American Idol season 10

American Idol
Season 10
Broadcast from	January 19 (2011-01-19) – May 25, 2011 (2011-05-25)
Judges	Randy Jackson Jennifer Lopez Steven Tyler
Host(s)	Ryan Seacrest
Broadcaster	Fox Broadcasting Company
Finals venue	Nokia Theatre Los Angeles
Winner
Scotty McCreery
Origin	Garner, North Carolina
Song	"I Love You This Big"
Genre(s)	Country
Runner-up
Lauren Alaina

The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on the Fox television network. The show underwent a number of changes from the ninth season, including the return of Nigel Lythgoe as executive producer. Randy Jackson returned as judge for his tenth season while Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler joined the judging panel following the departures of Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Ellen DeGeneres.

Interscope Records, which is part of Universal Music Group, replaced Sony Music Entertainment as Idol's official partner record label. Interscope's Chairman Jimmy Iovine, a songwriter and producer, was named as the in-house mentor to work with the contestants on a weekly basis. He was supported by associated producers Rodney Jerkins, Alex da Kid, Tricky Stewart, Don Was, will.i.am, and Timbaland, who all helped the contestants tailor their song choices to their chosen genre of performance, while also producing arrangements for the contestants and offering original material to be performed. Ray Chew replaced Rickey Minor as the show's musical director and leader of Idol's live band.

Programming changes affecting viewership included a revision in the days of broadcast from Tuesdays and Wednesdays to Wednesdays and Thursdays. The show also opened up an option for viewers to cast their votes online through Facebook, allowing 50 votes per account. Specific changes in the competition itself included extending extra rounds (such as the Las Vegas show) and a final solo round, while also returning the judges' wild card choice. The show additionally lowered the age of eligibility to 15 years. More contestants made it to Hollywood in season 10 than in previous seasons.

On May 25, 2011, after 122.4 million votes were cast for the finale (and nearly 750 million votes for the seasonal total), Scotty McCreery was crowned the winner of the tenth season of American Idol, making him the youngest male winner at 17 years and seven months old, and the second youngest winner ever behind season 6 winner Jordin Sparks. Season 10 was the first season where 11 contestants went on tour instead of 10.

Eight contestants from this season were signed to record labels. The signed artists are Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina, Haley Reinhart, James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Stefano Langone, Pia Toscano and Naima Adedapo.

Changes

Simon Cowell, who had been a judge since the first episode of the first season, announced on January 11, 2010 that he would not be returning as a judge for this season in order to focus on launching the American version of his hit British singing competition The X Factor. 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. Kara DioGuardi then announced on September 3, 2010, that she would also not return this season. On September 22, 2010, it was announced that Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler would join the judging panel.

There were a number of other major changes in season ten, from the judges to the format of the show itself including the opening intro, which used the "Hall of Idols". Nigel Lythgoe returned as the executive producer, and Ray Chew has been hired as the show's new musical director, replacing Rickey Minor, who left the show along with vocal coach Dorian Holley to become the musical director of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Peisha McPhee, mother of season 5's runner-up Katharine McPhee, joined as one of the vocal coaches. In this season, online voting was also offered for the first time for fans with Facebook accounts; up to 50 votes may be cast.

The Season 10 also saw a return to the process of singers singing two songs each on performance nights starting earlier in the season, and three songs each starting on Top 3 night.

New rounds

"Theme weeks will also get a makeover. We're not going to ask a country singer to sing an R&B song, or an R&B singer to do Led Zeppelin, ... If the theme is '80s or Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, every song will be customized to that contestant... What's most important, is that the song suit the finalist's voice."

– Ron Fair

Extra rounds were added in the Hollywood phase of the competition which would narrow the contestants down to sixty potential finalists. 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. It was originally planned that 20 contestants would be left by the end of the Hollywood rounds, however, 24 contestants were chosen instead for the semifinal, and they would perform in two groups of twelve in a semi-final sudden death round where ten finalists – five girls and five boys – would be voted in by the viewers. The judges were given three wild card picks, making a total of thirteen finalists.

Nigel Lythgoe had previously suggested significant format changes that would replace the following semifinal, with contestants having "to make the best music video, to promote themselves, and to work with a band and dancers for an awards show-style performance." However, the plans were shelved. Despite previous reports that Idol producers had axed the weekly music theme, the themes remained.

Partnership with Universal Music

At the end of the ninth season, Sony Music Entertainment's affiliation to Idol also ended. The partnership was superseded by a new deal with Universal Music Group, meaning that the winner would now be signed to Interscope Records. Interscope's sister labels, A&M Records and Geffen Records, would also be involved in promoting and distributing the albums of the show's finalists. Chairman of the Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group, Jimmy Iovine, worked directly with contestants this season as the in-house mentor. Additionally, a team of Universal Music-associated producers and songwriters, such as Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Timbaland and Alex da Kid, also worked alongside the contestants to help them take on original arrangement and material. Some suggested changes, such as allowing the finalists to release music while the season is still in progress rather than waiting to record an album, were not implemented, although music were released somewhat earlier than previous seasons.

Regional auditions

The judges were Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, and Randy Jackson.

This is the first season in which the contestant age minimum was reduced to 15 years old. The maximum age however still remained 28.

