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{{infobox Television
| show_name = American Idol
| image = ]
| caption = ''American Idol'' ]
| rating = {{TV-PG}}
| picture_format = ] (]), <br>] (]) (since 2006)
| format = ] ] ]
| company = ]<br>]
| distributor = ]
| runtime = Varies
| creator = ]
| executive_producer = ] (2002-2008)<br> ]<br> Cecile Frot-Coutaz
| director = John Pritchett (live shows)<br> ] (live shows, 2002-2008) <br> ] (audition shows, 2002-2008)<br> ] (audition shows)<br>
| presenter = ] (2002 - present) <br> ] (2002)
| judges = ] (2002 - present)<br>] (2002 - present)<br>] (2002 - present)<br>] (from 2009)
| bandleader = ]
| location = Various locations (Auditions)<br>], ], ] (Hollywood)<br>] (Semi-finals and finals)<br>] (Finale)
| country = United States
| network = ]
| first_aired = June 11, 2002
| last_aired = Present
| num_seasons = 7
| num_episodes = 272
| list_episodes = List of American Idol episodes
| website = http://www.americanidol.com
| imdb_id = 0319931
| tv_com_id = 11307
}}
'''''American Idol''''', with the full title '''''American Idol: The Search for a Superstar''''' for the first season only, is an ] ] airing on ]. It debuted on June 11, 2002, and it has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. Part of the ], it is a spinoff from the ] '']'' created by ] entertainment executive ], which was first aired in 2001 in the ].

The program seeks to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions. The outcomes of the later stages of this competition are determined by public voting by phone. The format features four judges who give critiques of the contestants' performances: ] and ] ]; ] and ] ]; ] and ] ] and ] and ] ].<ref name="Associated Press"/> The show is hosted by former children's game show emcee and television personality ]; comedian ] co-hosted with Seacrest during the first season. The American Idol band is led by ].

The show usually airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in the US and Thursday and Friday nights in the UK (two days after the US airing).

==Initial auditions==
Before contestants get the chance to see the show's judges, they go through two rigorous sets of cuts: the first consists of a brief audition in front of one or two of the show's producers with three other contestants. Contestants are then either sent through to the next round of producers or are asked to leave. Only about 100&ndash;200 contestants in each city make it past this round, which is a staggering statistic considering that tens of thousands of people show up to audition in each city.

Those few contestants who make it through to the next round of auditions sing in front of another panel of producers, who then narrow the remaining contestants down to about forty singers. The few remaining singers then audition in front of the show's official judges for a chance to make it to Hollywood week. For season 8 the judges are Simon, Randy, Paula and Kara. Generally, a contestant must be either very good or very bad in order to appear on the television program; viewers find terrible singers funny and good singers entertaining.

==Rules==
Singers are not permitted to have any current record deals or talent management agreements (though they may have had one at some point in the past). They must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents eligible to work full-time and, for the first three seasons, had to be 16 to 24 years of age on October 19 of the year of audition. Since the fourth season, the upper age limit was raised to 28 with an earlier cutoff date, August 4, to attract more mature and diverse contestants. Also, singers with any previous formal training are turned away during early auditions.

Others who are ineligible to compete include those who have made it into the top 40 contestants in past seasons (or the top 50 of season 7), and people employed by affiliates of ], ] or ] (including sponsors, subsidiaries and parent companies). Even if a person is eligible, he or she may not have a chance to audition or be seen because the show can see only a limited number of people in each city.

Auditioning contestants must bring with them to the audition a valid proof of age and work eligibility, such as a ] and ] or a ], and those under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All auditioning contestants are required to print out a copy of the release form (available on the show's web site) to fill out and turn in at the audition in order to grant permission to be seen and heard by the producers' cameras. Contestants who are found to have given false information are disqualified. After auditioning - regardless of the outcome (even if eliminated on the very first cut) - contestants are under contract with the show until three months after the final episode.<ref></ref>

In an interview with ] on the ] TV current affairs show '']'' on March 17, 2007 (repeated in extended format on ]'s ''AC 360'' program on March 27, 2007), judge Simon Cowell openly declared that the underlying primary purpose of the Idol franchise (including ''American Idol'') was for ] (the parent corporation that produces the Idol TV shows) to discover new singing talent that can be signed to recording agreements that the corporation maintains with a major record company (]), and benefit from the record sales of contestants and winners who are exposed to the worldwide marketplace through the TV shows. Cowell indicated that revenue from recordings by performers associated with the Idol franchise has already exceeded US $100 million. ] also retains exclusive right of refusal for management and merchandising of any contestant. Exercising management rights is at the sole discretion of 19 Entertainment; in the alternative the contestant performer is free to pursue his or her own career.

===Hollywood===
Once in Hollywood, the contestants perform on different days, with dramatic eliminations by the judges on each day. The first day typically has each hopeful sing a song that they had selected from a list. The next round, the contestants split themselves into small groups and perform a song together. In the final round, the contestants perform a song of their choice ].

Starting in the 2008 season, the structure of the Hollywood round was revamped. There were no longer musical group rounds; rather, the contestants would sing on the first day and if the judges felt the performance was adequate, the contestant moved onto the final Hollywood round. If the performance was not up to par, the contestant would have one more chance to impress the judges before the final round. For the first time, contestants were able to perform with a musical instrument if they had the ability.

===Semifinals===
In the first three seasons, the semifinalists were randomly split into different groups. Each contestant would then sing in their respective group's night and the top two or three, depending on season, who received the most votes from America in each group would advance to the finals. In season one, there were three separate groups and the top three contestants from each group made it to the finals. In seasons two and three, there were four groups of eight and the top two contestants would move onto the finals.

The first three seasons each featured a Wildcard show in that contestants who failed to make it to the finals would be allowed to perform once more for a chance at a spot. In season one, only one Wildcard contestant would be chosen by the judges. However, in seasons two and three, each judge would champion one contestant and the public would advance the fourth Wildcard contestant into the finals. In the second season, a few hopefuls who had failed to make the semifinals were selected by the judges to compete in the Wildcard round. In the third season, the judges eliminated four contestants from the Wildcard round before they had the opportunity to sing.

From season four to seven, the semifinals were cut down to twenty-four contestants who were divided by gender in order to ensure an equal division in the top twelve. The men and women would sing on sequential nights and the bottom two would be eliminated from each group on the results show until the top twelve finalists were left.

In season eight, there will be thirty-six semifinalists. For three consecutive Tuesdays 12 different semifinalists will perform each night in the hopes of moving on to the Top 12.
The three finalists with the highest number of America's votes -- one male, one female and the next top vote getter -- will advance to the Top 12. The Wildcard round will also return with the judges chosing three eliminated contestants to advance to the finals.

===Finals===
In the finals, which last eleven weeks, each finalist out of all of the contestants performed a song live in ] from a weekly theme (two songs in later rounds) at ] in ] in front of a live studio audience. Themes have included ], ], ] music, and '']'' #1 hits. Some themes are based on music recorded by a particular artist, and the finalists have a chance to work with that artist in preparing their performances. Artists around whom themes have been based include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Once in the top four and five, the contestants sing two songs each; once in the top three and finale, the contestants sing three songs each.

Following each performance episode, a results show airs that reveals the breakdown of the voting public's decision. The most popular contestants are not typically revealed (although they have been in very rare cases), but the bottom three least popular contestants are typically called to the center of the stage. From the bottom three, the bottom two are revealed, until finally the contestant who received the lowest amount of votes is eliminated from the competition. A montage of the contestant's experience is played and they give their final performance.

