana |
Season 19[]
The nineteenth season of American Idol debuted February 14, 2021, and May 23, 2021.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Chayce Beckham | 24 | Apple Valley, California |
2nd | Willie Spence | 21 | Douglas, Georgia |
3rd | Grace Kinstler | 20 | Chicago, Illinois |
4th | Casey Bishop | 16 | Estero, Florida |
5th | Caleb Kennedy | 16 | Roebuck, South Carolina |
6th-7th | Arthur Gunn | 23 | Wichita, Kansas |
6th-7th | Hunter Metts | 22 | Franklin, Tennessee |
8th-10th | Cassandra Coleman | 24 | Columbia, Tennessee |
8th-10th | Deshawn Goncalves | 19 | Cleveland, Ohio |
8th-10th | Alyssa Wray | 18 | Perryville, Kentucky |
11th-13th | Ava August | 15 | Laguna Niguel, California |
11th-13th | Beane | 23 | Boston, Massachusetts |
11th-13th | Madison Watkins | 25 | Fayetteville, Arkansas |
Season 20[]
The twentieth season of American Idol debuted February 27, 2022, and May 22, 2022.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Noah Thompson | 19 | Louisa, Kentucky |
2nd | Huntergirl | 23 | Winchester, Tennessee |
3rd | Leah Marlene | 20 | Normal, Illinois |
4th-5th | Fritz Hager | 21 | Tyler, Texas |
4th-5th | Nicolina | 18 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
6th-7th | Christian Guardino | 21 | Patchogue, New York |
6th-7th | Jay | 23 | Salisbury, Maryland |
8th-10th | Emyrson Flora | 16 | Cleveland, Ohio |
8th-10th | Lady K | 25 | Tuskegee, Alabama |
8th-10th | Mike Parker | 27 | Warrenton, Virginia |
11th | Tristen Gressett | 17 | Pell City, Alabama |
12th-14th | Dan Marshall | 24 | Chesapeake, Virginia |
12th-14th | Ava Maybee | 20 | Los Angeles, California |
12th-14th | Allegra Miles | 19 | St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands |
Season 21[]
The twenty-first season of American Idol debuted February 19, 2023, and May 21, 2023.
Place | Contestant | Age | Hometown |
---|---|---|---|
1st | Iam Tongi | 18 | Kahuku, Hawaii |
2nd | Megan Danielle | 20 | Douglasville, Georgia |
3rd | Colin Stough | 18 | Amory, Mississippi |
4th-5th | Wé Ani | 23 | Harlem, New York |
4th-5th | Zachariah Smith | 19 | Amory, Mississippi |
6th-8th | Haven Madison | 16 | Clarksville, Tennessee |
6th-8th | Warren Peay | 23 | Bamberg, South Carolina |
6th-8th | Oliver Steele | 25 | Mount Juliet, Tennessee |
9th-10th | Marybeth Byrd | 21 | Amorel, Arkansas |
9th-10th | Tyson Venegas | 17 | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
11th-12th | Lucy Love | 28 | Holly Grove, Arkansas |
11th-12th | Nutsa | 25 | Tbilisi, Georgia |
Season 22[]
The twenty-second season of American Idol debuted February 18, 2024, and May 19, 2024.