Auditions were held in the following cities:

Episode air date	Audition city	First audition date	Audition venue	Callback audition date	Callback venue	Golden tickets
January 19, 2011	East Rutherford, New Jersey	August 3, 2010	Izod Center	September 28–30, 2010	Liberty House Restaurant	51
January 20, 2011	New Orleans, Louisiana	July 26, 2010	New Orleans Arena	October 17–18, 2010	Hilton Riverside Hotel	37
January 26, 2011	Milwaukee, Wisconsin	July 21, 2010	Bradley Center	October 2–3, 2010	Milwaukee Art Museum	53
January 27, 2011	Nashville, Tennessee	July 17, 2010	Bridgestone Arena	October 25–26, 2010	Ryman Auditorium	561
February 2, 2011	Austin, Texas	August 11, 2010	Frank Erwin Center	October 8–9, 2010	Barton Creek Resort & Spa	50
February 3, 2011	Los Angeles, California	September 22, 2010	The Forum	November 3–4, 2010	AT&T Center	301
February 9, 2011	San Francisco, California	August 19, 2010	AT&T Park	November 9–10, 2010	Westin St. Francis	471
Total Tickets to Hollywood						327

Note 1: Actual number not announced on the show but this number is based on the number of names listed on americanidol.com website and may not be the actual total.

In addition to the above cities, for the first time contestants were allowed to audition online via Myspace / Facebook / Twitter. To audition, they were required to upload a 40-second audition clip of them singing a pre-approved song. The internet auditioners, including Karen Rodriguez, were called back to Los Angeles to audition in front of the judges.

Hollywood week

The Hollywood week phase of the competition was held in the Pasadena Civic Center. There were a record-number 327 contestants in the first round, which lasted over two days, exceeding season 2's record of 234. The contestants emerged in groups of ten and each performed individually a cappella. After the whole group had finished their performances, those who failed were cut immediately. 168 advanced to the next round, where the contestants performed in groups; out of the 168, only 100 advanced to the next round. In the next round, the contestants performed solo, accompanied by a band or an instrument. The contestants were then separated into four rooms, with two of the four rooms containing eliminated contestants and the other two containing contestants who made it into the next round. Only 61 of the 100 remaining advanced.

This year, due to the large number of contestants, two more rounds were added. The 61 remaining contestants proceeded to Las Vegas where they performed songs from The Beatles as duos and trios in the Love theatre at The Mirage for this newly added 'Las Vegas' round. After that, 41 advanced to the final "Sing For Your Life" round back in Los Angeles. In that round, each contestant performed a song of their own choosing at Howard Hughes' Spruce Goose aircraft hangar. The Top 24 were then selected from the remaining 41 for the semifinals. This episode was notable for the emotional breakdown of judge Jennifer Lopez after telling contestant Chris Medina that he had been eliminated.

Semi-finalists

The following are semi-finalists who failed to reach the finals.

Females Contestant Age at time of show Date of birth Hometown Audition location Kendra Chantelle 22 September 27, 1988 Loudon, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Lauren Turner 24 May 8, 1986 Covington, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana Ta-Tynisa Wilson 20 June 19, 1990 Aurora, Illinois Milwaukee, Wisconsin Rachel Zevita 23 October 20, 1987 New York City Jersey City, New Jersey Julie Zorrilla 20 November 10, 1990 Bogotá, Colombia San Francisco, California

Males Contestant Age at time of show Date of Birth Hometown Audition Location Jovany Barreto 23 September 3, 1987 Harvey, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana Jordan Dorsey 21 April 23, 1989 Laplace, Louisiana New Orleans, Louisiana Clint Jun Gamboa 26 June 9, 1984 Long Beach, California San Francisco, California Tim Halperin 23 May 27, 1987 Fort Worth, Texas Los Angeles, California Brett Loewenstern 17 December 13, 1993 Boca Raton, Florida New Orleans, Louisiana Robbie Rosen 17 December 27, 1993 Merrick, New York Jersey City, New Jersey

Semi-finals

The semi-final round began on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. This year, the producers used a new format. Below are the two semi-final groups (males and females) with contestants listed in their performance order. The top five males and top five females, along with the three wild card choices by the judges, advanced to the finals. There were twenty-four semifinalists, twelve females and twelve males. The males started the semifinal round, and the females continued on following night's episode, the contestants perform songs of their choice (there was no particular theme).

Males

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Clint Jun Gamboa	"Superstition" (Stevie Wonder)	Eliminated
2	Jovany Barreto	"I'll Be" (Edwin McCain)	Wild Card
3	Jordan Dorsey	"OMG" (Usher)	Eliminated
4	Tim Halperin	"Streetcorner Symphony" (Rob Thomas)	Eliminated
5	Brett Loewenstern	"Light My Fire" (The Doors)	Eliminated
6	James Durbin	"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" (Judas Priest)	Advanced
7	Robbie Rosen	"Angel" (Sarah McLachlan)	Wild Card
8	Scotty McCreery	"Letters from Home" (John Michael Montgomery)	Advanced
9	Stefano Langone	"Just the Way You Are" (Bruno Mars)	Wild Card
10	Paul McDonald	"Maggie May" (Rod Stewart)	Advanced
11	Jacob Lusk	"A House Is Not a Home" (Brook Benton)	Advanced
12	Casey Abrams	"I Put a Spell on You" (Screamin' Jay Hawkins)	Advanced