In the finale, one remaining contestant is declared the winner. Until the 2008 season, the stage was moved to the ] for the finale showdown, where the two remaining contestants perform for an audience of at least 3,400. In 2008, the venue was changed to the ], which holds an audience of over 7,000. The winner is announced at the following results show. The winner receives a one million (US) dollar record deal with a major label, and is managed by ''American Idol''-related ]. In some cases, other finalists have also been signed by the show's management company (who has first option to sign contestants) and received record deals with its major label partner.

==Season synopses==
{|class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left: 10px;"
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" |''']''' (2002)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| September 4
|-
| ]
| August 28
|-
| ]
| August 21
|-
| ]
| August 14
|-
| ]
| August 7
|-
| ]
| July 31
|-
| A.J. Gil
| July 24
|-
| ]
| rowspan="2"| July 17
|-
| ]
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" | ''']''' (2003)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| May 21
|-
| ]
| May 14
|-
| ]
| May 7
|-
| ]
| April 30
|-
| ]
| April 23
|-
| ]
| April 16
|-
| Rickey Smith
| April 9
|-
| ]
| ''Disqualified''<br>April 2
|-
| ]
| March 26
|-
| ]
| March 19
|-
| ]
| March 12
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" | ''']''' (2004)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| May 26
|-
| ]
| May 19
|-
| ]
| May 12
|-
| ]
| May 5
|-
| ]
| April 28
|-
| ]
| April 21
|-
| ]
| April 15
|-
| ]
| April 7
|-
| ]
| March 31
|-
| ]
| March 24
|-
| ]
| March 17
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" | ''']''' (2005)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| May 25
|-
| ]
| May 18
|-
| ]
| May 11
|-
| ]
| May 4
|-
| ]
| April 27
|-
| ]
| April 20
|-
| ]
| April 13
|-
| ]
| April 6
|-
| ]
| March 30
|-
| ]
| March 24
|-
| ]
| March 16
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" | ''']''' (2006)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| May 24
|-
| ]
| May 17
|-
| ]
| May 10
|-
| ]
| May 3
|-
| ]
| April 26
|-
| ]
| April 19
|-
| ]
| April 12
|-
| ]
| April 5
|-
| ]
| March 29
|-
| ]
| March 22
|-
| ]
| March 15
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" | ''']''' (2007)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| May 23
|-
| ]
| May 16
|-
| ]
| May 9
|-
| ]
|rowspan="2"| May 2
|-
| ]
|-
| ]
| April 18
|-
| ]
| April 11
|-
| ]
| April 4
|-
| ]
| March 28
|-
| ]
| March 21
|-
| ]
| March 14
|-
| colspan="2" style="background:#cedff2; text-align:center;" | ''']''' (2008)
|-
| ]
| ''Winner''
|-
| ]
| May 21
|-
| ]
| May 14
|-
| ]
| May 7
|-
| ]
| April 30
|-
| ]
| April 23
|-
| ]
| April 16
|-
| ]
| April 10
|-
| ]
| April 2
|-
| ]
| March 26
|-
| ]
| March 19
|-
| ]
| March 12
|}

===Season 1===
{{main|American Idol (season 1)}}
The first season of ''American Idol'' debuted without hype as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the ]. Fox, along with other networks, initially rejected the show. However, Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox's ], was persuaded to buy the show by his daughter ] who was a fan of the British version.<ref>{{cite video |date2 = 2007-03-18 |title = 60 Minutes|medium = TV|publisher = CBS|location = New York|accessdate = 2007-12-31}}</ref> The show's co-hosts were ] and ]. Through word of mouth generated by the appeal of its contestants and the presence of acid-tongued British judge ], the show grew into a phenomenon. An estimated fifty million people watched the Season 1 finale in September 2002. Following such a success, the second season was moved to air the upcoming January. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots.

Winner ] signed with ], the label in partnership with ''American Idol's'' ]. Immediately post-finale, Clarkson released two singles, most notably the coronation song "]" which debuted at number 52, but marked the biggest jump in ] history when it shot to number one, breaking a record set by ]. As part of the promotion planned for the show's first winner, the song had been pre-recorded ready to air on radio stations the day after the finale. (As such, a version of the song was also recorded by runner up ] which remains unreleased.) Appearances on numerous entertainment/news shows followed, as did videos for the singles that began airing on ]'s '']''. Clarkson has subsequently had three successful albums: ''],'' ''],'' and ''].'' She has several hit singles mostly from her more successful second album ''Breakaway''. While her first album failed to sell outside of North America, her second was a global success and garnered two ] in 2006 with 12 million albums sold worldwide. Her third album, '']'' as of December 4, 2008 has sold 778,800 domestically, and approximately over 2 million copies worldwide, and was certified Platinum in Canada and the United States.

The show inspired a 2003 musical film, '']'', featuring ] and runner-up ]. The musical love story, produced by ''American Idol'''s ], was filmed in ], ] over a period of six weeks shortly after the season ended. Released several months later in June 2003, the film failed to make back its budget <ref></ref> during its short run in theatres and is often ranked among the ]. A DVD with additional footage was released and the movie airs periodically in the U.S. and other countries.

Besides Clarkson and Guarini, also signed were ] (3rd), ] (4th), ] (5th), and ] (6th). It is the only year the runner-up did not release a single following the show's finale.

Runner-up ] also signed with ] Records. Contract restrictions required him to reject outside offers received and delay solo projects following the season finale, eventually debuting an album in 2003 after the conclusion of Season 2. RCA dropped him shortly after its debut. Guarini went on to form his own entertainment company, and independently produced a ] album in 2005, with an album of soul/funk/jazz currently in production. He has also composed/performed music for various projects by other artists, continues to act in independent movies/short films/television, and is a host/commentator for the ]. ] signed with RCA, but quit because she refused to record a country album. She has since made appearances on various ] shows and is working on her debut album. ] was signed to RCA, but was dropped before releasing an album. She then signed with ''Idol'' creator ]'s new label ]. Gray's self-written debut album was released in 2004. In 2005, she was also dropped by that label. She had a supporting role in the 2005 movie '']'', and limited guest runs in ]'s "Bombay Dreams" and "Rent". ] released a Christian album, but sales were lackluster. ] had trouble getting out of her contract with ] but managed to independently release a single, ''My Religion'', which sold 360,000 downloads via ]. Her debut album was expected in 2007, but has yet to be released. ], who came out of the closet after being voted off ''American Idol'', starred in an indie film and released a dance-pop album, charting a dance hit on Billboard. ], ] (tenth), and AJ Gil (eighth) have had little success after the show.

Starting September 30, 2006, the first season of American Idol was repackaged as "'']''" and syndicated direct to stations in the US.

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=6
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|July 17
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|EJay Day
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Jim Verraros
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Nikki McKibbin
|-
|July 24
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|A.J. Gil
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Ryan Starr
|Christina Christian
|-
|July 31
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Ryan Starr (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Justin Guarini
|Nikki McKibbin (2)
|-
|August 7
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Christina Christian (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|R. J. Helton
|Nikki McKibbin (3)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|August 14
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|R. J. Helton (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Nikki McKibbin (4)
|-
|August 21
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Tamyra Gray
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Nikki McKibbin (5)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Three'''
|-
|August 28
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Nikki McKibbin (6)
|-
|September 4
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Justin Guarini (1)
|bgcolor="lime"|'''Kelly Clarkson'''
|}

===Season 2===
{{main|American Idol (season 2)}}
In Season 2, Seacrest surfaced as the lone host. Dunkleman reportedly hated working on the show and the studio was dissatisfied with his performance. ] was originally announced to be added to the show as a co-host to Ryan Seacrest,<ref></ref> but upon airing, she was introduced as a special correspondent with all of the takes with her acting as a host cut out of the first few shows. This time, ] emerged as the winner with ] as runner-up. Out of 24 million votes recorded, Studdard finished 130,000 votes ahead of Aiken. There was discussion in the communication industry about the phone system being overloaded, and that more than 150 million votes were dropped, making the voting suspect.<ref></ref> Since then, the voting methods have been modified to avoid this problem.

