American Idol Leftovers

### Fan sites

American Idol fans span a wide range of groups and voting patterns. Most operated independently from each other (barring the occasional disagreement on Idol's main forums), but I'm just going to talk about how contestants were viewed in the online / reviewer fandom. For the online fandom there were a few main sites of note

**MJs Big Blog**: MJ's Big Blog was the premiere place for any Idol news or spoilers for anything Idol related. Semifinalists, song selection, theme nights, guest mentors, you name it you would probably go to MJ's to check.

**DialIdol**: An unofficial voting and vote prediction service that tracked the busyness of phone lines to offer a prediction for the next night's eliminations. Though it was never a guarantee, typically the busier a phone line the more votes the contestant was getting and the safer they'd be.

**WNTS**: WhatNotToSing. An unofficial rating and stat tracking library for Idol. They also would compile ratings from across the Idol community and calculate a score for each performance. If you ever want to a waste an afternoon I highly recommend browsing through their records. A lot of my knowledge of Idol fandom was gained through their site and I have no doubt some of those articles were an inspiration for this write-up.

**VFTW**: Vote for the Worst. A website that would campaign for their proclaimed 'worst' contestant left in the competition. The site got most of its fame and notoriety for its campaign for Season 6 contestant Sanjaya Malakar. They were viewed as a mixed bag - they did the odd positive like revealing contestants with previous connections to producers. But they would also do things like release private photographs of contestants and even outed a few to the general public. There was some amusement in the idea of VFTW, but the site itself was a 2000's era reality TV paparazzi trash heap

### Other Notes

**Kristy Lee Cook's Prophecy**: A fun theory around Season 7 contestant Kristy Lee Cook's name and how it lined up with the next stretch of winners with David **Cook**, **Kris** Allen, and **Lee** DeWyze. Pushing it further also got to Scot**ty** McCreery. Put it all together and you get a fun (but rather surprising coincidence). There was also some tenuous linking to Phillip Phillips, but the theory was dead once a woman finally took the crown (Candice Glover).

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### Contestants

**Nikki McKibbin (3rd place)**

*[Melissa Etheridge - I'm The Only One](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCh_UAyl2VU)*

Nikki McKibbin may not the strongest technical vocalist of the batch, but was one of the first to show that Idol doesn't have to be all soul and R&B ballads. However as this was the 'talent' era, it was all about the voice and Nikki was viewed as overstaying her welcome against other 'more deserving' contestants (particularly with Tamyra Gray's elimination in the final 4). If she were in a later season I imagine she would've been received much more favourably. Unfortunately she passed away a few years back, but is remembered fondly for helping pave the way during Idol's beginnings.

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**Justin Guarini (Runner-up)**

*[Oleta Adams - Get Here](https://youtu.be/GnIzAuevpR8?t=49)*

[Removed due to pastebin filter]

**Kimberley Locke (3rd place)**

*[Freda Payne - Band of Gold](https://youtu.be/0bvfhN7lg1M?t=21)*

A common theme you'll see in future seasons is the impossible fight. A contestant stuck in a season with two popularity juggernauts such that the finale matchup already seems locked by the final 10. Sometimes the fans realize the best they can do is just keep holding on for one more week. Kimberly Locke was an amazing singer who was unfortunately up against an difficult task of competing against two of the most popular contestants of the time in Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. And despite holding on week in and week out her fans knew it was only a matter of time before she'd have to compete against them head-to-head. Final 3 night was looking to be a lost cause for her to advance regardless of what she did. But the show must go on and in her final performance episode delivered one of the best performances of the season. She went home as expected, but was at least able to end on an incredibly high note.

**LaToya London (4th place)**

*[Celine Dion - All By Myself](https://youtu.be/mNNw-vXSNlI?t=48)*

LaToya is the often forgotten 3rd member of the 3 final 7 women, which is a shame since her run on the show was probably the most consistently strong of the trio. A lot of the discourse of placements and deserving winners in the Idol fandom ends up being viewed through a post-show lens and although she didn't have the same success as JHud or Fantasia, her run on the show was filled with hardly a misstep. Unfortunately her performance during final 4 week was probably her weakest, leaving her vulnerable and going home. In a mini-repeat of top 7 week, she found herself back in the bottom with Fantasia and ultimately going home.

