American Idol (season 7)

The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008, and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total in the show's history. The split was 56 to 44%.

American Idol
Season 7
Hosted byRyan Seacrest
JudgesPaula Abdul
Simon Cowell
Randy Jackson
WinnerDavid Cook
Runner-upDavid Archuleta
Finals venueNokia Theatre L.A. Live
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseJanuary 15 (2008-01-15) 
May 21, 2008 (2008-05-21)
Season chronology

The seventh season was the first season during which neither the winner nor the runner-up was ever in the bottom group during any week before the finale on May 21, 2008. It was also the second season during which both the winner and the runner-up were male contestants, with the second season being the first.

Changes from past seasons

Prior to the start of the seventh season, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that the sixth season had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants.[1] Changes were planned for the seventh season designed to return attention to the contestants by providing more information on their backgrounds and families.

A major change for the seventh season was allowing contestants to play musical instruments,[2][3] an element that originated on Australian Idol and can also be seen on Norway's Idol and Canadian Idol. A brand new set was built, and a new introduction credit sequence was created. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, which would be the venue for the live series finale for the next six years.

Regional auditions

For the seventh season, auditions began in San Diego, California, on July 30, 2007, and continued in these cities:[4]

Episode air date Audition city Date First audition venue Callback date Callback venue Golden tickets
January 15, 2008 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[5] August 27, 2007 Wachovia Center September 1–2, 2007 Hyatt Regency[6] 29
January 16, 2008 Dallas, Texas[7] August 6, 2007 Texas Stadium September 20–23, 2007 W Hotel Dallas Victory[8] 24
January 22, 2008 San Diego, California[9] July 30, 2007 Qualcomm Stadium September 12–13, 2007 Rancho Bernardo Inn[10] 31
January 23, 2008 Charleston, South Carolina [11] August 18, 2007 North Charleston Coliseum September 6–7, 2007 Charleston Area Convention Center[12] 23
January 29, 2008 Omaha, Nebraska[13] August 10, 2007 Qwest Center Omaha October 5–6, 2007 Qwest Convention Center[14] 19
January 30, 2008 Miami, Florida[15] August 22, 2007 American Airlines Arena September 29–30, 2007 JW Marriott Hotel[16] 17
February 5, 2008 Atlanta, Georgia[17] August 14, 2007 Georgia Dome October 8–10, 2007 Georgia International Convention Center[18][19] 21
Total Tickets to Hollywood 164

Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 28, 2007, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible include former contestants who had previously reached the semifinal of the first through third seasons, or the last phase of Hollywood round of fourth through sixth seasons (top 44 of the fourth and fifth seasons, top 40 of the sixth season), those holding recording or management contracts, or those who were not US citizens or landed immigrants (i.e. permanent residents).

One auditioner this year, Alexis Cohen, gained media attention due to her outraged reaction and profuse profanities after the judges rejected her in the Philadelphia audition.[20] She also returned in season eight to audition in New York and her audition was featured. She was later found dead in a hit-and-run accident.[21]

Another auditioner who gained some public attention was Renaldo Lapuz, who sang his own composition "We're Brothers Forever", which he wrote for Simon Cowell. He was later asked to return to perform in the finale.

Hollywood week

The Hollywood week took place at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California, over a period of five days. A total of 164 contestants were invited from the seven audition cities. This year, the process was altered slightly to ensure that no talent would be prematurely dismissed. The contestants were allowed two performances before elimination, and the group round was removed.

The first round of individual performances lasted two days. For the first time ever, contestants had the option of either being accompanied by the band or playing an instrument themselves. Some were shown playing the keyboard, guitar, or even the drums. If the judges approved of the contestants performances, they received a "free pass" to the third and final round of performances, and 48 contestants were given this "free pass". Unlike previous seasons, contestants whose performances not considered good enough were given a second chance in the second round. They lined up on stage in groups of 10 and each sang a short segment of a song a cappella. After each group had finished, the judges cut those they felt not talented enough. Almost 100 were eliminated in this round.

In the final round, all the remaining contestants performed individually a song chosen from a large list of songs provided, accompanied by the band and three backup singers. After each performance, the judges decided whether or not to cut the contestant. By the end of the day, only 50 contestants remained. The judges then deliberated further on who should be in the top 24, and their decision was revealed the next day in the" Green Mile" episode.