In an interview prior to the ], a statement by executive producer ] suggested that Aiken had led the fan voting from the wild card week onward until the finale.<ref></ref> Clay Aiken became the first ''American Idol'' non-winning contestant to have a ] number-one with "]", written by British songwriter Chris Braide with Gary Burr and ]. Studdard and Aiken both released albums in the fall/winter of 2003, 2004 and 2006. Third place finalist ]'s debut album, ''One Love'' was released in 2004. Her second album, ''Based on a True Story,'' was released in May 2007.

Fourth-place finisher and former Marine ] became a country artist. His first album spawned three charted singles, including the number-one U.S. country song, "Nothing to Lose". He is signed with ].

Sixth-place finisher ] signed with ] ] ] ], and released her debut album and a single in 2007.

After a strong showing during the early stages of auditions, contestant ] was disqualified from the competition when topless photos of her surfaced on the internet. Shortly afterwards she landed a role in the ] musical '']'', and continues to work on Broadway.

During the course of the contest, Studdard became known for wearing 205 Flava jerseys representing his ]. Shortly after the end of the contest, Studdard sued 205 Flava, Inc. for ]2 million for using his image for promotional purposes. Flava responded by alleging that Studdard had accepted over $10,000 in return for wearing 205 shirts, and produced eight cashed checks to validate their claim. The allegations, if true, indicate a clear violation of the ''American Idol'' rules.<ref></ref> The lawsuit was settled out of court.<ref></ref>

Rumor mills concerning Season Two contestants buzzed again when, in 2006, contestant ] (who producers kicked off the show because of him not disclosing a police record) alleged that he and judge Paula Abdul had an affair while he was on the show and that this contributed to his removal. Clark also alleged that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show because of their alleged romance. A subsequent investigation by an independent counsel hired by Fox "could not corroborate the evidence or allegations provided by Mr. Clark or any witnesses".<ref> MSNBC.com</ref>

''American Idol Rewind'' started re-airing this season in the fall of 2007.

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=6
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|March 11
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Vanessa Olivarez
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Julia DeMato
|Kimberley Locke
|-
|March 18
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Charles Grigsby
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Corey Clark
|Julia DeMato (2)
|-
|March 25
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Julia DeMato (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Kimberly Caldwell
|Rickey Smith
|-
|
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Corey Clark (disqualified)
|-
|April 1
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Carmen Rasmusen
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Trenyce
|Kimberley Locke (2)
|-
|April 8
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Rickey Smith (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Kimberly Caldwell (2)
|Kimberley Locke (3)
|-
|April 15
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Kimberly Caldwell (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Carmen Rasmusen (2)
|Trenyce (2)
|-
|April 22
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Carmen Rasmusen (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Josh Gracin
|Trenyce (3)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|April 29
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Trenyce (4)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Ruben Studdard
|-
|May 6
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Josh Gracin (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Kimberley Locke (4)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Three'''
|-
|May 13
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Kimberley Locke (5)
|
|-
|May 20
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Clay Aiken
|bgcolor="lime"|'''Ruben Studdard (1)'''
|}

*Neither of the bottom 2 was eliminated on the April 1 results show due to the disqualification of Corey Clark.

===Season 3===
{{main|American Idol (season 3)}}

The third season of ''American Idol'' premiered on January 19, 2004. American idol was ranked by ] as the most successful show of all reality Television shows. By the end of its third season, the network profited more than $260,000,000.<ref>Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture:Buying into American Idol, How We Are Being Sold On Reality television. (pg 60)</ref> The winner of this season of American Idol was ], later known professionally as simply "Fantasia," and the runner-up was ]. This was also the season that ]- and ]-winning actress ] was discovered.

The early part of the season introduced ], a ] student, who received widespread attention following his off-key rendition of ]'s "]." His performance, as well as his positive attitude facing Simon's criticisms (a stark contrast to other hopeful contestants' confrontational, angry reactions), landed him a record deal with ] and made him over $500,000 in record sales. He also starred in a Cingular Wireless commercial with host Ryan Seacrest.

During the season, controversy over the legitimacy of the contest increased as rocker ] and young crooner ] stayed afloat while others, such as Jennifer Hudson, who had become a favorite to win,<ref name="favorite"> on YouTube</ref> were unexpectedly eliminated. ], despite negative comments from Simon Cowell over her later performances, survived elimination and took the third spot over ]. Trias later released a CD and attracted fans in her home state of ], the ], ], ] and other South East Asian countries. The third season was also shown in Australia on ] about half a week after episodes were shown in the U.S.

After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total - more than the first two seasons combined - ] won the ''American Idol'' title over runner-up ]. She released her first single in June 2004 on the RCA record label. The single included "I Believe" – cowritten by former Idol contestant Tamyra Gray (who also sang backup) – which Fantasia performed on the finale of Idol, the Aretha Franklin hit "Chain of Fools" (released before on an American Idol compilation), and her signature version of "Summertime". The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, making Fantasia the first artist in the history of Billboard to debut at number one with their first single.<ref>, Retrieved on ]</ref><ref>, Retrieved on ]</ref> The song remained at the number one for one week (it topped the sales chart for 11 weeks in the US and 10 weeks in Canada). Fantasia's CD, ''I Believe'', went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S. and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA and received 3 ]s. In 2006, she received 4 ] nominations for her double platinum debut album '']''.

<!-- All of this should go in the Fantasia Barrino article, since it's specifically about her and does not relate to American Idol. / Fantasia has also taken part in writing and acting projects. These include her memoir, '']'', and an original ] movie about her life story, which debuted to a record-breaking 19 million viewers over its weekend premiere.<ref>http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060822/nytu132.html</ref> Fantasia also guest starred on an episode of '']'' as a younger version of herself named Clarissa Wellington. Her character came in third on the ''American Idol'' parody, ''Li'l Starmaker''. Fantasia appeared on a ] tribute CD a year after winning the show. She also appeared on ]'s collaboration CD "Overnight Sensational" on a track entitled '']'' and has collaborated with ] Legend ] on a song entitled "Let Me Put You Up On Game" set to be released on Aretha Franklin's upcoming album. Fantasia's self-titled sophomore CD has collaborations with ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] was released on December 12, 2006. -->
Sales of Diana DeGarmo's first CD, ''Blue Skies'', suffered partly from a lack of promotion by RCA. DeGarmo eventually asked to be released from her RCA record contract. She received a role in the ] production of '']'', where she played the part of Penny Pingleton from February 7 May 21 to positive reviews. DeGarmo then starred with Melba Moore in the national tour of ] through mid-August. On September 8, she returned to the Broadway production of '']'' to once again assume the role of Penny Pingleton for a six month period. DeGarmo is also working independently on a second album while performing in the musicals. She recently appeared on the ] reality show ].

] signed with an independent label. Although she has failed to achieve commercial success in the mainland USA, she has become a major celebrity in other countries, such as the Philippines and Japan, where she is signed with ].

] signed with ] and released an ]/] album, "]," selling 55,000 copies. Her single, "Appreciate/Every Part of Me/All by Myself," charted at number 8 on the Billboard Singles Sales Chart, and her songs, "Appreciate," "Every Part of Me," and "State of My Heart," all received moderate success on urban and adult contemporary radio. She starred in the ] revival of the retro-musical, "Beehive," and also starred with ] and ] in the tour of the play, "Issues: We All Got 'Em." London played the role of Nettie in the touring production of the ] musical, ], which began with an extended run in ], ] in April, 2007. The musical also starred ] of ].

