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List of American Idol finalists

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

American Idol is an American talent reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2024, there have been twenty-two seasons. Each season, the final round of competition features ten to fourteen 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.

As of 2024, seven finalists have died: Michael Johns (d. 2014), Rickey Smith (d. 2016), Leah LaBelle (d. 2018), Nikki McKibbin (d. 2020), Willie Spence (d. 2022), C. J. Harris (d. 2023), and Mandisa (d. 2024).[1] In addition, two semifinalists have also died: season 7's Joanne Borgella (d. 2014) and season 3's Marque Lynche (d. 2015; brother of Michael Lynche).[1]

Table key
Indicates an alumni who is now deceased

Contestants

[edit]
Kelly Clarkson, first season winner
Ruben Studdard, second season winner
Fantasia Barrino, third season winner
Carrie Underwood, fourth season winner
Taylor Hicks, fifth season winner
Jordin Sparks, sixth season winner
David Cook, seventh season winner
Kris Allen, eighth season winner
Lee DeWyze, ninth season winner
Scotty McCreery, tenth season winner
Phillip Phillips, eleventh season winner
Candice Glover, twelfth season winner
Caleb Johnson, thirteenth season winner
Nick Fradiani, fourteenth season winner
Trent Harmon, fifteenth season winner
Maddie Poppe, sixteenth season winner
Laine Hardy, seventeenth season winner
Iam Tongi, twenty-first season winner
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 24 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[a] 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
Brandon Rogers 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
Chris Richardson 22 Chesapeake, Virginia 6 5th–6th
Phil Stacey 29 Jacksonville, Florida 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
Anoop Desai 21 Chapel Hill, North Carolina 8 6th–7th
Lil Rounds 23 Memphis, Tennessee 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
Mike 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
Naima Adedapo 26 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 10 10th–11th
Thia Megia 16 Mountain House, Alameda County, California 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
Curtis Finch, Jr. 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
Jess 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
Adanna Duru 18 Diamond Bar, California 14 10th–11th
Maddie Walker 17 Ankeny, Iowa 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
Avalon Young 21 San Diego, California 15 7th–8th
Lee Jean 16 Bluffton, South Carolina 15 7th–8th
Tristan McIntosh 15 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
Ada Vox 24 San Antonio, Texas 16 8th-10th
Dennis Lorenzo 26 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 16 8th-10th
Michelle Sussett 22 Miami, Florida 16 8th-10th
Catie Turner 17 Langhorne, Pennsylvania 16 6th-7th
Jurnee 18 Denver, Colorado 16 6th-7th
Cade Foehner 21 Shelbyville, Texas 16 4th-5th
Michael J. Woodard 20 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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
Dimitrius Graham 27 Baltimore, Maryland 17 9th-10th
Uché 24 Sugarland, Texas 17 9th-10th
Alyssa Raghu 17 Orlando, Florida 17 7th-8th
Walker Burroughs 20 Birmingham, Alabama 17 7th-8th
Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon 26 Catonsville, Maryland 17 6th
Laci Kaye Booth 23 Livingston, Texas 17 4th-5th
Wade Cota 27 Phoenix, Arizona 17 4th-5th
Madison VanDenburg 17 Cohoes, New York 17 3rd
Alejandro Aranda 24 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
Julia Gargano 22 Staten Island, New York 18 6th-7th
Louis Knight 19 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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
Beane 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[b] 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
Allegra Miles 18 Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands 20 12th-14th
Ava Maybee 20 Los Angeles, California 20 12th-14th
Dan Marshall 24 Chesapeake, Virginia 20 12th-14th
Tristen Gressett 17 Pell City, Alabama 20 11th
Emyrson Flora 16 Cleveland, Ohio 20 8th-10th
Lady K. 25 Tuskegee, Alabama 20 8th-10th
Mike Parker 27 Warrenton, Virginia 20 8th-10th
Christian Guardino 21 Patchogue, New York 20 6th-7th
Jay 23 Salisbury, Maryland 20 6th-7th
Fritz Hager 22 Tyler, Texas 20 4th-5th
Nicolina 18 Toronto, Ontario, Canada 20 4th-5th
Leah Marlene 20 Normal, Illinois 20 3rd
HunterGirl 23 Winchester, Tennessee 20 Runner-up
Noah Thompson 21 Louisa, Kentucky 20 Winner
Lucy Love 28 Holly Grove, Arkansas 21 11th-12th
Nutsa 25 Tbilisi, Europe 21 11th-12th
Marybeth Byrd 21 Armorel, Arkansas 21 9th-10th
Tyson Venegas 17 Vancouver, Canada 21 9th-10th
Haven Madison 16 Clarksville, Tennessee 21 6th-8th
Oliver Steele 25 Mount Juliet, Tennessee 21 6th-8th
Warren Peay 24 Bamberg, South Carolina 21 6th-8th
Wé Ani 23 Harlem, New York 21 4th-5th
Zachariah Smith 19 Amory, Mississippi 21 4th-5th
Colin Stough 18 Amory, Mississippi 21 3rd
Megan Danielle 20 Douglasville, Georgia 21 Runner-up
Iam Tongi 18 Kahuku, Hawaii 21 Winner
Jordan Anthony 19 Perth, Australia 22 13th-14th
Nya 28 Manhattan, New York 22 13th-14th
Roman Collins 24 Long Beach, California 22 11th-12th
Jayna Elise 22 Washington, District of Columbia 22 11th-12th
KAYKO 23 Fort Lauderdale, Florida 22 9th-10th
Mia Matthews 19 Centre, Alabama 22 9th-10th
Kaibrienne 20 Henefer, Utah 22 8th
Julia Gagnon 21 Cumberland, Maine 22 6th-7th
McKenna Faith Breinholt 25 Gilbert, Arizona 22 6th-7th
Emmy Russell 25 Nashville, Tennessee 22 4th-5th
Triston Harper 15 McIntosh, Alabama 22 4th-5th
Jack Blocker 25 Dallas, Texas 22 3rd
Will Moseley 23 Hazlehurst, Georgia 22 Runner-up
Abi Carter 21 Indio, California 22 Winner

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Mario Vazquez initially made the Top 12 by votes, while Nikko Smith was eliminated in the semifinals. However, Vazquez withdrew from the competition, citing it was allegedly due to "personal, artistic reasons". Smith was reinstated in his place as a finalist, as having the next most votes from the Top 8 Boys (thereby inferring Travis Tucker had the least).
  2. ^ In a surprise twist introduced specifically during this season, ten assorted contestants from the previous season were invited back to compete for a chance to re-enter the competition. (Due to the fact that those twenty contestants, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, had to broadcast from home, none of them ever sang on the Idol stage.) Season 18's runner-up Arthur Gunn won the public vote and re-entered at the Top 10, lasting two weeks.
  • ^ Contestant's age at the time the season's final round began.

References

[edit]
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
  1. ^ a b Schonfeld, Alexandra (2023-01-19). Naugle, Wendy (ed.). "American Idol Contestants Who Have Died". People. ISSN 0093-7673. OCLC 794712888. Retrieved 2024-02-23. American Idol finalist Rickey Smith died in Oklahoma on May 6, 2016, in a wrong-way wreck caused by an allegedly drunk driver, KOCO reported at the time. He was 36.
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