Females

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Ta-Tynisa Wilson	"Only Girl (In the World)" (Rihanna)	Eliminated
2	Naima Adedapo	"Summertime" (Abbie Mitchell)	Wild Card
3	Kendra Chantelle	"Impossible" (Christina Aguilera)	Wild Card
4	Rachel Zevita	"Criminal" (Fiona Apple)	Eliminated
5	Karen Rodriguez	"Hero" (Mariah Carey)	Advanced
6	Lauren Turner	"Seven Day Fool" (Etta James)	Eliminated
7	Ashthon Jones	"Love All Over Me" (Monica)	Wild Card
8	Julie Zorrilla	"Breakaway" (Kelly Clarkson)	Eliminated
9	Haley Reinhart	"Fallin'" (Alicia Keys)	Advanced
10	Thia Megia	"Out Here on My Own" (Irene Cara)	Advanced
11	Lauren Alaina	"Turn On the Radio" (Reba McEntire)	Advanced
12	Pia Toscano	"I'll Stand by You" (The Pretenders)	Advanced

Wild Card round

Following those ten singers advancing on Thursday, March 3, six of the remaining 14 semi-finalists were selected by the judges to compete in the Wild Card round. The Wild Card round immediately began, following the announcement of the ten finalists. Following another performance by each Wild Card contender, the judges then selected three contestants to advance to the final group of 13.

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Ashthon Jones	"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (Jennifer Holliday)	Advanced
2	Stefano Langone	"I Need You Now" (Smokie Norful)	Advanced
3	Kendra Chantelle	"Georgia on My Mind" (Ray Charles)	Eliminated
4	Jovany Barreto	"Angel" (Jon Secada)	Eliminated
5	Naima Adedapo	"For All We Know" (Hal Kemp)	Advanced
6	Robbie Rosen	"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" (Elton John)	Eliminated

Finalists

Scotty McCreery

Scotty McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is from Garner, North Carolina and was 17 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Josh Turner's "Your Man" and Travis Tritt's "Put Some Drive in Your Country". He reprised "Your Man" in the Hollywood rounds but forgot the words to Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance". 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. For his final solo he performed Josh Turner's "Long Black Train". McCreery was announced as the winner on May 25, and was signed to 19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville. His debut album, Clear as Day, was released on October 4, 2011.

File:Lauren Alaina in parade.jpg

Lauren Alaina

Lauren Alaina (born November 8, 1994) is from Rossville, Georgia and 16 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Nashville, Tennessee with Faith Hill's "Like We Never Loved At All" and Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" which she also reprised for the Hollywood rounds. She also performed "Unchained Melody" twice, once for the first solo in the Hollywood rounds and again for the final solo. 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. She performed "Hello, Goodbye" for the Las Vegas' Beatles round with Scotty McCreery and Denise Jackson. Alaina was announced as the runner-up and was signed to 19/Interscope/Mercury Nashville, and her debut album, Wildflower, was released on October 11, 2011.

Haley Reinhart

Haley Reinhart (born September 9, 1990) is from Wheeling, Illinois and 20 years old at the time of the show. She originally auditioned in Chicago in the ninth season and did not advanced to the Hollywood round. She auditioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with The Beatles' "Oh! Darling". She performed Corinne Bailey Rae's "Breathless" in the first solo round. In the group round she forgot her words of the song but still made it through, and in the Hollywood rounds she performed Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child". In the Las Vegas group round, she performed The Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" with Naima Adedapo and Jacob Lusk. For her final solo she performed The Shirelles' song "Baby It's You". Reinhart was eliminated on May 19, coming in 3rd place. Reinhart was signed to Interscope Records after the show. Her first single, "Free", was released on March 20, 2012, and her debut album, Listen Up!, was released on May 22.

James Durbin

James Durbin (born January 6, 1989) is from Santa Cruz, California and 22 years old at the time of the show. He originally auditioned in the eighth season and was not selected. He auditioned in San Francisco, California with Muddy Waters's "You Shook Me" and Aerosmith's "Dream On". He performed The Beatles' "Oh! Darling" for his solo in the Hollywood round, Queen's "Somebody to Love" with the group "Deep Vees" in the group round and Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" for his final solo. He was the lead singer with a band The Hollywood Scars prior to Idol. He has Tourette and Asperger's syndromes. Durbin was eliminated on May 12, coming in 4th place. He was signed to Wind-up Records in with an album, Memories of a Beautiful Disaster released on November 21, 2011.

Jacob Lusk

Jacob Lusk (born June 23, 1987) is from Compton, California and 23 years old at the time of the show. Before American Idol, he worked as a spa concierge. He auditioned in Los Angeles, California. He was first shown in the group stage of the competition where he performed with fellow finalist Naima Adedapo, Vegas contestant Sophia Shorai, and Matthew Nuss, and Da'Quela Payne. Randy Jackson considered his performance of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" during the Hollywood rounds the best ever seen on Idol. He also performed The Temptations' "Get Ready" with Naima Adedapo in the group "Ebony, Ivory, and Every", and Leon Russell's "A Song for You" for his final solo. In the Top 24 round, he earned standing ovation for his performance of "A House Is Not a Home" by Luther Vandross. After singing "No Air" by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown and "Love Hurts" by The Everly Brothers, Lusk was eliminated on May 5, coming in 5th place.