] signed with ] to release a gospel album and has since had mild success in that genre. ] landed a deal with ] but was dropped due to low album sales.

] starred alongside ] and ] in the 2006 feature film '']'' and won several honors and awards, including a ] for her performance and an ] for Best Supporting Actress. The film, which also won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical), sold 8.8 million dollars worth of tickets to claim the top spot at the box office on its first day in wide theatrical release, which was the single highest daily gross for a musical in motion picture history. The soundtrack to '']'', featuring Hudson's acclaimed version of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," reached Number One on the Billboard Top 200 album chart on January 10, 2007, after five weeks in release. Her latest picture, the hit movie Sex and the City, based on the television series, went on to the number one spot at the box office grossing more than 57 million dollars its first weekend. Hudson played a secretary for Sarah Jessica Parker's character, looking for love. Hudson, who signed a recording contract with Clive Davis' Arista label in late 2006, released her debut album in September 2008.

] returned to the Philippines in December 2004 after 17 years for a whirlwind tour of television appearances and a concert with Martin Nievera. In 2005, she signed to ], but left the label after a lack of promotion for her first single. Camile performed at several concerts in Hawaii, California and Illinois, maintaining her ambition to become an artist. In 2006, she appeared in a Black Eyed Peas video and performed in Hawaii, California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and the Philippines. Camile is now writing and producing her own songs on ].

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the third season had a total of approximately 360 million votes.

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=6
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|March 17
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Leah LaBelle
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Jennifer Hudson
|Amy Adams
|-
|March 24
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Matthew Rogers
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Camile Velasco
|Diana DeGarmo
|-
|March 31
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Amy Adams (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Jennifer Hudson (2)
|La Toya London
|-
|April 7
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Camile Velasco (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Jasmine Trias
|Diana DeGarmo (2)
|-
|April 15
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Jon Peter Lewis
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|John Stevens
|Diana DeGarmo (3)
|-
|April 21
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Jennifer Hudson (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Fantasia Barrino
|La Toya London (2)
|-
|April 28
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|John Stevens (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|George Huff
|Jasmine Trias (2)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|May 5
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|George Huff (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Jasmine Trias (3)
|-
|May 12
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|La Toya London (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Fantasia Barrino (2)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Three'''
|-
|May 19
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Jasmine Trias (4)
|
|-
|May 26
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Diana DeGarmo (4)
|bgcolor="lime"|'''Fantasia Barrino (2)'''
|}

===Season 4===
{{main|American Idol (season 4)}}

The fourth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on January 18, 2005. It was the first season in which the age limit was raised to 28, in order to increase variety. All Season 4 contestants had to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on August 4, 2004, born on or between August 5, 1975 and August 4, 1988.<ref>{{wayback|url=http://www.americanidol.com/archive/season3/showinfo/rules.htm}}</ref><ref>{{wayback|url=http://www.americanidol.com/archive/season3/showinfo/audition71404.pdf}}</ref> Among those who benefited from this new rule were ] (born September 17, 1975) and ] (born November 1, 1975), considered to be the eldest and somewhat most experienced of the season's Idol contestants. They were also constantly mentioned by Seacrest and in the media as "the two rockers", since their long hair and choice of rock songs made them stand out from conventional Idol standards. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants continued with ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBbx4TZ6yKU |title=YouTube&nbsp;— Chris Daughtry&nbsp;— I Walk The Line |publisher=Youtube.com |date= |accessdate=2008-09-01}}</ref> in Season 5, who was inspired to audition for the show by Bice.

This season also implemented new rules for the final portion of the contest. Instead of competing in semi-final heats in which the top vote-getters are promoted to the final round, 24 semi-finalists were named; 12 men and 12 women, who competed separately, with 2 of each gender being voted off each week until 12 finalists were left.

], who was originally one of the top 12, dropped out of the competition on March 11, just days before the top 12's first performance, citing "personal issues", opening a spot in the final 12 for ] (son of ]r ]), who had been voted off in the semi-finals the previous week.

The winner was ], a country singer. Carrie Underwood's first single, "]", was released on June 14, 2005. The single debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with first-week sales of 170,000 copies, and briefly stopped ]'s run at #1 with "]". One week later, runner-up Bo Bice released his version of the song, which debuted at #2. The B-side of Underwood's CD was "Independence Day", a cover of the ] hit. On November 15, 2005, Carrie released her debut album, ''Some Hearts'', which both debuted and peaked at #2 on Billboard. Underwood's first single, "]" was made available for radio airplay on October 18, 2005. The single also debuted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100 where it peaked at #20.

Bo Bice's first single "The Real Thing" has appeared on ] radio. Although Bice's sales did not match that of Underwood, he stands as the third-most successful recording artist to not win the ''American Idol'' title with RIAA platinum status. Third-place contestant ] landed a role in a film, '']'' and a single on a Christmas album. Fourth-place contestant ] has appeared in television shows such as ], where he competed with Season 2 contestant ], winning second place, and has finished taping several episodes for a new MTV show to air in the fall. Federov will be performing in ] on ] May through July 2007. Sixth-place contestant ] has redone his rendition of "]" for a ], and released his first full-length solo album in 2007. Since August 2006, Maroulis has appeared in the Broadway musical '']'' and the now closed off-broadway play '']'' and has appeared on CBS' The Bold & the Beautiful. Seventh-place contestant ] has released his self-titled EP on an independent label. Twelfth-place contestant ]'s first single, "Nothing Like A Dream", was released in March 2006.

In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes.

On February 11, 2007, Carrie Underwood became the first winner of ''American Idol'' to sweep all three major music awards (], ], and ]s) in a single season (for 2006-07).

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=6
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|March 16
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Lindsey Cardinale
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Mikalah Gordon
|Jessica Sierra
|-
|March 23
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Mikalah Gordon (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Nadia Turner
|Anthony Federov
|-
|March 30
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Jessica Sierra (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Anwar Robinson
|Nadia Turner (2)
|-
|April 6
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Nikko Smith
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Scott Savol
|Vonzell Solomon
|-
|April 13
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Nadia Turner (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Bo Bice
|Scott Savol (2)
|-
|April 20
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Anwar Robinson (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Anthony Federov (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Scott Savol (3)
|-
|April 27
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Constantine Maroulis
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Anthony Federov (3)
|Vonzell Solomon (2)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|May 4
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Scott Savol (4)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Anthony Federov (4)
|-
|May 11
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Anthony Federov (5)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Vonzell Solomon (3)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Three'''
|-
|May 18
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Vonzell Solomon (4)
|
|-
|May 25
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Bo Bice (2)
|bgcolor="lime"|'''Carrie Underwood'''
|}

*None of the bottom 3 on the April 20 results show were sent back to safety before the elimination announcement.

===Season 5===
{{main|American Idol (season 5)}}

The fifth season of ''American Idol'' began on January 17, 2006; this was the first season of the series to be aired in ]. It remains highest-rated season in the show's run so far. Auditions were in ], ], ], ] and ], with ], ] and ], ] included after the cancellation of the ] auditions due to ]. The season used the same rules as Season 4.<ref>{{wayback|url=http://www.americanidol.com/archive/season4/showinfo/rules_721.htm}}</ref><ref>{{wayback|url=http://www.americanidol.com/archive/season4/showinfo/ai5_release.pdf}}</ref>

] was named ''American Idol'' on May 24, 2006; he was the fourth contestant to never fall into any week's "bottom three". His first post-''Idol'' single, "Do I Make You Proud", would debut at #1 and be certified gold.<ref>{{cite web | title = Deep in the bowels of J Records | publisher = Gray Charles: The Official Taylor Hicks Weblog | date = ] | url = http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/2006/09/29/goldplaque/ | accessdate = 2006-12-21 }}</ref> Hicks' album, ''Taylor Hicks'', has sold 702,000 copies to date.