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**Constantine Maroulis (Season 4, 6th place)**

*[Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDqDIxIUZ7E)*

Constantine was one of the first men's rock contestants the show had . He had a fairly successful career in theatre after his time on the show and was included among the acclaimed post-show success group (though I wouldn't be shocked if non-watchers had forgotten his name by now). While cutting down a long song into the 90 second performance slot Idol gives you is almost always a bad idea, Constantine managed to make it somehow work. He gave a fantastically daring performance that set the bar high for the rockers coming after him.

**[Katharine McPhee](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUC_0kGf858)**

If you want an example of Idol's impact during its peak years, look no further than this performance. While the song wasn't a completely unknown pick, it had not properly broken through on the US Billboard charts. After Katharine's performance it rose into the top 20 and sat there for multiple weeks. Think of it as the early Glee effect. Katherine was known for be a hit-or-miss contestant with some of the season's best and worst performances, but she was an absolute hit here.

**Melinda Doolittle (3rd place)**

*[Bon Jovi - Have A Nice Day](https://youtu.be/Nz7o78eTMNk?t=54)*

Melinda was the easy front runner of the season. She had multiple flawless vocal performances and avoided any missteps all the way until the final 3.

In my opinion, Melinda's not regarded as one of the best vocalists because she could belt out the classics, but because she was able to belt out pretty much anything she was given to technical excellence. Bon Jovi night in season 6's top 6 is one of the more famous themes in the show's history for being a terrible idea on paper and a fantastic showing in practice. Despite being a self-admitted non-rock fan she killed the performance and gave one of the season's strongest showings.

Unfortunately in a shock elimination for the time, Blake and Jordin advanced to the finale over her.

Melinda also cohosted one of the more famous Idol recap shows back in the day with Michael Slezak, showing off her humourous side.


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**Michael Johns (Season 7, 8th place)**

*[Dolly Parton - It's All Wrong, But It's Alright](https://youtu.be/QziLUMolp4Q?t=37)*

Season 7's Top 8 night / Inspirational Week were multiple frontrunners came out with bad performances. Though Michael's wasn't amazing, his passable but forgettable Aerosmith cover was enough to send him home. In the previous season, Inspirational Week was a non-elimination but there was no safety net this time around as Michael was sent out in 8th place. There have been many frontrunners that have left before their time on the show, but Michael's marked a change you'll see next season with the judge's save being introduced. Unfortunately Michael is another contestant that has since passed away, but he's still remembered incredibly fondly for his time on the show.

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**Brooke White (5th place)**

Brooke was one of the first contestants to really take advantage of the instruments rule along with Jason Castro (4th) and the Davids. She offered a bit more of a folksy vibe that hadn't really succeeded on the show before and was a great showcaser of 'sometimes less is more'. Her semi-tribute to a certain someone on the judging panel really stood out from past performances, but she had a number of great weeks throughout her run. In the back half of the season her nerves tended to get the better of her, but when she shined she had a stellar voice, and fairly great sense of humour

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**[David Archuleta](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=farPiSrurds)**

David Archuleta is one of the strongest vocalists and one of the strongest teenage contestants to be on the show. His performance of Imagine in the semi-finals really pushed him to frontrunner status with his masterclass vocals. But unfortunately his biggest weakness was that his youth occasionally got the better of him, with a number of performances with forgotten lyrics. Coupled with some truly tepid song choices with frequent ballads that despite the amazing vocals, the other David ended up being more interesting to watchers and took the crown. I almost wish he waited a few more years as I feel like if he went on the show around 20 he could've absolutely demolished the competition.

David A's had a very solid under-the-radar post-show run. I'm almost always happy to see post-show Idol success and it's great to see when his songs pop up on the sub from time to time. He had one come out a few weeks ago that I'd recommend checking out!


**Alison Iraheta (Season 8, 4th place)**

*[Michael Jackson - Give Into Me](https://youtu.be/UO3OcbyHhwQ?list=PLEEC22A221DCF4E26&t=63)*

You may hear the term 'Kradison' tossed around when it comes to season 8. The term denotes the fan-favourite trio made up of Alison, Adam, and Kris, and is probably one of the most universally loved trios of the deeper Idol fandom. On the show's subreddit, [in a poll ranking every contestant across the show's 15 seasons, all three managed to place in the all time top 10](https://www.reddit.com/r/americanidol/comments/1ei9yge/with_52750_votes_cast_congratulations_to_the/) All three started in the same semi-final group together, and despite Kris and Alison getting almost no airtime, the trio managed to make it all the way to the final 4.