Casey Abrams

Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991 in Austin, Texas) is from Idyllwild, California and 20 years old at the time of show. He auditioned in Austin, Texas with Ray Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor". He impressed the judges with his performance of "Georgia on My Mind" in Hollywood week. He also performed Ella Fitzgerald's "Lullaby of Birdland", The Temptations' "Get Ready" with the group "Night Owls" in the Hollywood rounds, "A Hard Day's Night" with Chris Medina in the Las Vegas's Beatles round, and Kansas Joe McCoy's "Why Don't You Do Right?" for his final solo. He played the double bass and melodica on the show. He suffers from ulcerative colitis which resulted in him missing the Top 13 result show. He got the one judges' save of the season on the Top 11 show. Abrams was eliminated on April 28, coming in 6th place. Abrams was signed to Concord Music Group after the show.

Stefano Langone

Stefano Langone (born February 27, 1989) is from Kent, Washington and 22 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in San Francisco, California with Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". He performed Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" in the Hollywood week, "Get Back" for the Las Vegas round with James Durbin, and his own composition "Come Home" for his final solo. He survived a near-fatal car accident in 2009 being hit by a drunk driver. Langone was chosen by the judges as one of the Wild Cards to join the Top 13 finalists. Langone was eliminated on April 21, coming in 7th place. Langone was signed to Hollywood Records after the show. He released his debut single "I'm on a Roll" featuring New Boyz and Rock Mafia on April 24, 2012.

Paul McDonald

Paul McDonald (born August 29, 1984) is from Huntsville, Alabama and 26 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in Nashville, Tennessee with Rod Stewart's "Maggie May". Prior to Idol, he was the lead singer of the band Hightide Blues formed in 2005 and renamed The Grand Magnolias in 2010. He performed Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" and his own composition "American Dreams" for his final solo. McDonald was eliminated on April 14, coming in 8th place.

Pia Toscano

Pia Toscano (born October 14, 1988) is from Howard Beach, New York and 22 years old at the time of the show. She had auditioned for Idol four times before and made it through Hollywood in the sixth season and did not continue further. She auditioned in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was a make-up artist. She sang the national anthem at a Mets game. Pia Toscano and Karen Rodriguez get together to duet The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" on Las Vegas, they also went to New York's LaGuardia Arts School together. She also performed Bruno Mars's "Grenade" for the group round in Hollywood and Alicia Keys's "Doesn't Mean Anything" for her final solo. Toscano was eliminated on April 7, coming in 9th place. Toscano was signed to Interscope Records after the show, releasing her debut single "This Time" on July 11, 2011. Pia auditioned five times.

Naima Adedapo

Naima Adedapo (born October 5, 1984 in Maywood, Illinois) is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 26 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Donny Hathaway's version of "For All We Know". She was doing janitorial duties at the Summerfest in Milwaukee before she auditioned on Idol. She performed Beatles' The Long and Winding Road together with Jacob Lusk and Haley Reinhart during the Las Vegas round, and Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" for her final solo. Adedapo was chosen by the judges to join the competition during the Wild Card round. Adedapo was eliminated on March 31, coming in 10th with Thia Megia.

Thia Megia

Thia Megia (born January 30, 1995) is from Mountain House, San Joaquin County, California and 16 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with Adele's "Chasing Pavements" and she turned 16 at the time of the show. Before her stint on American Idol, she previously competed on the fourth season of America's Got Talent, making it to the quarterfinals. She also participated in the YouTube edition of "We Are the World" along with 56 other YouTube artists, including American Idol season 11 runner-up Jessica Sanchez. She performed "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in the Hollywood rounds, "Here Comes the Sun" for the Las Vegas round with Melinda Ademi, and Secret Garden's "You Raise Me Up" for her final solo. At 16 years and 1-month, she was the youngest contestant to reach the finals. Megia was eliminated on March 31, coming in a joint 10th place with Naima Adedapo.

Karen Rodriguez (born March 22, 1989 in Miami, Florida) is from New York City and 21 years old at the time of show. She turned 22 years old soon after she got voted off. She was one of the Myspace auditioners and then auditioned in front of the judges in Los Angeles, California with Whitney Houston's "You Give Good Love". She performed Jennifer Lopez's "If You Had My Love", Bruno Mars's "Just the Way You Are" with Jovany Baretto in the group "Spanglish" for the Hollywood rounds, and Selena's "No me queda más" in the final round. She had previously appeared in the fifth season of a Puerto Rican talent show Objetivo Fama. Rodriguez was eliminated on March 17, coming in 12th place.

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. She auditioned in Nashville, Tennessee. She sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls, Blu Cantrell's Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) with the group "The Hits" in the Hollywood rounds and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" for her final solo. Jones was chosen by the judges as one of the Wild Card finalists. She was eliminated on March 10, coming in 13th place.