On May 30, 2006, Telescope announced that a total of 63.5 million votes were cast in the finale round. A total of 580 million votes were cast in the entire season.<ref></ref> Taylor Hicks is the second ''American Idol'' winner from the city of ], ] (the first being ]), and the fourth finalist with close ties to the city.

The fifth-season contestant with the most commercial success is fourth-place finisher ], now lead singer of the band ]. Their eponymous debut album has sold over 5 million copies to date - surpassing former winners Studdard and Fantasia's respective two-album totals - and produced two top-ten singles. The album, which spent two weeks at #1 in the US, is also the fastest-selling debut rock album in ] history.<ref></ref>

As of November 2008: Runner-up ]'s debut album has sold 374,000 copies; she has two Top 40 Billboard hits. Also notable: sixth-place finisher ], whose ''Small Town Girl'' reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and has sold over 795,000 copies. Third-place finisher ]'s eponymous debut album was certified gold and produced a platinum-selling single. Eighth-place finisher ]'s self-titled debut album has sold 384,000 copies and generated a top 20 and two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Ninth-place finisher ]'s ] album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007.

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=6
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|March 15
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Melissa McGhee
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Lisa Tucker
|Ace Young
|-
|March 22
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Kevin Covais
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Bucky Covington
|Lisa Tucker (2)
|-
|March 29
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Lisa Tucker (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Katharine McPhee
|Ace Young (2)
|-
|April 5
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Mandisa
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Elliott Yamin
|Paris Bennett
|-
|April 12
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Bucky Covington (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Ace Young (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Elliott Yamin (2)
|-
|April 19
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Ace Young (4)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Chris Daughtry
|Paris Bennett (2)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|April 26
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Kellie Pickler
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Paris Bennett (3)
|-
|May 3
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Paris Bennett (4)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Elliott Yamin (3)
|-
|May 10
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Chris Daughtry (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Katharine McPhee (2)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Three'''
|-
|May 17
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Elliott Yamin (4)
|
|-
|May 24
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Katharine McPhee (3)
|bgcolor="lime"|'''Taylor Hicks'''
|}

*None of the bottom 3 on the April 12 results show were sent back to safety before the elimination announcement.

===Season 6===
{{main|American Idol (season 6)}}

The sixth season began on Tuesday, January 16, 2007. The premiere episode of the season drew a massive audience of 37.7 million viewers, peaking in the last half hour with more than 41 million viewers.<ref>{{cite web
| title='Idol' Death Star Returns - Premiere ratings build on last year's ginormous numbers
| url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ratings011607,0,811654.story?coll=zap-tv-ratings-headlines | publisher=tv.zap2it.com
| date=2007-01-17
| accessdate = 2007-01-17
}} </ref>
] was declared the winner on May 23, 2007, at 10:05 EST, with a new record of 74 million votes in the finale against runner-up ].

Teenager ] was the season's most polarizing and talked about American Idol contestant,<ref></ref><ref></ref> as he continued to survive elimination for several weeks. The weblog ] and satellite radio personality ] both encouraged fans to vote for Sanjaya. However, on April 18, after over 38 million votes, Sanjaya was voted off.

The season was also notable for featuring the first female rock-orientated contestant, ] (although Season 1 winner ] developed a more rock-oriented style on her second and third albums).

The Top 6 singers performed inspirational music as a part of the first ever "Idol Gives Back" telethon-inspired event which raised more than $60 million in corporate and viewer donations.<ref></ref> None of the singers were eliminated, and the votes from that week were added to the votes from the following week to eliminate two singers. Both weeks saw a two-hour extension of the regular two-hour voting window, and in the end, with a two-week total of over 135 million votes, Chris Richardson and Phil Stacey were eliminated. The next week, Lakisha Jones was sent packing after 45 million votes were cast, a result Simon had successfully predicted. Then, in the top 3, Melinda Doolittle, a frontrunner of the show, was ousted after nearly 60 million votes, despite predictions from Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell that she should be in the finale.

A little over a month earlier, the show had launched the American Idol Songwriter contest which enabled fans to select the "coronation song" to be performed by whichever two contestants made it to the finale. In the songwriting contest, amateur songwriters were able to submit original songs they had written and recorded. A selection committee headed by Idol creator Simon Fuller then narrowed thousands of submissions down to twenty finalists. With "one online vote per fan," fans were able to listen to snippets from each song and rate them. When the ratings were tallied, the winning song was the ballad "This is My Now" co-written by Scott Krippayne and Jeff Peabody.

In the finale, both Jordin and Blake started the night off strong. However, the final song of the night was "This is My Now," the winner of the American Idol Songwriter contest. Since the song had been specifically written for the American Idol finale, neither contestant was allowed much flexibility to make it their own. Some fans complained that this song was written in Jordin's style of singing which would give her an advantange over Blake. In fact, the next night, Simon predicted that Jordin would win purely on this final song. At the end of the episode, Ryan confirmed both Randy's and Simon's predictions announcing Jordin Sparks the Season 6 winner of American Idol, after approximately 74 million votes.

Jordin Sparks first non American Idol single was the top hit (peaking at #8) Tattoo, which received platinum certification. Blake Lewis's single was Break Anotha!, which failed to chart the Billboard Hot 100.

Jordin's second single is the Billboard Hot 100 #3 hit No Air with Chris Brown. The song went to #1 in several countries, and also topped Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. The song had been certified platinum in April but recently passed the 2.5 million copies mark. The song peaked at #2 on Billboard's Pop chart, and became the biggest #2 ever (in terms of bullet). Jordin recently released a third single off her album, One Step At A Time, which has peaked at #17. Making Jordin the only American Idol contestant EVER to have their first 4 singles become a Top 20 Hit. One Step at a Time has so far sold 1 million copies so far and is certified platinum.

Blake's second single "How Many Words" also failed to chart the Billboard hot 100, peaking only at 25 in the Bubbling Under chart (hot 100 equivalent = 125). Shortly afterward, Blake confirmed that he had been dropped by Arista records. His album sales are just over 300,000. The drop also canceled Blake's apparent plans for a third single release.

Phil Stacey, tied for fifth place with Chris Richardson, is now signed to Lyric Street and has released his first single If You Didn't Love Me. Tenth place finalist Chris Sligh recently released a Christian album after signing with Brash Music.

This season of American Idol produced two Top 3 contestants that were never in bottom 2 or 3, ] (the Season 6 winner) and ] (third place). They are joined by ], ], ], ] as Top 3 contestants never to have been in the bottom 2 or 3.

Jordin recently signed a deal for a clothing line with ]. Wet Seal has stated in an interview that Jordin is the perfect teenage role model that kids look up to. The clothing line was released on November 19, 2008 and has sold astonishingly over 5 million dollars of merchandise. With each outfit costing about 50 dollars.