One of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood week was Josiah Leming, whose unhappiness with the backing band resulted in him dismissing the band. He was cut in the "Green Mile" episode. Another piece of drama involved contestant Kyle Ensley when Simon Cowell voiced strong objection over him not being selected for the semifinals. His nonselection was later revealed to have resulted in serious rift between Simon Cowell and the show producer Nigel Lythgoe.[22]

Semifinalists

  • Daniel 'Danny' Noriega (born September 29, 1989 in Azusa, California, 18 at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego. He previously auditioned for Idol in the sixth season and made it to Hollywood week, but was cut in the first round. His elimination song was Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love". Shortly following his elimination, Noriega received an offer from Rosie O'Donnell to perform on her cruise.[23]
  • Luke Menard (29 at the time of the show) auditioned in Omaha with "Bend and Break" by Keane. In Hollywood, he sang "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" by Christopher Cross and "Grace Kelly" by Mika. He auditioned for the sixth season in Memphis and sang "How Deep Is Your Love", but did not make it to Hollywood. Prior to the seventh season of Idol, he was a member of the a cappella group Chapter 6.
  • Robert "Robbie" Carrico (26 at the time of the show) is from Melbourne, Florida, and auditioned for the show in Miami. His professional singing career prior to American Idol includes being a member of the pop group Boyz N Girlz United, which opened for Britney Spears during her "...Baby One More Time Tour" in 1999.[24][25]
  • Jason Yeager[26] (28 at the time of the show) is from Grand Prairie, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas. He appeared and was a finalist on the first season of Making the Band, the MTV reality show that led to the formation of boy band O-Town.
  • Colton Berry (18 at the time of the show) is from Staunton, Virginia. He auditioned in Charleston.
  • Garrett Haley (17 at the time of the show) is from Elida, Ohio.[27] He auditioned in San Diego.
  • Asia'h Epperson (19 at the time of the show) is from Joplin, Missouri, and auditioned in Atlanta singing "How Do I Live." Two days before the auditions, her father died in a car accident. Her elimination song was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston.
  • Kady Malloy (18 at the time of the show) is from Houston, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas. She became known on the show for her impersonation of Britney Spears and can also impersonate several other artists. Malloy is trained in opera singing. Her elimination song was "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen. She has released several songs to her MySpace and shot a video for a cover of "Time After Time" with Colton Berry. Simon's comment after her audition was: "Out of all of the people we have seen during this season you are the best."
  • Alaina Whitaker (17 at the time of the show) is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and auditioned in Dallas. She was a member of the female country group Della Rose along with Andrea Young and Erin James. Before the show, her sister and she won a talent competition in Tulsa. Her group Della Rose was working on their debut album in Nashville before they disbanded. The group has opened up for several major country acts including Travis Tritt, and Keith Anderson, who was also known as the group's mentor.
  • Alexandréa Lushington (17 at the time of the show) is from Douglasville, Georgia, and auditioned in Atlanta. In 2004, she sang against fellow Idol semifinalist David Archuleta on an episode of the television show Star Search.[25]
  • Joanne Borgella (25 at the time of the show) was a model from Hoboken, New Jersey, who auditioned in Philadelphia. Before auditioning for Idol, she appeared in and won Mo'Nique's Fat Chance.
  • Amy Davis (25 at the time of the show) is professional model from Lowell, Indiana, who auditioned in Dallas.

Semifinals

Top 24 – 1960s

Order Males Females
ContestantSong (original artist)ResultContestantSong (original artist)Result
1David Hernandez"In the Midnight Hour" (Wilson Pickett)SafeKristy Lee Cook"Rescue Me" (Fontella Bass)Safe
2Chikezie"More Today Than Yesterday" (The Spiral Starecase)SafeJoanne Borgella"I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick)Eliminated
3David Cook"Happy Together" (The Turtles)SafeAlaina Whitaker"More Today Than Yesterday" (The Spiral Starecase)Safe
4Jason Yeager"Moon River" (Andy Williams)SafeAmanda Overmyer"Baby, Please Don't Go" (Big Joe Williams)Safe
5Robbie Carrico"One" (Harry Nilsson)SafeAmy Davis"Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis)Eliminated
6David Archuleta"Shop Around" (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)SafeBrooke White"Happy Together" (The Turtles)Safe
7Danny Noriega"Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley)SafeAlexandréa Lushington"Spinning Wheel" (Blood, Sweat & Tears)Safe
8Luke Menard"Everybody's Talkin'" (Fred Neil)SafeKady Malloy"A Groovy Kind of Love" (The Mindbenders)Safe
9Colton Berry"Suspicious Minds" (Mark James)EliminatedAsia'h Epperson"Piece of My Heart" (Erma Franklin)Safe
10Garrett Haley"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Neil Sedaka)EliminatedRamiele Malubay"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield)Safe
11Jason Castro"Daydream" (The Lovin' Spoonful)SafeSyesha Mercado"Tobacco Road" (John D. Loudermilk)Safe
12Michael Johns"Light My Fire" (The Doors)SafeCarly Smithson"The Shadow of Your Smile" (Tony Bennett)Safe

