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.
This season was won by 20-year-old Texas waitress Kelly Clarkson, who has since gone on to become a Grammy Award-winning superstar.
This season was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman, the latter of whom left the show after this season.
Auditions[]
The following cities hosted auditions for Season 1. The dates of the auditions are also shown.
- Los Angeles, California - April 20-22, 2002
- Seattle, Washington - April 23-25, 2002
- Chicago, Illinois - April 26-28, 2002
- New York City, New York - April 29-May 1, 2002
- Atlanta, Georgia - May 3-5, 2002
- Dallas, Texas - May 5-7, 2002
- Miami, Florida - May 11, 2002
At the end of the auditions, a total of 121 golden tickets were given out. This is the only season of American Idol where the auditions were aired in one episode.
Hollywood[]
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 9 or 10 but performed solo unaccompanied, and those who did not impress the judges were cut after the group finished their individual performances. 65 were selected to proceed on to the next round. The singers were expected to learn their songs that night and perform the next day in groups of three. The girls and boys were separated and given crash course to learn their song, which was Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" for the girls and "For Once in My Life" for the boys. Many however frequently forgot the lyrics. Again those who failed to impress were cut immediately after their performance. 45 made it to the next round, and the 20 cut were given their last chance to voice their opinion to the judges before leaving. In the final round, the remaining 45 were given new songs to learn and each performed solo and a cappella. 30 contestants would be chosen after this round. In this round Justin Guarini impressed the judges and his fellow contestants alike. The Top 15 were first announced, the judges then select 15 more out of the remaining 30. The 30 were split into two groups and the judges then go 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, 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 work shop 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. 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.
| Tamyra Gray | Jim Verraros | Adriel Herrera | Rodesia Eaves | Natalie Burge | Brad Estrin | Ryan Starr | Justinn Waddell |
| Kelli Glover | Christopher Aaron | Alexis Lopez | Gil Sinuet | Angela Peel | A. J. Gil | Tenia Taylor | Alexandra Bachelier |
| Jazmin Lowery | Jamar | Kelly Clarkson | Justin Guarini | R.J. Helton | Kristin Holt | Mark Scott | Nikki McKibbin |
| Christopher Badano | Melanie Sanders | EJay Day | Tanesha Ross | Khaleef Chiles | Christina Christian |
Wild Card Round[]
After 9 singers advanced on to the Top 10, five contestants were chosen by the judges to compete in the Wild Card Round. The contestants competing were Kelli Glover, Christopher Aaron, Alexis Lopez, R.J. Helton & Angela Peel. Helton was chosen to continue on in the competition.
Top 10[]
The following contestants were Season 1's Top 10
 The Finalists; Standing: EJay Day, R.J. Helton, A.J. Gil & Tamyra Gray; Seated: Kelly Clarkson, Ryan Starr, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin, Christina Christian & Jim Verraros |
Finals[]
Top 10 perform[]
During the first round of the finals, the Top 10 performed a song from the Motor City for a spot in the Top 8.
Eliminated Contestants[]
EJay Day was one of the two eliminated contestants on July 17, 2002, bringing the total down to 9 remaining contestants.
Jim Verraros was one of the two eliminated contestants on July 17, 2002, bringing the total down to 8 remaining contestants.
Top 8[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 8.
Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- Ryan Starr - "If You Really Love Me" by Stevie Wonder
- R.J. Helton - "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" by The Four Tops
- Nikki McKibbin - "Ben" by Michael Jackson
- EJay Day - "My Girl" by The Temptations
- Tamyra Gray - "Touch Me in the Morning" by Diana Ross
- Justin Guarini - "For Once in My Life" by Jean DuShon
- Jim Verraros - "Easy" by The Commodores
- Kelly Clarkson - "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
- A. J. Gil - "My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder
- Christina Christian - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
Top 8 perform[]
During this round of the finals, the Top 8 performed a song from the year 1960 for a spot in the Top 7.
Eliminated Contestant[]
A.J. Gil was the eliminated contestant on July 24, 2002, bringing the total down to 7 remaining contestants.
Top 7[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 7.
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Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- R.J. Helton - "Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters
- Tamyra Gray - "A Fool in Love" by Ike & Tina Turner
- Nikki McKibbin - "Piece of My Heart" by Erma Franklin
- A. J. Gil - "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" by Marvin Gaye
- Kelly Clarkson - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin
- Christina Christian - "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge
- Justin Guarini - "Sunny" by Mieko Hirota
- Ryan Starr - "You Really Got Me" by The Kinks
Group performance:
- "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas
Top 7 perform[]
During this round of the finals, the Top 7 performed a song from the year 1970 for a spot in the Top 6.
Eliminated Contestant[]
Ryan Starr was the eliminated contestant on July 31, 2002, bringing the total down to 6 remaining contestants.
Top 6[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 6.
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Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- Nikki McKibbin - "Heartbreaker" by Pat Benatar
- Ryan Starr - "Last Dance" by Donna Summer
- Christina Christian - "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers
- Justin Guarini - "Someday We'll All Be Free" by Donny Hathaway
- Kelly Clarkson - "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" by Ben E. King
- R.J. Helton - "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
- Tamyra Gray - "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight & the Pips
Group performance: "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night
Top 6 perform[]
During this round of the finals, the Top 6 performed a song from a Big Band for a spot in the Top 5.