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=6
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|March 14
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Brandon Rogers
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Sanjaya Malakar
|Phil Stacey
|-
|March 21
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Stephanie Edwards
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Chris Richardson
|
|-
|March 28
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Chris Sligh
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Haley Scarnato
|Phil Stacey (2)
|-
|April 4
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Gina Glocksen
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Haley Scarnato (2)
|Phil Stacey (3)
|-
|April 11
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Haley Scarnato (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Phil Stacey (4)
|Chris Richardson (2)
|-
|April 18
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Sanjaya Malakar (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|LaKisha Jones
|Blake Lewis
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|May 2
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Phil Stacey (5)
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Chris Richardson (3)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Four'''
|-
|May 9
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|LaKisha Jones (2)
|
|-
|May 16
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Melinda Doolittle
|
|
|-
|May 23
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Blake Lewis (2)
|bgcolor="lime"|'''Jordin Sparks'''
|}

*On the March 21 results show, only the bottom two were announced.
*From the Final 6 onward, only the names of the eliminated contestants were announced, with no mention of a bottom three or two.

===Season 7===
{{main|American Idol (season 7)}}

American Idol returned for its seventh season on January 15, 2008<ref name="gmc"></ref> for a two day, four hour premiere. ] was announced the winner of American Idol season 7 on May 21, 2008, with a record breaking 56% of the 97.5 million votes. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe revealed small changes for the show upon its return in 2008. It was reported that more attention would be paid to who the contestants are, where they come from, and why fans should care to vote for them. Still, the executive producer owns up to the fact that season 6 took the focus away from the contestants, their backgrounds and their talent, and it needs to get back on track.<ref></ref>

As the return of ''American Idol'' drew close a former contestant spoke out about the show's credibility. Season 5 sensation ] was quoted saying "I feel like it's definitely lacking some credibility at this point. I'm sure that it will be used against me, but that's the truth."

On March 11, 2008, ''American Idol'' debuted a new state-of-the-art set and stage, along with a new on-air look. The two-night season finale, as announced by Seacrest, was broadcasted live from the ] in ] last May 20 and 21.

] raised more than $75 million in 2007 for underprivileged children, and returned on April 9, 2008. It is said that the revenue earned from the April 9, 2008 event is comparable to the amount raised in 2007 and will be distributed by the ] Foundation.<ref>, ''The NonProfit Times'', ], Retrieved on ].</ref>

Former ] contestant ], also commented during an interview on ] in May 2008, about the general ] of the contestants, that has increasingly been lost over the years. Aiken stated that the contestants are "increasingly more experienced than ever before".<ref>, ''Clay Aiken on The View'' Retrieved on ]. </ref> This season many of the finalists had previously been involved in record deals or have even released solo albums as noted below.

The media has noted that several of the semi-finalists have previously had record deals, including ], ], ], and ]. (Eventual winner David Cook released an ] and had finished recording a follow-up prior to his audition for the show, but he was never involved with a record label or contract.) Idol rules state that contestants may have had a record deal in the past, but are still eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins.

This season of American Idol produced two Top 3 contestants that were never in bottom 2 or 3, ] and ]. They will join ], ], ], ], ], and ] as the Top 3 contestants to never have been in the bottom 3 or 2. David Archuleta and Clay Aiken are the only runner-ups to have never been in the bottom 2 or 3. This season's finale was also the first time in the show's history where neither one of the Top 2 were ever in the bottom 3. Cook, who became known for his rock-oriented cover versions, most of which he arranged himself, was also the first 'rocker' to win the show.

] signed with ] and his self-titled debut album was released on November 11, 2008. Archuleta's first single "]" debuted at #2 on the ] and #1 on the ] chart, giving it the highest single debut of 2008. The song has sold over 1,000,000 copies to date, making it one of the most successful singles ever from an ''Idol'' runner up.

]'s debut album will be released on November 18, 2008 on 19 Recordings / RCA Records. Cook has teamed with ] winning producer Rob Cavallo (], ]) on the album. A single for the album, "]" has been released.<ref> Marnie September (2008).\
http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=1413 </ref>

{| cellpadding=2 cellspacing=8
|-bgcolor=#808080
|'''Date'''
|colspan="3" align="center"|'''Bottom Three'''
|-
|March 12
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|David Hernandez
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Kristy Lee Cook
|Syesha Mercado
|-
|March 19
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Amanda Overmyer
|bgcolor="F0F0F0"|Kristy Lee Cook (2)
|Carly Smithson
|-
|March 26
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Chikezie Eze
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Syesha Mercado (2)
|Jason Castro
|-
|April 2
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Ramiele Malubay
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Kristy Lee Cook (3)
|Brooke White
|-
|April 10<sup>1</sup>
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Michael Johns
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Carly Smithson (2)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Syesha Mercado (3)
|-
|April 16
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Kristy Lee Cook (4)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Brooke White (2)
|Syesha Mercado (4)
|-
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Bottom Two'''
|-
|April 23
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Carly Smithson (3)
|bgcolor="#F0F0F0"|Syesha Mercado (5)
|- David Archuleta
|
|bgcolor=#808080 colspan="2" align="center"|'''Final Five'''
|-
|April 30<sup>2</sup>
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Brooke White (3)
|-
|May 7<sup>2</sup>
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Jason Castro (2)
|-
|May 14<sup>2</sup>
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|Syesha Mercado (6)
|-
|May 21 <sup>2</sup>
|bgcolor="#C0C0C0"|David Archuleta
|bgcolor="lime"|'''David Cook'''
|}

<sup>1</sup> None of the bottom 3 on the April 10 results show was sent back to safety before the elimination announcement.<br>
<sup>2</sup> From the Final 5 onward, only the names of the eliminated contestants were announced, with no mention of a bottom three or two.

===Season 8===
{{main|American Idol (season 8)}}
The eighth season of ''American Idol'' will begin on January 13, 2009. Auditions began July 17. It has been revealed that this season will feature fewer drawn-out audition episodes and more half-hour result shows.<ref></ref> ], the president of Fox's alternative programming, stated that this season the contestants will be more emotional and viewers will see more of their reality and emotional state.<ref></ref> Also this season will have a fourth judge on the panel: record producer and songwriter ].<ref></ref>

After Fox and producers promised changes to the show, on August 4 showrunner and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe announced he was leaving "Idol" to focus on international versions of his other show '']''.<ref> Retrieved on ].</ref>

The audition schedule was as follows:<ref></ref>

It was also announced that ] will not return this season due to the ongoing economic crisis and recession.<ref></ref>

This season will feature for the first time 36 semifinalists with 12 different semifinalists performing every Tuesday. The male, female, and the next top vote getter with the highest number of America's votes will make it into the top 12. This season will also feature the return of the Wildcard round last used in Season 3 with the judges chosing three eliminated contestants to advance to the finals.<ref name="Reality TV World"></ref>

{| class="wikitable"
| bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Audition City'''
| bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Date'''
| bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Audition Venue'''
|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]<sup>1</sup>
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|July 17, 2008
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|July 21, 2008
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]<sup>2</sup>
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|July 25, 2008
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|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|July 29, 2008
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|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|August 2, 2008
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|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|August 8, 2008
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|August 13, 2008
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
|-
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|]
| align="center" bgcolor="#FAF6F6"|August 19, 2008
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|}
<sup>1</sup>''The Cow Palace, the site of the San Francisco auditions, is actually in ].''<br>
<sup>2</sup>''The Jobing.com Arena, the site of the Phoenix, Arizona auditions, is actually in ].''