Top 20 – 1970s

Order Males Females
ContestantSong (original artist)ResultContestantSong (original artist)Result
1Michael Johns"Go Your Own Way" (Fleetwood Mac)SafeCarly Smithson"Crazy on You" (Heart)Safe
2Jason Castro"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (Andy Gibb)SafeSyesha Mercado"Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul)Safe
3Luke Menard"Killer Queen" (Queen)SafeBrooke White"You're So Vain" (Carly Simon)Safe
4Robbie Carrico"Hot Blooded" (Foreigner)EliminatedRamiele Malubay"Don't Leave Me This Way" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes)Safe
5Danny Noriega"Superstar" (Delaney & Bonnie)SafeKristy Lee Cook"You're No Good" (Betty Everett)Safe
6David Hernandez"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (The Undisputed Truth)SafeAmanda Overmyer"Carry On Wayward Son" (Kansas)Safe
7Jason Yeager"Long Train Running" (The Doobie Brothers)EliminatedAlaina Whitaker"Hopelessly Devoted to You" (Olivia Newton-John)Eliminated
8Chikezie"I Believe to My Soul" (Donny Hathaway)SafeAlexandréa Lushington"If You Leave Me Now" (Chicago)Eliminated
9David Cook"All Right Now" (Free)SafeKady Malloy"Magic Man" (Heart)Safe
10David Archuleta"Imagine" (John Lennon)SafeAsia'h Epperson"All by Myself" (Eric Carmen)Safe

Top 16 – 1980s

Order Males Females
ContestantSong (original artist)ResultContestantSong (original artist)Result
1Luke Menard"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (Wham!)EliminatedAsia'h Epperson"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (Whitney Houston)Eliminated
2David Archuleta"Another Day in Paradise" (Phil Collins)SafeKady Malloy"Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen)Eliminated
3Danny Noriega"Tainted Love" (Gloria Jones)EliminatedAmanda Overmyer"I Hate Myself for Loving You" (Joan Jett)Safe
4David Hernandez"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Pandora's Box)SafeCarly Smithson"I Drove All Night" (Cyndi Lauper)Safe
5Michael Johns"Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds)SafeKristy Lee Cook"Faithfully" (Journey)Safe
6David Cook"Hello" (Lionel Richie)SafeRamiele Malubay"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins)Safe
7Jason Castro"Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen)SafeBrooke White"Love Is a Battlefield" (Pat Benatar)Safe
8Chikezie"All the Man That I Need" (Linda Clifford)SafeSyesha Mercado"Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston)Safe

Finalists

David Cook

David Cook (born December 20, 1982 in Houston, Texas, 24 at the time of the auditions and 25 at the time of the show) is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, who auditioned in Omaha with Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer". Cook's interest in music began early in life; he received his first guitar at the age of 2.[28] He formed a band while still at high school called Axium, which was chosen as the best band in Kansas City in 2004. He later joined Midwest Kings in Tulsa, but left to pursue a solo project where he released an album titled Analog Heart. Prior to Idol, he worked as a bartender at the "Blank Slate" in Tulsa, where he also occasionally played shows. He enjoys doing crossword puzzles in his spare time and calls himself a "word nerd".[28] His Hollywood performance of Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" did not impress Simon Cowell, but did so with his second performance, Edwin McCain's "I'll Be". He wore an orange wristband to support a seven-year-old fan with leukemia from top-12 week onward. He was never in the "bottom three". On May 21, 2008, he was declared the winner. He was signed to RCA Records and released a self-titled album on November 18, 2008.

David Archuleta

David Archuleta (born December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida, 16 at the time of the auditions and 17 at the time of the show) is from Murray, Utah, who auditioned in San Diego with John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". In 2003, at the age of 12, he sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search[25] and went on to win the season finale and the $100,000 grand prize.[29] In one episode, he competed against Alexandréa Lushington, who was a fellow semifinalist this season. He suffered from vocal paralysis after that show, which affected one of his vocal cords. He impressed the judges with his performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Bryan Adams's "Heaven" during the Hollywood round. He was never in the "bottom three" and finished as the season-seven runner-up. He was signed to Jive Records.

Syesha Mercado

Syesha Mercado (born January 2, 1987 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 21 at the time of the show) is from Sarasota, Florida, who auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Think". She is a student at Florida International University and has been singing and dancing since she was a child. During Hollywood week, she became ill and almost completely lost her voice. In preparation for her final Hollywood performance with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", she went on voice rest and wrote down everything she had to say on a pad of paper. Prior to American Idol, she appeared on the short-lived US version of Star Academy (known as The One: Making a Music Star when it aired on ABC in July 2006 for two weeks). Kara DioGuardi, who was one of the coaches on the Endemol franchise, joined Idol for season eight.[30] She was voted off as a third-place finisher.

Jason Castro

Jason Castro (born March 25, 1987, 20 at the time of the show) from Rockwall, Texas auditioned in Dallas with Keith Urban's "Once in a Lifetime" and Ray LaMontagne's version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy". He started in music playing the drums. In high school, he played for a band, Keeping Lions, which has since disbanded.[31] In 2006, he appeared on Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality TV series, as her real-life dating interest. Castro is the first person in his family, which is originally from Colombia, to be born in the United States. He is a student at Texas A&M University, with a construction science major and music minor. He began growing his hair out for dreadlocks during his senior year of high school. He exited the competition in fourth place.