Eliminated Contestant[]
Christina Christian was the eliminated contestant on August 7, 2002, bringing the total down to 5 remaining contestants.
Top 5[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 5.
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Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- Tamyra Gray - "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway
- Justin Guarini - "Route 66" by Nat King Cole
- Nikki McKibbin - "Hard-Hearted Hannah" by Dolly Kay
- Christina Christian - "The Glory of Love" by Benny Goodman And His Orchestra
- R.J. Helton - "I Won't Dance" by Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers
- Kelly Clarkson - "Stuff Like That There" by Betty Hutton
Group performance:
- "Bandstand Boogie" by Barry Manilow
Top 5 perform[]
During this round of the Finals, the Top 5 contestants performed love songs from composer Burt Bacharach for a spot in the Top 4.
Eliminated Contestant[]
R.J. Helton was the eliminated contestant on August 14, 2002, bringing the total down to 4 remaining contestants.
Top 4[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 4.
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Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- Kelly Clarkson - "Walk On By" by Dionne Warwick
- R.J. Helton - "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross
- Tamyra Gray - "A House is Not a Home" by Dionne Warwick
- Justin Guarini - "The Look of Love" by Dusty Springfield
- Nikki McKibbin - "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" by Lou Johnson
Group performance:
- Burt Bacharach Medley
Top 4 perform[]
During this round of the finals, each contestant will perform a song from the year 1980 and a song from the year 1990 for a spot in the Top 3.
Eliminated Contestant[]
Tamyra Gray was the eliminated contestant on August 21, 2002, bringing the total down to 3 remaining contestants.
Top 3[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 3.
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Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- Tamyra Gray - "New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle
- Nikki McKibbin - "Mary Jane" by Alanis Morissette
- Kelly Clarkson - "It's Raining Men" by The Weather Girls
- Justin Guarini - "Get Here" by Brenda Russell
- Tamyra Gray - "Feel the Fire" by Stephanie Mills
- Nikki McKibbin - "I'm the Only One" by Melissa Etheridge
- Kelly Clarkson - "I Surrender" by Celine Dion
- Justin Guarini - "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" by Michael Jackson
Group performance:
- Paula Abdul Medley
Top 3 perform[]
During this round of the finals, the Top 3 performed a song of their choice and a song picked by the judges for a spot in the Top 2.
Eliminated Contestant[]
Nikki McKibbin was the eliminated contestant on August 28, 2002, bringing the total down to 2 remaining contestants.
Top 2[]
The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 2.
Performances[]
(The first round of performances was the contestant's choice and the second round were chosen by the judges). The contestants performed in the following order:
- Nikki McKibbin - "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks
- Justin Guarini - "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green
- Kelly Clarkson - "Think Twice" by Celine Dion
- Nikki McKibbin - "Black Velvet" by Alannah Myles
- Justin Guarini - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John
- Kelly Clarkson - "Without You" by Badfinger
Group performance:
- "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Neil Sedaka
Top 2 perform[]
During the final round of the finals, the Top 2 performed two of their first winning single and a previous song from the past round for a spot as first season's American Idol.
Runner-up[]
Justin Guarini was the runner-up of Season 1. Kelly Clarkson being the winner.
Performances[]
The contestants performed in the following order:
- Justin Guarini - "Before Your Love"
- Kelly Clarkson - "A Moment Like This"
- Justin Guarini - "Get Here" by Brenda Russell
- Kelly Clarkson - "Respect" by Otis Redding
- Justin Guarini - "A Moment Like This"
- Kelly Clarkson - "Before Your Love"
Winner[]
Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol on September 4, 2002. Watch her journey in American Idol.
Controversies[]
Tamyra Gray's Elimination[]
On the top 4 results show, fans, audience members and the judges were stunned when it was announced that front runner Tamyra Gray had the lowest number of votes and would be going home. Throughout her run, Gray had earned virtually nothing but praise and acclaim from the judges and the audience members alike, with many predicting she would win the competition. After she was announced to be eliminated, the audience errupted in boos and the judges showed their dismay for the results.
Notable past Idol contestants[]
- Kelli Glover, who had made the semifinals, later tried out for season 9 of America's Got Talent and made the top 24. She had previously tried out for the show in 2009.
| Season 1 |
| Finalists |
| Kelly Clarkson · Justin Guarini · Nikki McKibbin · Tamyra Gray · R.J. Helton · Christina Christian · Ryan Starr · A.J. Gil · Jim Verraros · EJay Day |
| Semifinalists |
| Christopher Aaron · Kelli Glover · Alexis Lopez · Angela Peel · Chris Badano · Khaleef Chiles · Kristin Holt · Tanesha Ross · Melanie Sanders · Mark Scott · Alexandra Bachelier · Jamar · Jazmin Lowery · Gil Sinuet · Tenia Taylor · Natalie Burge · Rodesia Eaves · Brad Estrin · Adriel Herrera · Justinn Waddell |