'Kradison' were viewed as to more or less be carrying the season on their backs. There were a couple of fine contestants in season 8, but either they peaked too early (Lil Rounds, Danny Gokey), were a bit too inconsistent (Anoop Desai, Matt Giraud) or were cut too early to make an impact (Alexis Grace, like 8 different semi-finalists). Kris and Alison also had the benefit of being the only two non- promoted finalists that escaped the semi-finals. And while Adam was heavily promo'd, he got some grace through his great vocals and captivating performances. Unfortunately, Alison was stuck with the Idol rock girl curse - falling into bottom 3 on an almost weekly basis. Sadly, during final 4 night she just couldn't outpace the fanbase of the other two (plus heavily promo'd contestant Danny Gokey) and was finally eliminated. The Idol fandom loves an underdog story and in a season rife with producer influence she became a holy grail for the hardcore watchers of the show in season 8.

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**Tori Kelly (Season 9, Hollywood Week)**

**[John Mayer - Gravity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbEwOvE_aYs)**

Tori Kelly for a while was the go-to example of contestants that the show foolishly passed over. In season 9 she got a little bit of audition promo, but was cut during Hollywood Week. Still she managed to forge a path on her own. She got a number of hits in the early 2010s (including an Ed Sheeran collab) and still puts out some great music to this day. Other notable artists also get brought up in this capacity such as [Remi Wolf](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FQi9usnlyk) and [Benson Boone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhIA8zDjJDs) who were on the show, but found success without its help.



**Casey James (Season 9, 3rd place)**

*[John Lennon - Jealous Guy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysO2s6MkoQc)*

*Post-Idol*

Casey was a good performer, but unfortunately kind of exemplified the issues of the era. He was skilled with his guitar and had some great vocals, but after nearly every performance on the guitar audiences grew tired. Still, his performance of Jealous Guy is easily one of the best of the season and if he was one or two seasons earlier may have been able to break into the finale.

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**Pia Toscano (9th place)**

*[Ike & Tina Turner - River Deep - Mountain High](https://youtu.be/SDt2q8D-tsQ?t=95)*

Pia is a textbook example of why a fanbase should never get complacent, no matter how much of a front-runner one might seem. She finally performed an upbeat number, rocking out with the same vocal perfection to River Deep - Mountain High. Like her past performances she effortlessly nailed the vocals. The top 9 night featured a number of strong performances all around. As the judges had used their save on Casey Abrams a few weeks before, there was nothing to do but watch Pia get eliminated in a shocking 9th place finish.

**James Durbin (4th place)**

*[Carole King - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s5MCQnadjM)*

James is a bit of an oddity in the history of Idol runs as one of Idol's few contestants willing to jump headfirst into metal and hard rock. Adam had briefly flirted with the sound in season 8, but actually tackling artists like Judas Priest and Sammy Hangar on the main stage was a new experience for the show. And while I'd hardly call this area of music the preferred genre of the Idol audience, James performed all of his songs with such tenacity that he came out as one of the season's frontrunners. Though despite the love and proficiency with heavy rock, his most remembered performance to this day was probably his fantastic rockier twist on Carole King's classic. Despite his frontrunner status and a solid performance on top 4 night, he was eliminated in a fairly surprising turn of events.

**Lauren Alaina (Runner-up)**

*[Carrie Underwood - Flat on the Floor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5v9ukpuOl4)*

If there was any way to describe Lauren's run on the show it was 'consistently good'. She never really had a trainwreck worthy moment on the show. But at the same time, was often comfortable sticking in her country lane. Maybe if she could've had a Carrie moment where she broke out of her country box she could've snuck out with the win, but as it was she just couldn't beat Scotty in votes when it came down to pure country. Speaking of Carrie - Lauren's best of the season was probably covering one of her songs. Lauren's done really well for herself post-Idol, with a number of country hits and collaborations. She may not have hit Carrie's level, but she's probably the closest female country contestant to do so - which is still no easy feat.