Brooke White

Brooke White (born June 2, 1983 in Mesa, Arizona, 24 at time of the show) was a nanny from Van Nuys, California; she auditioned in Philadelphia with Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like a Star". During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, prompting Cowell to state that the show will "bring her over to the dark side." In 2005, she released an album titled Songs from the Attic under New Millennium Records. She performed Carole King's "Beautiful" on Hollywood week. She finished in fifth place. After the contest, she started her own record label, June Baby Records, with Randy Jackson, and released an album, High Hopes & Heartbreak.

Carly Smithson

Carly Smithson (born as Carly Hennessy on September 12, 1983, in Dublin, Ireland, 24 at the time of the show) is a professional singer and bartender/waitress from San Diego, where she has been living for the past three years. Smithson previously signed a recording contract with major US label MCA Records and released an album in 2001 entitled Ultimate High under her birth name, Carly Hennessy. The album sold about 300 copies in the first three months following its release. Smithson was originally auditioned in Las Vegas during the fifth season, but was dropped from the show due to a problem with her visa. She auditioned in San Diego with Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman", and performed Leo Sayer's version of "When I Need You" and Heart's version of "Alone" in the Hollywood rounds. She finished sixth in the show.

Kristy Lee Cook

Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984, 24 at the time of the show) is a horse trainer from Selma, Oregon. She sold her prized horse to afford the trip to audition in Philadelphia, where she auditioned with "Amazing Grace", a song she also performed during the Hollywood week. In 2001, she was signed to a major label, Arista Nashville.[25][32] Cook also signed with Britney Spears' production company, and Spears herself was supposed to have a cameo in Cook's first video.[25][32] At the time of signing, she was managed by the former manager of LeAnn Rimes.[25][32]

Michael Johns

Michael Johns (October 20, 1978 – August 1, 2014, born as Michael Lee in Perth, Western Australia, aged 29 at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego with Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long". He moved to the U.S. from Australia in 1998 and lived in Buckhead, Atlanta for six years, performing at local venues solo and with local band Film. Afterwards, he lived in Los Angeles. After recording a demo and traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he signed with Maverick Records and formed a rock band called The Rising.[33] Before focusing on his singing career, he was a sportsman, winning a tennis scholarship[34] and playing Australian rules football for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras.[35] During the Hollywood round, he performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" but it was his performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody that was one of the highlights of that week. He was eliminated on April 10 and finished in eighth place. Johns died on August 1, 2014, making him the first American Idol finalist to die.[36]

Ramiele Malubay

Ramiele Malubay (born September 6, 1987 in Saudi Arabia,[37] 20 at the time of that show) Filipino-American from Miramar, Florida, auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman". Prior to auditioning on Idol, she was a nursing student at Broward Community College and worked part-time at a sushi restaurant. She started Polynesian dancing when she was in the first grade and started singing at the age of 12. Since the age of 12, Ramiele has sung at various Filipino-American events.[38] She performed Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me" and The Kiki Dee Band's "I've Got The Music In Me" at the Hollywood rounds. She was eliminated in ninth place.

Chikezie

Chikezie (born Chikezie Eze on September 11, 1985 in Inglewood, California, 22 at the time of that show) is a Nigerian American from Inglewood, California, who auditioned in San Diego with Luther Vandross's version of "All the Woman I Need". During the competition, he dropped using his last name because it was so frequently mispronounced ('eh-zee' and not 'EE-zee').[39] He previously auditioned for the show's sixth season, and made it into the Hollywood round, where he was cut before the top 44. Before auditioning for Idol, he worked as a Transportation Security Administration officer at Los Angeles International Airport.

Amanda Overmyer

Amanda Overmyer (born October 26, 1984, 23 at the time of that show) is a Harley-riding nurse is from Mulberry, Indiana, who auditioned in Atlanta with Janis Joplin's "Turtle Blues" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band". She received a nursing degree from Ivy Tech Community College and deals predominantly in respiratory issues. She has been the lead singer of several local hard rock bands, including Steeleto and Ruinaces. A week before the Hollywood week, she was injured in a serious car accident. She performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" at the Hollywood rounds. After the season ended, she married her fiancé Casey Taylor.

David Hernandez

David Hernandez (born May 31, 1983 in Glendale, Arizona, 24 at the time of that show) is from Glendale, Arizona, and auditioned with The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". He was a student at Arizona State University with a major in broadcast journalism. He gave up his apartment to move to Hollywood. Until September 30, 2007, Hernandez worked as a male stripper named "Caden" at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix, Arizona, performing fully nude and giving lap dances to male patrons.[40] This did not prevent him from being on the show.[41][42] He performed Stephen Stills's "Love the One You're With" on Hollywood week. He was voted off in 12th place.

