[106] He was reported to have eight surgeries during his Idol run, and had considered quitting the show due to the pain. He has Tourette and Asperger's syndromes. Paul McDonald (born August 29, 1984) is from Huntsville, Alabama, and 26 years old at the time of the show. [239] Musician Michael Feinstein, while acknowledging that the show had uncovered promising performers, said that American Idol "isn't really about music. For her final solo she performed The Shirelles' song "Baby It's You". [250], Throughout the series, twelve of the seventeen Idol winners, including its first five, had come from the Southern United States. The success of American Idol has been described as "unparalleled in broadcasting history". [6] Fuller was inspired by the idea from Popstars of employing a panel of judges to select singers in audition. [51] All the runners-up of the first ten seasons, as well as some of other finalists, had also received record deals with major labels. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly considered that "As TV, American Idol is crazily entertaining; as music, it's dust-mote inconsequential". [216] Nevertheless, American Idol overall finished its ninth season as the most watched TV series for the sixth year running, breaking the previous record of five consecutive seasons achieved by CBS' All in the Family and NBC's The Cosby Show.[217]. All three unexpectedly landed on the bottom three on the top seven result show, with Hudson controversially eliminated. This was also the first season without executive producer Nigel Lythgoe who left to focus on the international versions of his show So You Think You Can Dance. The premiere was down 11% among total viewers,[150] and the results show in which Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated delivered its lowest-rated Wednesday show among the 18–34 demo since the first season in 2002. His debut album, Clear as Day, was released on October 4, 2011. [147] Later in October, it was announced that Bones will return as mentor. In May 2005, Carrie Underwood was announced the winner, with Bice the runner-up. The number of episodes increased, as did the show's budget and the charge for commercial spots. No new song was used as coronation song this year; instead, the two finalists each released a cover song – DeWyze chose U2's "Beautiful Day", and Bowersox chose Patty Griffin's "Up to the Mountain". [39] Also, the schedule for the 2-part finale was moved back to its previous schedule of Tuesday and Wednesday. [13] In this season, online voting was also offered for the first time for fans with Facebook accounts; up to 50 votes may be cast.[14]. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when a revival of the series began airing on ABC. Interscope Records, which is part of Universal Music Group, replaced Sony Music Entertainment as Idol's official partner record label. [61], Ruben Studdard emerged as the winner, beating Clay Aiken by a small margin. M&M's Pretzel Chocolate Candies was a sponsor of the ninth season tour. In each group, the judges chose 7 contestants to advance to the top 14 where the judges chose 4 to advance to the top 10 and remaining 6 contestants were chosen based on the vote. Successful contestants then sing in front of producers, where more may be cut. Clark also claimed that Abdul gave him preferential treatment on the show due to their affair. The initial age limit was sixteen to twenty-four in the first three seasons, but the upper limit was raised to twenty-eight in the fourth season, and the lower limit was reduced to fifteen in the tenth season. [16] Despite these changes, the show's ratings would decline more sharply. However, DeWyze said that he was actually not asked to take part in the finale, "Just for the record… I was not asked to be involved in the Finale. [8] Ellen DeGeneres officially announced her departure on July 29, 2010, after judging for only one season, because she felt the show was not the "right fit" for her. Plus, we break down the latest on 'Parenthood' and 'Survivor, Nigel Lythgoe on 'American Idol's' shocking elimination: 'It's not about the judges' opinion', "Jennifer Lopez Will Be 'Tougher' Next Season on American Idol", "Lee DeWyze Nigel Lythgoe American Idol finale", "Lee DeWyze, Nigel Lythgoe feud over "Idol" finale on Twitter", 'Idol' feud brews between Lee DeWyze and Nigel Lythgoe, "FOX Wins Seventh Consecutive Season, Achieves Longest Winning Streak In Broadcast History Among Adults 18-49", "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'The Middle,' 'Better With You,' 'Cougar Town' Adjusted Down; 'Criminal Minds' Adjusted Up", "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: Jets-Steelers, American Idol, Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, Modern Family Top Week 18 Viewing", "Thursday Final Ratings: '$#*! DeWyze was declared the winner during the May 26 finale. Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) is from Idyllwild, California, and 20 years old at the time of show. The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011, and concluded on May 25, 2011, on the Fox television network. He also performed "Get Ready" with the group "The Guaps" and became involved in the drama when Clint Jun Gamboa ousted young Jacee Badeaux from their group. In 2005–2007, BMG partnered with Sony Music Entertainment to form a joint venture known as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Dunkleman quit thereafter,[37] making Seacrest the sole emcee of the show starting with the second season. He impressed the judges with his performance of "Georgia on My Mind" in Hollywood week. [292] While that declined from the eighth season onwards, it still earned significantly more than its nearest competitor,[293][294] with advertising revenue topping $800 million annually the next few seasons. She also performed Soul Brothers Six's "Some Kind of Wonderful" in a girl group which was notable for getting Steven Tyler to sit on the chair while they performed around him. [151] In the ninth season, Idol's six-year extended streak of perfection in the ratings was broken, when NBC's coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympics on February 17 beat Idol in the same time slot with 30.1 million viewers over Idol's 18.4 million. Three judges, whose mannerisms and style mimicked those of the real Idol judges, critiqued the performances. Unlike previous seasons where only two finalists remained in the final episode, three finalists performed in the finale. [309][310] In the twelfth season tour a semi-finalist who won a sing-off was also added to the tour. The semi-final round began on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. In Philippines, it is aired every Thursday and Friday nine or ten hours after its United States telecast; from 2004 to 2007 on ABC 5; 2008–11 on QTV, then GMA News TV; and 2012–16, 2018–19 on ETC. However, a wild card was given to one of the bottom 10 to save them from elimination.[46][47]. The tenth and eleventh seasons lasted for twelve weeks, while the twelfth season lasted for ten weeks. McCreery was announced as the winner on May 25, and was signed to 19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville. [138][139] Ryan Seacrest returned as the host. Those who made the final sixty were then taken to Las Vegas in an extra round where they were asked to sing songs from the Beatles, and then a further solo round in Los Angeles. He auditioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Josh Turner's "Your Man" and Travis Tritt's "Put Some Drive in Your Country". In the eighth season, Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a fourth judge. The audition episodes typically feature a mix of potential finalists, interesting characters and woefully inadequate contestants. His exposure on Idol landed him a record deal and surprisingly he became the third best-selling singer from that season. [79], Teenager Sanjaya Malakar was the season's most talked-about contestant for his unusual hairdo,[80] and for managing to survive elimination for many weeks due in part to the weblog Vote for the Worst and satellite radio personality Howard Stern, who both encouraged fans to vote for him. The sponsorship deal cost around $10 million in the first season,[299] rising to $35 million by the seventh season,[288] and between $50 to $60 million in the tenth season. "[55] Nigel Lythgoe, another executive producer, also responded to these criticisms on his Twitter and answered, "IT IS NOT ABOUT THE JUDGES OPINION IT'S ABOUT YOURS!! She performed Corinne Bailey Rae's "Breathless" in the first solo round. This was the first season since the ninth season to have four judges on the panel. All top 10 (11 in the tenth and twelfth seasons, 5 in the fourteenth season, and 7 in the sixteenth season) finalists earn the privilege of going on a tour, where the participants may each earn a six-figure sum.[53]. One of the more prominent contestants this year was Chris Medina, whose story of caring for his brain-damaged fiancée received widespread coverage. During the contestant's performance as well as the recap at the end, a toll-free telephone number for each contestant was displayed on the screen. In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who attended the auditions. [77] He was eliminated at the top four in a shocking result. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined Randy Jackson as judges following the departures of Simon Cowell (who left to launch the American version of The X Factor), Kara DioGuardi (whose contract was not renewed) and Ellen DeGeneres,[25] while Nigel Lythgoe returned as executive producer. The age limit was raised to 28 in this season,[40] and among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice, the two rockers of the show. Viewers were allowed to vote as many times as they can within the two-hour voting window. Television producer Nigel Lythgoe saw a version in Australia and helped bring it over to Britain. So, they're adamant about supporting the contestants who do well from their state or region. [296] By 2014, ad revenue from had fallen to $427 million where a 30-second spot went for less than $300,000. Nick Fradiani won the season, defeating Clark Beckham. The number of those attending the auditions by now had increased to over 100,000 from the 10,000 of the first season. The mostly provided banal insight and humble bragging, but occasionally you would get interesting tidbits like the fact that this disgraced A- list mostly television actor (#1) was absolutely hated by a director of this college movie. [32] The internet auditioners, including Karen Rodriguez, were called back to Los Angeles to audition in front of the judges. Starting in tenth season, the girls and boys perform on separate nights. [41] Those selected by the judges are sent to Hollywood. She performed "Hello, Goodbye" for the Las Vegas' Beatles round with Scotty McCreery and Denise Jackson. From the semifinals onward the contestants perform their songs live, with the judges making their critiques after each performance. [22] Emmy Award-winning talk show host Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul for that season, but left after just one season. [210], The sixth season premiered with the series' highest-rated debut episode and a few of its succeeding episodes rank among the most-watched episodes of American Idol. [316] The attraction closed on August 30, 2014. Caleb Lee Hutchinson released "Johnny Cash Heart" as a single, while Gabby Barrett's song was "Rivers Deep". [248] It won the first Critics' Choice Television Award in 2011 for Best Reality Competition. The product placement in the show in particular was noted,[231] and some critics were harsh about what they perceived as its blatant commercial calculations – Karla Peterson of The San Diego Union-Tribune charged that American Idol is "a conniving multimedia monster" that has "absorbed the sin of our debauched culture and spit them out in a lump of reconstituted evil". [29] Both judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj also decided to leave after one season to focus on their music careers. She auditioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with Donny Hathaway's version of "For All We Know". The show was dubbed "the Death Star",[79] and competing networks often rearranged their schedules in order to minimize losses. Despite being eliminated earlier in the season, Chris Daughtry (as lead of the band Daughtry) became the most successful recording artist from this season. Ellen DeGeneres joined as a judge to replace Paula Abdul at the start of Hollywood Week. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, with Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban, and Jennifer Lopez all returning as judges. [109], Phillips released "Home" as his coronation song, while Sanchez released "Change Nothing". Dunkleman left the show, leaving Seacrest as the lone host. A montage of the eliminated contestant's time on the show was played and they gave their final performance (from the fourteenth season onward, the montage and the final performance were dropped). Thia Megia (born January 30, 1995) is from Mountain House, San Joaquin County, California, and 16 years old at the time of the show. Jessica Sanchez received the fewest votes during the Top 7 week, and the judges decided to use their "save" option on her, making her the first female recipient of the save. 1s", "Nielsen report shows the 'American Idol' impact on music sales", "American Idol Has Massive Impact on Radio Airplay", "American Idol to Receive 2016 Governors Award", "Can 'American Idol' Stars Save Broadway", "How Broadway Lost Its Voice to 'American Idol, "Despite Lower Ratings, Cash Flow Rises for 'Idol", "Blunt but Popular Simon Cowell Will Bow Out of 'American Idol, "Idol's big three sponsors paid $35 million each for their brand integration", "Goodbye Bucky, Hello Big Bucks! According to Billboard magazine, in its first ten years, "Idol has spawned 345 Billboard chart-toppers and a platoon of pop idols, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, and Jordin Sparks while remaining a TV ratings juggernaut. [247] Director Bruce Gower won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Series in 2009, and the show won a Creative Arts Emmys each in 2007 and 2008, three in 2009, and two in 2011, as well as a Governor's Award in 2007 for its Idol Gives Back edition. The first season was hosted by radio personality Ryan Seacrest and comedian Brian Dunkleman, but Seacrest has been the sole master of ceremonies since the second season. American Idol has traditionally released studio recordings of contestants' performances as well as the winner's coronation single for sale. In the second and third seasons, each of the three judges championed one contestant with the public advancing a fourth into the finals, making 12 finalists in all. [25], Auditions were held in the following cities:[25]. Ashthon Jones (born February 27, 1986) is from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, and 24 years old when she auditioned and turned 25 at the time of show.