==Media sponsorship==
''American Idol'' is often noted for advertising its sponsors during the show's runtime. Being the number-one-rated show in the United States, it costs around $700,000 for a 30-second commercial.<ref></ref>

Apple ] has joined as a Season 7 major sponsor in the U.S., and Ryan Seacrest notes during the program that all performances are available via iTunes. Video is regularly shown of contestants learning their songs by rehearsing with iPods. ] is a major sponsor in the U.S., and all the judges, hosts, and contestants are seen consuming beverages out of cups bearing the Coca-Cola logo. The sponsorship also depicts contestants and host Seacrest gathering for a "Keeping it Real" segment between songs in the "Coca-Cola Red Room," the show's equivalent to the traditional ]. (During rebroadcast on ] in the UK, the Coca-Cola logo is obscured in the shots.) In seasons 1 through 4, after every Wednesday results show, the host and remaining contestants meet in the Coca-Cola Red Room to discuss next week's theme; the footage of this meeting is shown at the start of the following Tuesday's performance show. The red room was removed in Season 7 at the beginning of the top 12 when American Idol switched to a new stage. Highlights of the show were also featured on the official American Idol web site with a Coca-Cola logo surrounding them.<ref>Jenkins, Henry. Convergence Culture. New York, NY: New York UP, 2006. 71. </ref>

Text voting is made possible by ], formerly Cingular Wireless. AT&T created an ad campaign that centered around an air-headed teenager going around telling people to vote. This kind of branding to American Idol enabled AT&T to become the favored system to vote for many Americans (Jenkins 87).

] and ] are also two major sponsors, especially of the cast tour that follows the end of every season.<ref name="ai"></ref>
Products from the ] also receive prominent product placement; contestants appear in Ford commercials on the results shows, and the final two of Seasons 4, 5 and 6 each won free Mustangs. Previous contestants ] and ] have also been tapped to do commercials for Ford. Also, in the top 24's studio, in the red room there is a glass table with a Ford tire inside of it. The camera routinely captures the logo. ] previously did commercials for various chocolate brands. ], the winner of the sixth installment of 'Idol', filmed a commercial promoting the new "American Idol Experience" section of the ] theme park, ].

Contestants will occasionally don ] clothing during performances,<ref name="ai"/> and celebrity stylist ] appeared in two previous seasons to assist contestants with picking out wardrobe pieces from Old Navy. ] hair care products also sponsors the show, with contestants usually getting Clairol-guided hair makeovers after the first two or three episodes during the round of 12.<ref name="ai"/>

==Controversy==
{{Prose|date=October 2008}}
{{main|American Idol controversy}}
* ''American Idol'' has come under fire for maintaining what some claim to be total control of the careers of the winners of the contest. Former co-host ] referred to the show as "owning" the winning contestants, noting that winners sign contracts to only record with companies owned by the show's producers and to allow related agencies to manage their careers.
*During season three, controversy arose at the poor showing during the semi-finals of three highly praised ] contestants, ], ] and ] - collectively known during that season as the 'Three Divas'. After the surprise elimination of Hudson, ], who was a guest judge for that season criticized the vote as 'incredibly racist' in a press conference.<ref>, ''] via Yahoo.com'', ], Retrieved on ].</ref> The elimination of both Hudson and London relatively early in the competition has been pointed out as a classic demonstration of ] in the American idol vote.<ref>, ''Votefair.org'', Retrieved on ].</ref> However, it should also be noted that Fantasia went on to win that season of American Idol.
* Since the 2004 season, ''American Idol'' producers have battled online community services such as the ]s ], Worldsentiment.com, and ]. DialIdol predicts which contestants may be voted off or are in danger of being voted off based on the percentage of times an automatic dialer encounters a busy signal for each contestant; Worldsentiment uses very large samplings and algorithms to predict the outcome of the vote-off; and VotefortheWorst exhorts viewers to vote for what the site deems to be the worst contestant, rather than the best. Some in the media have implied that Las Vegas odds makers exert behind-the-scenes influence in protecting the services.<ref></ref><ref></ref>
* Season 7 contestant ] has stirred up controversy due to a prior major label record deal she had with MCA Records. It had been reported that MCA spent over 2 million dollars promoting Smithson's previous album "Ultimate High", which she made under the name Carly Hennessy, due to an article's misprint. The album sold 378 copies, but is now available on ]. To further complicate things, Randy Jackson worked for MCA during the same period of time that Smithson was signed, and was part of the team that signed her to MCA. The show made no mention of this deal. In addition, contestants Michael Johns and Kristy Lee Cook were also represented by a major record label at one time and have made albums. <ref></ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kristy Lee Signs In Triplicate with Arista, Britney, and BMI |work=BMI News |date=2001-08-07 |url=http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233653 }}</ref> Contestant Robbie Carrico was formerly a member of the group Boyz N Girlz United, who had a minor hit in 2000 with the single "Messed Around", as well as opening for Britney Spears in 1999.<ref></ref> This new information raises questions as to whether this year's contestants can be considered "amateur", noting their prior work within the entertainment industry. According to a poll by AOL Television, 63 percent of those polled believed that contestants who have already had record deals should not be contestants on American Idol.<ref>{{cite news |title=Underwood most popular "Idol," Castro overrated |work=Reuters |date=2008-05-19 |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN1944905320080519 }}</ref>
*In the April 20, 2008 edition of ], Brian Dunkleman made claims that he was not fired from American Idol and he was going to break his silence at that point. With that he made the claims that he left the show "because those kids (the contestants) were not treated in the right way". He then went on to say that leaving American Idol was the biggest mistake of his life.
*Judge Paula Abdul caused controversy on Season 7, top 5 performance night when she slipped up, commenting on two performances when only one was shown. This has been cited by many as proof of American Idol's scripted nature. However, it was reported on the next night that Abdul had listened to some of the contestants' rehearsals and had gotten confused due to the rushed nature of that performance night.

==Television ratings==
===U.S.===
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of ''American Idol'' on ].
:''Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of ].''

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#E0E0E0"
! rowspan=2 | Season<ref>''American Idol'' does not have a ranking for the 2001-2002 season because it aired in the summer of 2002. If it had aired within the official 2001-2002 U.S. television season, the Wednesday results show would have ranked #25 and the Tuesday performance show would have ranked #30, assuming it would have had the same rating as it did in the summer.</ref>
! colspan=2 | Premiered
! colspan=2 | Ended
! width="7%" rowspan=2 | TV Season
! rowspan=2 | Timeslot
! width="5%" style="background:#99ccff;" rowspan=2 | Rank
|- style="background-color:#E0E0E0"
! | Date
! width="6%" span style="font-size: smaller;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%" | Viewers<BR>(in millions)
! | Date
! width="6%" span style="font-size: smaller;font-weight: bold;line-height: 100%" | Viewers<BR>(in millions)
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']'''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/ratings-abc-dancing-with-stars-finale-hits-summer-highs-not-seen-since-idol-3598.php|source=Reality TV World|date=July 10, 2005|title=Reality TV World: Ratings: ABC's 'Dancing With The Stars' finale hits summer highs not seen since 'Idol'}}</ref>
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | June 11-June 12, 2002
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''9.90'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' September 3, 2002
! style="text-align:center" | '''18.69'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2002
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 9:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#30'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' September 4, 2002
! style="text-align:center" | '''22.77'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 9:30PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#25'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']'''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/05/25/tem_sunlede25.html|source=Cincinnati Enquirer|date=May 25, 2003|title=Cincinnati Enquirer: Television networks face reality check}}</ref>
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | January 21-January 22, 2003
! rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | '''26.50'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' May 20, 2003
! style="text-align:center" | '''25.67'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2003
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 8:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#5'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' May 21, 2003
! style="text-align:center" | '''34.24'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 8:30PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#3'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']'''<ref></ref>
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | January 19-January 20, 2004
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''28.56'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' May 25, 2004
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''25.13'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2004
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 8:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#2'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' May 26, 2004
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''28.84'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 8:30PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#3'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']'''<ref></ref>
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | January 18-January 19, 2005
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''33.58'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' May 24, 2005
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''28.05'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2005
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 8:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#1'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' May 25, 2005
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''30.27'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 8:00PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#3'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']'''<ref></ref>
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | January 17-January 18, 2006
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''35.53'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' May 23, 2006
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''31.78'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2006
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 8:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#1'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' May 24, 2006
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''36.38'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 8:00PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#1'''
|-|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']'''<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | January 16-January 17, 2007
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''37.7'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' May 22, 2007
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''25.33'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2007
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 8:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#2'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' May 23, 2007
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''30.74'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 8:00PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#1'''
|-|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight:normal" | ''']<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | January 15-January 16, 2008
! rowspan=2 style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''33.4'''
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Final Performances:''' May 20, 2008
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''27.06'''
! rowspan=2 style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;font-size: smaller;text-align:center" | 2008
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Tuesday 8:00PM<BR>''(performance show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#1'''
|- style="background-color:#F9F9F9"
! style="background:#f9f9f9;font-weight: normal;text-align:left" | '''Season Finale:''' May 21, 2008
! style="font-weight: normal;text-align:center" | '''31.66'''
! span style="background:#f9f9f9;font-size: smaller;line-height: 100%" | Wednesday 9:00PM<BR>''(results show)''
! style="background:#cce0ff;text-align:center" | '''#2'''
|}