Finals

Top 12 – Lennon–McCartney Songbook

Order Contestant Song Result
1Syesha Mercado"Got to Get You into My Life"Bottom 3
2Chikezie"She's a Woman"Safe
3Ramiele Malubay"In My Life"Safe
4Jason Castro"If I Fell"Safe
5Carly Smithson"Come Together"Safe
6David Cook"Eleanor Rigby"Safe
7Brooke White"Let It Be"Safe
8David Hernandez"I Saw Her Standing There"Eliminated
9Amanda Overmyer"You Can't Do That"Safe
10Michael Johns"Across the Universe"Safe
11Kristy Lee Cook"Eight Days a Week"Bottom 2
12David Archuleta"We Can Work It Out"Safe

Top 11 – The Beatles

Order Contestant Song Result
1Amanda Overmyer"Back in the U.S.S.R."Eliminated
2Kristy Lee Cook"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away"Bottom 2
3David Archuleta"The Long and Winding Road"Safe
4Michael Johns"A Day in the Life"Safe
5Brooke White"Here Comes the Sun"Safe
6David Cook"Day Tripper"Safe
7Carly Smithson"Blackbird"Bottom 3
8Jason Castro"Michelle"Safe
9Syesha Mercado"Yesterday"Safe
10Chikezie"I've Just Seen a Face"Safe
11Ramiele Malubay"I Should Have Known Better"Safe

Top 10 – Year They Were Born

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Year Result
1Ramiele Malubay"Alone" (i-TEN)1987Safe
2Jason Castro"Fragile" (Sting)1987Bottom 3
3Syesha Mercado"If I Were Your Woman" (Gladys Knight & the Pips)1987Bottom 2
4Chikezie"If Only for One Night" (Luther Vandross)1985Eliminated
5Brooke White"Every Breath You Take" (The Police)1983Safe
6Michael Johns"We Will Rock You" / "We Are the Champions" medley (Queen)1978Safe
7Carly Smithson"Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler)1983Safe
8David Archuleta"You're the Voice" (John Farnham)1990Safe
9Kristy Lee Cook"God Bless the USA" (Lee Greenwood)1984Safe
10David Cook"Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson)1982Safe

Top 9 – Dolly Parton

Mentor: Dolly Parton

Order Contestant Song Result
1Brooke White"Jolene"Bottom 3
2David Cook"Little Sparrow"Safe
3Ramiele Malubay"Do I Ever Cross Your Mind"Eliminated
4Jason Castro"Travelin' Thru"Safe
5Carly Smithson"Here You Come Again"Safe
6David Archuleta"Smoky Mountain Memories"Safe
7Kristy Lee Cook"Coat of Many Colors"Bottom 2
8Syesha Mercado"I Will Always Love You"Safe
9Michael Johns"It's All Wrong, But It's All Right"Safe

Top 8 – Inspirational Music

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1Michael Johns"Dream On" (Aerosmith)Eliminated
2Syesha Mercado"I Believe" (Fantasia)Bottom 3
3Jason Castro"Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland)Safe
4Kristy Lee Cook"Anyway" (Martina McBride)Safe
5David Cook"Innocent" (Our Lady Peace)Safe
6Carly Smithson"The Show Must Go On" (Queen)Bottom 3
7David Archuleta"Angels" (Robbie Williams)Safe
8Brooke White"You've Got a Friend" (Carole King)Safe

Top 7 – Mariah Carey

Mentor: Mariah Carey

Order Contestant Song (original artist when applicable) Result
1David Archuleta"When You Believe" (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston)Safe
2Carly Smithson"Without You" (Badfinger)Safe
3Syesha Mercado"Vanishing"Bottom 3
4Brooke White"Hero"Bottom 2
5Kristy Lee Cook"Forever"Eliminated
6David Cook"Always Be My Baby"Safe
7Jason Castro"I Don't Wanna Cry"Safe

Top 6 – Andrew Lloyd Webber

Mentor: Andrew Lloyd Webber

Order Contestant Song (production) Result
1Syesha Mercado"One Rock & Roll Too Many" (from Starlight Express)Bottom 2
2Jason Castro"Memory" (from Cats)Safe
3Brooke White"You Must Love Me" (from Evita)Safe
4David Archuleta"Think of Me" (from The Phantom of the Opera)Safe
5Carly Smithson"Superstar" (from Jesus Christ Superstar)Eliminated
6David Cook"The Music of the Night" (from The Phantom of the Opera)Safe

Top 5 – Neil Diamond

Mentor: Neil Diamond

Each contestant sang two songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist when applicable) Result
1Jason Castro"Forever in Blue Jeans"Safe
2David Cook"I'm Alive"Safe
3Brooke White"I'm a Believer" (The Monkees)Eliminated
4David Archuleta"Sweet Caroline"Safe
5Syesha Mercado"Hello Again"Safe
6Jason Castro"September Morn"Safe
7David Cook"All I Really Need Is You"Safe
8Brooke White"I Am...I Said"Eliminated
9David Archuleta"America"Safe
10Syesha Mercado"Thank the Lord for the Night Time"Safe