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**Elise Testone (6th place)**

*[Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love]()*

The rocker chick is always a hard niche to occupy on the show. As with past contestants like Alison, even if you give some of the season's best performances you're often left as a frequent visitor of the bottom 3. And to many, Elise's Whole Lotta Love was the season's best performance. But in a field as solid as this year's top 7 any off week can send you home and Elise

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**Hollie Cavanagh (4th place)**

*[Miley Cyrus - The Climb (Top 4, exit performance)](https://youtu.be/p7DljsaYXMg?t=117)*

I'll be honest - if someone else was writing this introduction I doubt they would've even touched on Hollie, but I'd be a bad Idol fan if I didn't find a way to plug my season faves in at least some capacity. As contestants were ineligible to compete again once they became semi-finalists, very rarely do you get good multi-season story arcs on Idol. Hollie's story first began back on season 10 where she auditioned with a somewhat strained version of At Last, before recomposing herself with a solid rendition of The Climb which was enough to send her to Hollywood. From there she managed to find her footing and made it safely through Hollywood week, before being one of the final cuts before the semi-finals with the judges commentating that in a year or two she could easily come back and win the competition. Enter season 11 Hollie, though she had little screen time she managed to make her way past Hollywood and into the semi-finals.

Her three competitors all had showstopping performances that night while Hollie gave a solid performance. Sending her home after so many trips to the bottom it was finally her time to go. In one of the more emotional elimination performances she did one final performance of The Climb to end her time on the show, leaving tears in her fellow competitors' eyes.

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**Joshua Ledet (3rd place)**

*[Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves a Woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfa3D3mjCuM)*

Joshua was known for his signature rasp and fantastic voice. Though he didn't get any audition coverage, he made waves during Hollywood Week. He had a number of great performances, but the emotions he expressed on Percy Sledge's classic track were more than enough to make it an early standout of the season.

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**Jessica Sanchez (2nd place)**

[*Jazmine Sullivan - Stuttering*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8v1P8oGTCA)

Jessica is one of the few contestants from this era of the show to actually make good use out of getting saved by the judges. Teenage contestants are always a real risk when it comes on performing on stage due to lack of experience, but Jessica never came off as anything less than an expert. Her performance of Whitney's famous cover of IWALY was nothing less than technically perfect, and she managed to break past the 'great vocals, terrible presentation' that a lot of younger contestants fall into. She was eliminated surprisingly in the show's Top 7 round with the one of the best performances of the night covering Jazmine Sullivan, but was the save for the season and managed to make it all the way to the finale. Due to Phillip's hit-or-miss vocals, many were calling on her to be the deserved winner of the season, but things rarely work that cleanly.

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**Angie Miller (Top 3)**

*[You Set Me Free](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odNdSaKDe8U) (Original)*

In Hollywood, Angie performed an original song for the judges - a rarity for the show. On occasion you get an original done for an audition, but rarely past that stage. It was titled 'You Set Me Free' and it struck enough of a chord with the audience to propel Angie to early front-runner status. As the artistry era of the show was still in full effect it only made sense that the next step would be tackling original music. Unfortunately while Angie was a solid contestant she never did match up to the hype of this performance in the live shows. Contrary to the title it left anvil over her head that she never did fully surpass.

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**Caleb Johnson (Winner)**

*[Led Zeppelin - Dazed and Confused](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6meqeSL3Ug)*

Funny enough Caleb was the only of the frontrunning four not to perform an original song. That probably should've been the first sign that the following era wasn't going to follow that path.

Though this was Caleb's 4th time auditioning for the show, he did not have the same multi-season story arc as Candice did, but it's still an interesting thing to note.

**Clark Beckham (Runner-up)**

*[Foy Vance - Make It Rain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwXIBKzvB58)*

I don't have too much to say about Clark other than he was seemingly the favourite to win the season. Though with his old school vocals he may not have been able to pull off the same modernity that the rest of the top 4 had.

**Nick Fradiani (Winner)**

Nick falls within the Phillip Phillips category of always being good enough but rarely great. I don't think he gave a single 'bad' performance on the show, but at the same time never really came close to the level of show stoppers. Much like P2, he also ended up with a better-than-average coronation song which made picking him an easy option for a radio hit over the piano heavy Clark.


**La'Porsha Renae (Season 15, Runner-up)**

La'Porsha fills the role of our technically proficient early female frontrunner that remains consistently strong throughout the competition but ultimately doesn't win. Though Trent did offer up some real competition near the end. Her performance of Diamonds at the start of the finals is one of her standout moments on the show.