Finals

This is the first season in which there are 12 weeks of the finals instead of 11 and the 2nd season to have 13 finalists, instead of 12 as in the previous seasons, with one of the 13 finalists eliminated each week. In the eighth season there were 13 finalists but two were eliminated in the first week, the final rounds thereby only lasted 11 weeks. The top 13 performance show was pre-recorded, but the subsequent performance shows of the finals were broadcast live. Season seven winner David Cook recorded the Simple Minds song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" as the send-off song played when a contestant is eliminated. The finals venue was same stage as used in the Semi-Finals.

Top 13 – Their Personal Idols

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Personal Idol	Result
1	Lauren Alaina	"Any Man of Mine" (Shania Twain)	Shania Twain	Safe
2	Casey Abrams	"With a Little Help from My Friends" (The Beatles)	Joe Cocker	Safe
3	Ashthon Jones	"When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Diana Ross)	Diana Ross	Eliminated
4	Paul McDonald	"Come Pick Me Up" (Ryan Adams)	Ryan Adams	Safe
5	Pia Toscano	"All by Myself" (Eric Carmen)	Celine Dion	Safe
6	James Durbin	"Maybe I'm Amazed" (Paul McCartney)	Paul McCartney	Safe
7	Haley Reinhart	"Blue" (LeAnn Rimes)	LeAnn Rimes	Bottom 3
8	Jacob Lusk	"I Believe I Can Fly" (R. Kelly)	R. Kelly	Safe
9	Thia Megia	"Smile" (Charlie Chaplin)	Michael Jackson	Safe
10	Stefano Langone	"Lately" (Stevie Wonder)	Stevie Wonder	Safe
11	Karen Rodriguez	"I Could Fall in Love" (Selena)	Selena	Bottom 3
12	Scotty McCreery	"The River" (Garth Brooks)	Garth Brooks	Safe
13	Naima Adedapo	"Umbrella" (Rihanna)	Rihanna	Safe

• Group performance: "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" / "Rock with You" / "Black or White" / "Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson)

Top 12 – Year They Were Born

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Year	Result
1	Naima Adedapo	"What's Love Got to Do with It" (Tina Turner)	1984	Bottom 3
2	Paul McDonald	"I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (Elton John)	1984	Safe
3	Thia Megia	"Colors of the Wind" (Vanessa Williams)	1995	Safe
4	James Durbin	"I'll Be There for You" (Bon Jovi)	1989	Safe
5	Haley Reinhart	"I'm Your Baby Tonight" (Whitney Houston)	1990	Bottom 3
6	Stefano Langone	"If You Don't Know Me by Now" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes)	1989	Safe
7	Pia Toscano	"Where Do Broken Hearts Go" (Whitney Houston)	1988	Safe
8	Scotty McCreery	"Can I Trust You with My Heart" (Travis Tritt)	1993	Safe
9	Karen Rodriguez	"Love Will Lead You Back" (Taylor Dayne)	1989	Eliminated
10	Casey Abrams	"Smells Like Teen Spirit" (Nirvana)	1991	Safe
11	Lauren Alaina	"I'm the Only One" (Melissa Etheridge)	1994	Safe
12	Jacob Lusk	"Alone" (i-TEN)	1987	Safe

• Group performance: "Born to Be Wild" (Steppenwolf) / "Born This Way" (Lady Gaga)

Top 11 (first week) – Motown

Unmentioned mentor: Marc Anthony

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Casey Abrams	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Marvin Gaye)	Saved
2	Thia Megia	"(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" (Martha and the Vandellas)	Bottom 3
3	Jacob Lusk	"You're All I Need to Get By" (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)	Safe
4	Lauren Alaina	"You Keep Me Hangin' On" (The Supremes)	Safe
5	Stefano Langone	"Hello" (Lionel Richie)	Bottom 3
6	Haley Reinhart	"You've Really Got a Hold on Me" (The Miracles)	Safe
7	Scotty McCreery	"For Once in My Life" (Jean DuShon)	Safe
8	Pia Toscano	"All in Love Is Fair" (Stevie Wonder)	Safe
9	Paul McDonald	"The Tracks of My Tears" (The Miracles)	Safe
10	Naima Adedapo	"Dancing in the Street" (Martha and the Vandellas)	Safe
11	James Durbin	"Living for the City" (Stevie Wonder)	Safe

• Group performance: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
• Stevie Wonder with group: "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours", "Happy Birthday" (to Steven Tyler)

Top 11 (second week) – Elton John

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Scotty McCreery	"Country Comfort"	Safe
2	Naima Adedapo	"I'm Still Standing"	Eliminated
3	Paul McDonald	"Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)"	Bottom 3
4	Pia Toscano	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"	Safe
5	Stefano Langone	"Tiny Dancer"	Safe
6	Lauren Alaina	"Candle in the Wind"	Safe
7	James Durbin	"Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"	Safe
8	Thia Megia	"Daniel"	Eliminated
9	Casey Abrams	"Your Song"	Safe
10	Jacob Lusk	"Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"	Safe
11	Haley Reinhart	"Bennie and the Jets"	Safe

Group performances:

• Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery: "I Told You So" (Randy Travis)
• Naima Adedapo & Jacob Lusk: "Solid" (Ashford & Simpson)
• Thia Megia, Haley Reinhart & Pia Toscano: "Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry)
• Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Stefano Langone & Paul McDonald: "Band on the Run" (Wings)

Top 9 – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Mentors: will.i.am & Russell Brand