Top 4 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Each contestant sang two songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1David Cook"Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran)Safe
2Syesha Mercado"Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)Safe
3Jason Castro"I Shot the Sheriff" (Bob Marley)Eliminated
4David Archuleta"Stand by Me" (Ben E. King)Safe
5David Cook"Baba O'Riley" (The Who)Safe
6Syesha Mercado"A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)Safe
7Jason Castro"Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan)Eliminated
8David Archuleta"Love Me Tender" (Elvis Presley)Safe

Top 3 – Judges' choice, Contestant's choice & Producer's Choice

Each contestant sang three songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist) — Judge Result
1David Archuleta"And So It Goes" (Billy Joel) — Paula AbdulSafe
2Syesha Mercado"If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys) — Randy JacksonEliminated
3David Cook"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Peggy Seeger) — Simon CowellSafe
4David Archuleta"With You" (Chris Brown)Safe
5Syesha Mercado"Fever" (Little Willie John)Eliminated
6David Cook"Dare You to Move" (Switchfoot)Safe
7David Archuleta"Longer" (Dan Fogelberg)Safe
8Syesha Mercado"Hit Me Up" (Gia Farrell)Eliminated
9David Cook"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith)Safe

Finale – Clive Davis' choice, New Song & Contestant's Choice

Each contestant sang three songs.

Order Contestant Song (original artist) Result
1David Cook"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2)Winner
2David Archuleta"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Elton John)Runner-Up
3David Cook"Dream Big"Winner
4David Archuleta"In This Moment"Runner-Up
5David Cook"The World I Know" (Collective Soul) Winner
6David Archuleta"Imagine" (John Lennon)Runner-Up

Elimination chart

Legend
Female Male Top 24 Top 12 Winner
Safe Safe First Safe Last Eliminated
Stage: Semi Finals Finals
Week: 2/21 2/28 3/6 3/12 3/19 3/26 4/2 4/10[lower-alpha 1] 4/16 4/23 4/30 5/7 5/14 5/21
Place Contestant Result
1 David Cook Winner
2 David Archuleta Runner-Up
3 Syesha Mercado Bottom 3 Bottom 2 Bottom 3 Bottom 3 Bottom 2 Elim
4 Jason Castro Bottom 3 Elim
5 Brooke White Bottom 3 Bottom 2 Elim
6 Carly Smithson Bottom 3 Bottom 3 Elim
7 Kristy Lee Cook Bottom 2 Bottom 2 Bottom 2 Elim
8 Michael Johns Elim
9 Ramiele Malubay Elim
10 Chikezie Elim
11 Amanda Overmyer Elim
12 David Hernandez Elim
13–16 Danny Noriega Elim
Asia'h Epperson
Luke Menard
Kady Malloy Bottom 3
17–20 Robbie Carrico Elim
Alaina Whitaker
Alexandréa Lushington
Jason Yeager
21–24 Colton Berry Elim
Joanne Borgella
Amy Davis
Garrett Haley
  1. Due to the Idol Gives Back special airing on the show's regular Wednesday results night, which was April 9. The results show was moved to Thursday, April 10.

Results night performances

During the Hollywood weeks, "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras played when contestants were eliminated, while "Best Days" by Graham Colton was the elimination song for the semi-finals round. For the finals, season 2 winner Ruben Studdard remade Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" as the exit song.

Group song

The contestants also performed medleys of songs from that week's theme.

Finale

Other performances

Guest artists may perform songs to promote their work or the show itself, or for charitable purpose. Most performed on the result shows, except for Ruben Studdard at the end of the Top 2 performance show and those on the Idol Gives Back special. Included is a list of those songs with the impact of performance on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs chart for the week. See Idol Gives Back for the list of performances in that special episode.

WeekPerformer(s)TitleHot 100 Reaction
(chart position)
Hot Digital Songs Reaction[43]
(chart position, sales for week)
Top 24Paula Abdul
Randy Jackson
"Dance Like There's No Tomorrow"
(video premiere)
62 (+18 – new peak)36 – 32,215 (+559%)
Top 20No guest performer
Top 16Blake Lewis"How Many Words"128 – 10,182 (+999%)
Top 12Katharine McPhee
David Foster (piano)
"Something"No legal digital release
Top 11Kellie Pickler"Red High Heels"Ineligible to re-enter
Top 10Kimberley Locke"Fall"
Top 9The Clark Brothers"This Little Light of Mine"
Dolly Parton"Jesus and Gravity"
Top 8Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown"No Air"3 (+4 – new peak)4 – 153,648 (+34%)
Top 7Elliott Yamin"Free"
Mariah Carey"Bye Bye"23 (debut)11 – 60,037 (+999%)
Top 6Leona Lewis"Bleeding Love"1 (4th week as number 1)1 – 235,880 (+30%)
Top 5Natasha Bedingfield"Pocketful of Sunshine"8 (+11 – new peak)4 – 134,830 (+110%)
Neil Diamond"Pretty Amazing Grace"
Top 4Maroon 5"If I Never See Your Face Again"57 (debut)21 – 42,983 (+999%)
Bo Bice"Witness"
Top 3Fantasia"Bore Me (Yawn)"No legal digital release
Top 2Ruben Studdard"Celebrate Me Home"—*
"—" denotes songs that did not chart

*"Celebrate Me Home" was removed from iTunes the day after it was performed. It reached the top 60 before it was removed.