Unlike most successful television programs, past and present, ''American Idol'' has maintained and even grown its audience numbers beyond its first few seasons.
{{Quote|A growing number of television executives have begun to regard ''American Idol'' as a programming force unlike any seen before. ], the new chief executive of ], said, “I think ''Idol'' is the most impactful show in the ].”<ref name="carter"/>}}
''American Idol'''s consistent dominance of an hour two or three nights a week exceeds the 30- or 60-minute reach of previous hits such as '']''. As a result, competing networks&mdash;whose personnel call the show "the ]"<ref name="Associated Press">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001098.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/entertainmentnews|title='Idol' Attracts More Than 32M Viewers|publisher=]|accessdate=2008-03-13|first=David|last=Bauder|date=2007-01-30|quote=Rival television executives not-so-fondly refer to Fox's ''American Idol'' as the 'death star.'}}</ref>&mdash;have often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. Conversely, FOX has used ''American Idol'' to help promote other programs on its schedule.<ref name="carter">{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/20/arts/television/20idol.html|title=For Fox’s Rivals, ‘American Idol’ Remains a ‘Schoolyard Bully’|publisher='']''|accessdate=2008-03-13|first=Bill|last=Carter|authorlink=Bill Carter|date=2007-02-20|quote=If any of Fox’s rivals had hopes that this year might signal some hint that the monster — NBC favors the term Death Star — would finally betray some sign of weakness, those hopes were dispelled in just a week.}}</ref>

'''Season Six:'''
On the season finale of the sixth season, the ratings of ''American Idol'' saw a drop of 19%<ref></ref> from last year, when ] was crowned as the 2006 Idol. Ratings of the season finale peaked at 34.9 million viewers at 10 pm, just five minutes before ] was declared the winner of Idol.<ref></ref>

Season Seven coincided with the ], which, according to early predictions would help the show's ratings by eliminating scripted competition (''Idol'', being unscripted, was unaffected by the strike).<ref></ref> However, the ratings decline continued into season seven, starting with the premiere which was down 11% among total viewers and 13% among adults ages 18 to 49 from last year.<ref></ref> The performance show featuring the top seven finalist was the lowest-rated Tuesday ''American Idol'' show in five years among adults ages 18 to 49. The subsequent results show, in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated, delivered ''American Idol's'' lowest-rated Wednesday among adults ages 18 to 34 since its first season back in 2002.<ref></ref> Overall, ratings for the seventh season were down 10% from last season.<ref></ref> General attrition of television audiences was the primary reason cited for this ratings decline.

<!--
''American Idol'' is marketed as a ]-oriented show, and enjoys a wide audience across all ] groups. The ] that watches ''American Idol'' the most is ], where the show is based. The ] that votes the most is the ]. The metropolitan area that watches the most is the ].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} (by most do you mean percentages or absolute numbers?) Outside the United States, the country that watches the show the most is Canada.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} -->

==International==
American Idol is broadcast to over 100 nations outside of the United States; however, these aren't live broadcasts and may be tape delayed by several days or weeks (excluding Australia (most episodes), Canada, ], India, ], ], the ] and the ], where episodes are also aired live). In those instances, the shows are combined into one episode to summarize the results. Australia airs episodes just 5 hours after their US showing and the UK airs episodes 2 days after their US showing on digital channel ]. It is also aired in Ireland on ] 2 days after the showing. In ], the show airs 8 days after the showing in the United States.

Currently ''American Idol'' is televised on ] in ], ] in the United States, ] in Canada, MNET Series in South Africa, ] in Australia, ] in the UK, ] in ], ] in ], ] in several parts of ], ] in ], ] in the ], ] in ], ] in ] and on ] in ].

The seventh season of American Idol is exclusively being broadcast direct to Australia via satellite on ].

It also airs in ] in English because that market has a Fox affiliate that serve a US market. The broadcast is live, as it is in the Central time zone on XHRIO.

==Top-selling ''American Idol'' alumni==
{{Main|Top-selling American Idol alumni}}

==Major award–winning ''American Idol'' alumni==
{{Further|]}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Idol Contestant & Season
! American Music Awards
! Billboard Music Awards
! ]
! ]
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 1, Winner)</small>
| align="center"|4
| align="center"|12
| align="center"|2<br><small>2006 Best Female Pop Vocal<br>2006 Best Pop Vocal Album</small>
| align="center"|0
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 2, Runner-Up)</small>
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|3
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 3, Winner)</small>
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|3
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 3, 7th Place)</small>
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|1
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 4, Winner)</small>
| align="center"|5
| align="center"|13
| align="center"|3<br><small>2008 Best Female Country Vocal<br>2007 Best New Artist<br>2007 Best Female Country Vocal</small>
| align="center"|0
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 5, 4th Place)</small>
| align="center"|4
| align="center"|6
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
|-
| ]<br><small>(Season 6, Winner)</small>
| align="center"|1
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
| align="center"|0
|}
On a detailed note, ] and ] are the only two Idols to win at all three of these major music awards shows. ] is the only Idol to sweep up honors at all these awards ceremonies in the same season (2006-2007) (2007-2008), and the only Idol to win Best New Artist at the ]. ] is the only ''Idol'' who has received a ] Award for an album, as opposed to new artist of the year. ] is the only Idol to be nominated for and to win an ]. She won the ] category in February 2007 for her performance as 'Effie' in the hit film '']'', based on the musical of the same name.

==''American Idol'' Hot 100 singles==
{{Main|American Idol Hot 100 singles}}

==''American Idol'' video games==
*'']'' - ], ], ], ]
*'']'' - PlayStation 2
*'']'' - PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, ], Xbox 360
*'']'' - PlayStation 3, ], Xbox 360

==Spin-offs==
*'']''<ref>{{dead link|date=September 2008}}</ref>
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''
*'']''

==Theme park attraction==
On February 7, 2008, ] announced the development of "]", a live attraction based on ''American Idol'' to be built at its ] theme park at the ] in ]. The show will be co-produced by 19 Entertainment. Set to open in January 2009, park guests will be able to audition and possibly perform in the live show. Winners will be selected by a combination of audience vote and input from a panel of judges, although the exact format has yet to be decided. Winners each day will have the chance to audition for the real TV series.<ref></ref>

==See also==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-4}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{col-4}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{col-4}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{col-4}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{col-end}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* (owned by ])
*

{{American Idol}}
{{Idol series}}

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Revision as of 21:37, 17 December 2008