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Jacob Lusk	"Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson)	Bottom 3
2	Haley Reinhart	"Piece of My Heart" (Erma Franklin)	Safe
3	Casey Abrams	"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)	Safe
4	Lauren Alaina	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (Aretha Franklin)	Safe
5	James Durbin	"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (The Beatles)	Safe
6	Scotty McCreery	"That's All Right" (Arthur Crudup)	Safe
7	Pia Toscano	"River Deep – Mountain High" (Ike & Tina Turner)	Eliminated
8	Stefano Langone	"When a Man Loves a Woman" (Percy Sledge)	Bottom 3
9	Paul McDonald	"Folsom Prison Blues" (Johnny Cash)	Safe

• Group performance: "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" (Joan Jett) / "The Letter" (The Box Tops) / "Sweet Home Alabama" (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Top 8 – Songs from the Movies

Mentors: will.i.am & Rob Reiner

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Featured Movie	Result
1	Paul McDonald	"Old Time Rock and Roll" (Bob Seger)	Risky Business	Eliminated
2	Lauren Alaina	"The Climb" (Miley Cyrus)	Hannah Montana: The Movie	Safe
3	Stefano Langone	"End of the Road" (Boyz II Men)	Boomerang	Bottom 3
4	Scotty McCreery	"I Cross My Heart" (George Strait)	Pure Country	Safe
5	Casey Abrams	"Nature Boy" (Nat King Cole)	The Boy with Green Hair	Safe
6	Haley Reinhart	"Call Me" (Blondie)	American Gigolo	Bottom 3
7	Jacob Lusk	"Bridge over Troubled Water" (Simon & Garfunkel)	The Pursuit of Happyness	Safe
8	James Durbin	"Heavy Metal" (Sammy Hagar)	Heavy Metal	Safe

Group performances:

• Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery: "American Honey" (Lady Antebellum)
• Casey Abrams & Haley Reinhart: "Moanin'" (Bobby Timmons)
• James Durbin, Stefano Langone, Jacob Lusk & Paul McDonald: "The Sound of Silence" / "Mrs. Robinson" (Simon & Garfunkel)

Top 7 – Songs from the 21st century

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Scotty McCreery	"Swingin'" (John Anderson)	Safe
2	James Durbin	"Uprising" (Muse)	Safe
3	Haley Reinhart	"Rolling in the Deep" (Adele)	Bottom 3
4	Jacob Lusk	"Dance with My Father" (Luther Vandross)	Bottom 3
5	Casey Abrams	"Harder to Breathe" (Maroon 5)	Safe
6	Stefano Langone	"Closer" (Ne-Yo)	Eliminated
7	Lauren Alaina	"Born to Fly" (Sara Evans)	Safe

Group performance on performance night:

• Naima Adedapo, Ashthon Jones, Paul McDonald, Thia Megia, Karen Rodriguez & Pia Toscano: "So What" (Pink)

Group performances on results night:

• Lauren Alaina, Stefano Langone, Jacob Lusk & Haley Reinhart: "Hey Soul Sister" (Train)
• Casey Abrams, James Durbin & Scotty McCreery: "Viva la Vida" (Coldplay)

Top 6 – Carole King

Mentor: Babyface

Each contestant sang one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant.

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist when applicable)	Result
1	Jacob Lusk	"Oh No Not My Baby" (Maxine Brown)	Safe
2	Lauren Alaina	"Where You Lead"	Safe
3	Casey Abrams & Haley Reinhart	"I Feel the Earth Move"	N/A
4	Scotty McCreery	"You've Got a Friend"	Safe
5	James Durbin	"Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (The Shirelles)	Safe
6	Lauren Alaina & Scotty McCreery	"Up on the Roof" (The Drifters)	N/A
7	Casey Abrams	"That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)" (The City)	Eliminated
8	Haley Reinhart	"Beautiful"	Safe
9	James Durbin & Jacob Lusk	"I'm into Something Good" (Earl-Jean)	N/A

• Group performance: "It Might As Well Rain Until September" (Carole King) / "Take Good Care of My Baby" (Bobby Vee) / "One Fine Day" (The Chiffons) / "Go Away Little Girl" (Steve Lawrence) / "It's Too Late" (Carole King)

On results night, no "bottom three" was announced. Ryan Seacrest stated early in the show that voting results would be announced in "random order". After Haley, James, and Lauren were announced as safe, Jacob, Casey, and Scotty were the last three remaining. Ryan then repeated "Tonight the results are in random order" before announcing that Casey was eliminated. Ryan later confirmed that Jacob and Scotty were not necessarily among the bottom three vote-getters that week. Ryan also revealed Top 5 results night that Scotty had never been in the bottom 2.

Top 5 – Songs from Now & Then

The Top 5 contenders covered two songs apiece: one current (new millennium) and one from the 1960s.