Idol Gives Back

The "Idol Gives Back" initiative returned on April 9 for a second year, with a special start time of 7:30 p.m. ET, running for 150 minutes. Again, proceeds will go to children's charities in Africa and the United States. Unlike "Idol Gives Back 2007" when no finalist was eliminated (and two were eliminated in the following week), Michael Johns was eliminated during "Idol Gives Back 2008."

Controversies

  • Season 7 contestant Carly Smithson stirred up controversy due to a prior major label record deal she had with MCA Records. It has been reported that MCA spent over 2 million dollars promoting Smithson's previous album "Ultimate High," which she made under the name Carly Hennessy. The album only sold 378 copies but is now available on iTunes. To further complicate things, Randy Jackson worked for MCA during the same period of time that Smithson was signed. The media noted that several of the other season 7 semi-finalists had previously also had record deals, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, and Michael Johns (David Cook released an independent solo album 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). According to a poll conducted by AOL Television, 63 percent of those polled believed that contestants who have already had record deals should not be contestants on American Idol.[44] However, Idol rules state that contestants are eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins, irrespective of any past contracts.
  • David Hernandez was revealed by VotefortheWorst.com to have worked as a stripper in Phoenix, AZ. According to the owner of Dick's Cabaret, David's job included a routine featuring full nudity and performing lap dances for male clientele.[45]
  • On the show of April 29, the five remaining contestants each sang two songs. Diverting from their usual format, due to time constraints, the judges' critiques after each performance were instead to be bundled until after both songs were performed. However, after the first round had finished, host Ryan Seacrest asked for comments, and judge Paula Abdul, in discussing Jason Castro, delivered feedback on his second song before he had performed it. This has led to speculation that the show is scripted or rigged.[46] The next day, Abdul claimed on Seacrest's radio show that she listened to the performance in rehearsal and in the rushed atmosphere of the show was confused and thought she was supposed to critique both.[47]
  • The presence of David Archuleta's father was a matter of some discussion and he was banned from providing his son with musical input during his song preparation.[48]

Releases

iTunes

During Season 7, American Idol partnered with iTunes to make available for sale exclusive performance videos, live performance singles of the semi-finalists and full-length studio recordings of the songs that contestants performed on the show. In order to keep the competition fair, these singles were not allowed to appear on iTunes sales charts until after the finale. The contestants' performances during the season were removed from sale soon after the finale.

The winning song, "The Time of My Life", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 2008.[49] It was the first winner's song not to be performed during the competition as the Top 2 each selected a different song from a list of 10 entries in song-writing competition to perform instead. Cook performed "The Time of My Life" after Ryan Seacrest announced him as the winner of Season 7.

Post-Idol

David Cook's debut album was released on November 18, 2008, on 19 Recordings / RCA Records and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 22, 2009.[49] Cook teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) on the album. A single from the album, "Light On", was released and peaked at 20 on the billboard top 100 list.[50] His sophomore album, This Loud Morning, was released on June 28, 2011.

David Archuleta signed with Jive Records and his self-titled debut album was released on November 11, 2008 and debuted at number two. Archuleta's album certified gold. Archuleta's first single, "Crush", debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart, giving it the highest single debut of 2008 and the highest single debut in 18 months. The song has sold 1.9 million copies as of January 2009.[51]

Albums

Personal/Individual Albums

Singles

David Cook

David Archuleta

  • "Crush"
  • "A Little Too Not Over You"
  • "Touch My Hand"
  • "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" ft. Charice
  • "Something 'Bout Love"
  • "Elevator"
  • "Falling Stars"
  • "Everything And More"
  • "Wait"

Kristy Lee Cook

Brooke White

  • "Hold Up My Heart"
  • "Radio Radio"
  • "Double Trouble"
  • "Night After Night"

Jason Castro

  • "Let's Just Fall In Love Again"

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Season 7 of American Idol overall was the most watched primetime program in the United States for the fourth consecutive year, during the conclusion of the 2007–2008 television season. The Tuesday episode viewership averaged 27.665 million while the Wednesday episode averaged 26.843 million, taking the top 2 spots for the season.[52] The show helped Fox become the most watched overall television network in the U.S. for the first time in its history (as well as a record first for a non-Big Three major network in American television history), and lead the 18–49 demographic ratings with still-standing largest ever margin since the introduction of the people meter technology in the Nielsen nationwide television tallies during the 1985–1986 television season.[53]