Mentor: Sheryl Crow

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	James Durbin	"Closer to the Edge" (Thirty Seconds to Mars)	Safe
2	Jacob Lusk	"No Air" (Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown)	Eliminated
3	Lauren Alaina	"Flat on the Floor" (Katrina Elam)	Bottom 2
4	Scotty McCreery	"Gone" (Montgomery Gentry)	Safe
5	Haley Reinhart	"You and I" (Lady Gaga)	Safe
6	James Durbin	"Without You" (Badfinger)	Safe
7	Jacob Lusk	"Love Hurts" (The Everly Brothers)	Eliminated
8	Lauren Alaina	"Unchained Melody" (Todd Duncan)	Bottom 2
9	Scotty McCreery	"Always on My Mind" (Brenda Lee)	Safe
10	Haley Reinhart	"The House of the Rising Sun" (Traditional)	Safe

• Group performance: "Happy Together" (The Turtles)

Top 4 – Songs That Inspire / Leiber & Stoller Songbook

Mentor: Lady Gaga

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	James Durbin	"Don't Stop Believin'" (Journey)	Eliminated
2	Haley Reinhart	"Earth Song" (Michael Jackson)	Safe
3	Scotty McCreery	"Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" (Alan Jackson)	Safe
4	Lauren Alaina	"Anyway" (Martina McBride)	Safe
5	Haley Reinhart	"I (Who Have Nothing)" (Ben E. King)	Safe
6	Scotty McCreery	"Young Blood" (The Coasters)	Safe
7	Lauren Alaina	"Trouble" (Elvis Presley)	Safe
8	James Durbin	"Love Potion No. 9" (The Clovers)	Eliminated

Group performances:

• James Durbin & Scotty McCreery: "Start a Band" (Brad Paisley & Keith Urban)
• Lauren Alaina & Haley Reinhart: "Gunpowder & Lead" (Miranda Lambert)

Top 3 – Contestant's Choice / Jimmy Iovine's Choice / Judges' Choice

Mentor: Beyoncé

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Chosen By	Result
1	Scotty McCreery	"Amazed" (Lonestar)	Self	Safe
2	Lauren Alaina	"Wild One" (Zaca Creek)	Self	Safe
3	Haley Reinhart	"What Is and What Should Never Be" (Led Zeppelin)	Self	Eliminated
4	Scotty McCreery	"Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" (Thompson Square)	Iovine	Safe
5	Lauren Alaina	"If I Die Young" (The Band Perry)	Iovine	Safe
6	Haley Reinhart	"Rhiannon" (Fleetwood Mac)	Iovine	Eliminated
7	Scotty McCreery	"She Believes in Me" (Kenny Rogers)	Judges	Safe
8	Lauren Alaina	"I Hope You Dance" (Lee Ann Womack)	Judges	Safe
9	Haley Reinhart	"You Oughta Know" (Alanis Morissette)	Judges	Eliminated

Top 2 – Favorite Performance / Personal Idol's Choice / Winner's Single

Lauren Alaina damaged her vocal cords while rehearsing for the finale, but she was treated and cleared to continue in the competition.

In a break with the normal format, the judges did not offer their critiques of the performances until after both contestants had sung both of their opening songs, and then the critiques were delivered to both contestants at the same time. Also, the schedule for the 2-part finale was moved back to its previous schedule of Tuesday & Wednesday.

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Chosen By	Result
1	Scotty McCreery	"Gone" (Montgomery Gentry)	Self	Winner
2	Lauren Alaina	"Flat on the Floor" (Katrina Elam)	Self	Runner-up
3	Scotty McCreery	"Check Yes or No" (George Strait)	George Strait	Winner
4	Lauren Alaina	"Maybe It Was Memphis" (Pam Tillis)	Carrie Underwood	Runner-up
5	Scotty McCreery	"I Love You This Big" (Scotty McCreery)	Jimmy Iovine	Winner
6	Lauren Alaina	"Like My Mother Does" (Kristy Lee Cook)	Jimmy Iovine	Runner-up

Elimination chart

Female

Male

Top 24

Wild Card

Top 13

Winner

Did Not Perform

Safe

Safe First

Safe Last

Eliminated

Judges' Save

Stage:		Semi Finals	Wild Card	Finals
Week:		3/3		3/10	3/17	3/24	3/31	4/7	4/14	4/21	4/28	5/5	5/12	5/19	5/25
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Scotty McCreery	Top 13													Winner
2	Lauren Alaina	Top 13										Bottom 2			Runner-up
3	Haley Reinhart	Top 13		Bottom 3	Bottom 3				Bottom 3	Bottom 3				Elim
4	James Durbin	Top 13											Elim
5	Jacob Lusk	Top 13						Bottom 3		Bottom 3		Elim
6	Casey Abrams	Top 13				Saved					Elim
7	Stefano Langone	Wild Card	Top 13			Bottom 3		Bottom 3	Bottom 3	Elim
8	Paul McDonald	Top 13					Bottom 3		Elim
9	Pia Toscano	Top 13						Elim
10–11	Naima Adedapo	Wild Card	Top 13		Bottom 3		Elim
	Thia Megia	Top 13				Bottom 3
12	Karen Rodriguez	Top 13		Bottom 3	Elim
13	Ashthon Jones	Wild Card	Top 13	Elim
14–16	Jovany Barreto	Wild Card	Elim
	Kendra Chantelle	Wild Card
	Robbie Rosen	Wild Card
17–24	Jordan Dorsey	Elim
	Clint Jun Gamboa
	Tim Halperin
	Brett Loewenstern
	Lauren Turner
	Ta-Tynisa Wilson
	Rachel Zevita
	Julie Zorrilla

^Note 1 : Due to the judges using their one 'Judges' Save' per season, in order to save Abrams, the 'Top 11' remained intact for another week.