Episode list
Show Episode Air date Week
rank
Rating/Share 18–49
rating/Share
Viewers
(millions)
1 "Philadelphia Auditions"[54] January 15, 2008 3 17.7 / 26 13.8 / 32 33.415
2 "Dallas Auditions"[54] January 16, 2008 4 16.7 / 25 12.6 / 30 30.437
3 "San Diego Auditions"[55] January 22, 2008 1 16.2 / 24 11.8 / 29 29.274
4 "Charleston Auditions"[55] January 23, 2008 2 15.1 / 23 10.9 / 28 27.091
5 "Omaha Auditions"[56] January 29, 2008 4 15.7 / 24 11.1 / 28 28.223
6 "Miami Auditions"[56] January 30, 2008 5 14.4 / 22 10.1 / 26 25.573
7 "Atlanta Auditions"[57] February 5, 2008 1 15.7 / 23 11.2 / 28 27.914
8 "Best of the Rest"[57] February 6, 2008 2 14.6 / 23 10.5 / 26 26.278
9 "Hollywood Round, Part 1"[58] February 12, 2008 1 16.6 / 25 12.3 / 29 29.962
10 "Hollywood Round, Part 2"[58] February 13, 2008 2 14.3 / 22 9.8 / 26 24.752
11 "Top 12 Men Perform"[59] February 19, 2008 2 16.4 / 25 11.3 / 27 29.006
12 "Top 12 Women Perform"[59] February 20, 2008 3 16.1 / 24 11.2 / 27 28.885
13 "Top 24 Results"[59] February 21, 2008 4 13.4 / 21 8.5 / 22 23.374
14 "Top 10 Men Perform"[60] February 26, 2008 1 16.0 / 24 11.1 / 27 28.592
15 "Top 10 Women Perform"[60] February 27, 2008 2 15.7 / 24 10.5 / 27 27.553
16 "Top 20 Results"[60] February 28, 2008 3 14.9 / 23 9.1 / 24 26.232
17 "Top 8 Men Perform"[61] March 4, 2008 1 15.9 / 24 10.6 / 26 28.463
18 "Top 8 Women Perform"[61] March 5, 2008 2 16.0 / 25 10.4 / 27 28.324
19 "Top 12 Revealed"[61] March 6, 2008 3 15.0 / 23 9.4 / 24 26.502
20 "Top 12 Perform"[62] March 11, 2008 1 16.9 / 26 11.0 / 28 29.884
21 "Top 12 Results"[62] March 12, 2008 2 15.8 / 24 10.3 / 26 27.127
22 "Top 11 Perform"[63] March 18, 2008 1 15.2 / 23 10.4 / 26 27.338
23 "Top 11 Results"[63] March 19, 2008 2 15.3 / 24 9.8 / 25 26.078
24 "Top 10 Perform"[64] March 25, 2008 2 14.0 / 21 9.7 / 25 24.758
25 "Top 10 Results"[64] March 26, 2008 1 15.2 / 24 9.8 / 25 25.742
26 "Top 9 Perform"[65] April 1, 2008 1 14.7 / 23 9.6 / 26 26.117
27 "Top 9 Results"[65] April 2, 2008 2 14.8 / 22 9.4 / 23 24.839
28 "Top 8 Perform"[66] April 8, 2008 1 14.2 / 22 9.2 / 24 24.668
29 "Idol Gives Back"[66] April 9, 2008 6 10.4 / 16 6.8 / 18 17.751
30 "Top 8 Results"[66] April 10, 2008 2 12.0 / 19 7.0 / 19 20.133
31 "Top 7 Perform"[67] April 15, 2008 1 13.9 / 22 8.8 / 23 23.646
32 "Top 7 Results"[67] April 16, 2008 2 13.4 / 21 8.8 / 22 23.339
33 Top 6 Perform"[68] April 22, 2008 1 14.2 / 22 9.0 / 25 24.740
34 "Top 6 Results"[68] April 23, 2008 2 13.7 / 21 8.6 / 21 23.196
35 "Top 5 Perform"[69] April 29, 2008 1 14.5 / 23 9.0 / 24 25.094
36 "Top 5 Results"[69] April 30, 2008 2 13.6 / 21 8.4 / 21 22.800
37 "Top 4 Perform"[70] May 6, 2008 2 12.6 / 20 8.4 / 23 21.755
38 "Top 4 Results"[70] May 7, 2008 1 13.9 / 21 8.2 / 21 22.867
39 "Top 3 Perform"[71] May 13, 2008 2 14.4 / 23 9.0 / 25 24.772
40 "Top 3 Results"[71] May 14, 2008 1 14.6 / 22 9.2 / 22 24.863
41 "Top 2 Perform"[72] May 20, 2008 2 15.1 / 24 10.1 / 28 27.061
42 Season 7 Finale"[72] May 21, 2008 1 17.7 / 28 11.4 / 30 31.661

See also

References

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