Results show performances

Week	Performer(s)	Title	Hot 100 reaction	Digital sales reaction	Performance type
Top 24	Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull	"On the Floor"	5 (+4) new peak	219,000 (+29%)	music video premiere
Top 13	Adam Lambert	"Aftermath"	failed to chart	—	live
	Diddy Dirty-Money ft. Skylar Grey	"Coming Home"	11 (+11) new peak	—	live
Top 12	Lee DeWyze	"Beautiful Like You"	failed to chart	12,000 (+8,068%)	live
	The Black Eyed Peas	"Just Can't Get Enough"	5 (+17) new peak	198,000 (+143%)	pre-recorded
Top 11 Week 1	Jennifer Hudson	"Where You At"	64 (+25) new peak	24,000 (+271%)	live
	Sugarland	"Stuck Like Glue"	N/A	33,000 (+89%)	pre-recorded
Top 11 Week 2	Fantasia Barrino	"Collard Greens & Cornbread"	failed to chart	—	live
	will.i.am & Jamie Foxx	"Hot Wings (I Wanna Party)"	failed to chart	no release	live
Top 9	Constantine Maroulis	"Unchained Melody"	failed to chart	no release	live
	Iggy Pop	"Wild One"	ineligible to re-enter	no release	live
Top 8	Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson	"Don't You Wanna Stay"	31 (+11) new peak	59,000 (+64%)	live
	Rihanna	"California King Bed"	failed to chart	22,000 (+231%)	live
Top 7	David Cook	"The Last Goodbye"	failed to chart	22,000 (debut)	live
	Katy Perry ft. Kanye West	"E.T."	1 (+1)	344,000 (+23%)	pre-recorded
Top 6	Crystal Bowersox	"Ridin with the Radio"	failed to chart	—	live
	Bruno Mars	"The Lazy Song"	5 (+1) new peak	194,000 (+3%)	pre-recorded
Top 5	Lady Antebellum	"Just a Kiss"	7 (debut)	211,000 (debut)	live
	Jennifer Lopez ft. Pitbull	"On the Floor"	3 (+4) new peak	175,000 (+25%)	pre-recorded
	Jennifer Lopez ft. Lil Wayne	"I'm Into You"	72 (debut)	44,000	music video teaser
Top 4	Lady Gaga	"You and I"	not released	no release	Clip from HBO Special
	Enrique Iglesias	"Dirty Dancer" "I Like It"	18 (debut)	126,000 (debut)	pre-recorded
	Jordin Sparks	"I Am Woman"	82 (debut)	33,000 (debut)	live
	Steven Tyler	"(It) Feels So Good"	35 (debut)	77,000 (debut)	music video premiere
Top 3	Nicole Scherzinger feat. 50 Cent	"Right There"	77 (debut)	29,000 (debut)	pre-recorded
	Il Volo	"'O Sole Mio"	failed to chart	10,000 debut	live
	Beyoncé	"Run The World (Girls)"	50 (+26)	—	music video premiere (Wednesday's show)
Top 2	David Cook	"Don't You (Forget About Me)"	failed to chart	failed to chart	live
	Taio Cruz	"Positive"	no release	no release	live
Finale	American Idol Top 13	"Born This Way"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Judas Priest & James Durbin	Medley: "Living After Midnight" / "Breaking the Law"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Jacob Lusk, Gladys Knight & Kirk Franklin	"I Smile"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Jack Black & Casey Abrams	"Fat Bottomed Girls"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Beyoncé Knowles & the American Idol Girls (minus Lauren Alaina)	Medley: "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" / "Irreplaceable" / "Get Me Bodied" / "If I Were a Boy" / "Deja Vu" / "Crazy in Love"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Tony Bennett & Haley Reinhart	"Steppin' Out with My Baby"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Lil Jon	"Come Get Some"	—	—	live
	TLC & American Idol Girls	Medley: "Come Get Some" / "No Scrubs" / "Waterfalls"	Not eligible Not eligible	— 10,000 (+756%)	live
	Tim McGraw & Scotty McCreery	"Live Like You Were Dying"	Not eligible	24,000 (+520%)	live
	Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez & Sheila E	"Aguanile" (from the movie El Cantante)	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Tom Jones & the American Idol Guys	Medley: "Kiss" / "She's a Lady" / "What's New, Pussycat?" / "Green, Green Grass of Home" / "Love Me Tonight" / "Delilah" / "It's Not Unusual"	Not eligible	Not eligible	live
	Lady Gaga	"The Edge of Glory"	8 (+11)	165,000 (+74%)	live
	Carrie Underwood & Lauren Alaina	"Before He Cheats"	Not eligible	10,000 (+156%)	live
	Beyoncé	"1+1"	57 (debut)	57,000 (debut)	live
	Reeve Carney featuring Bono & The Edge	"Rise Above 1"	74 (debut)	36,000 (debut)	live
	Steven Tyler	"Dream On"	Not eligible	13,000 (+406%)	live
	Scotty McCreery	"I Love You This Big"	11 (debut)	171,000 (debut)	live
"—" denotes no figure was available.

Controversies

Gender voting bias and elimination of Pia Toscano

The first five contestants eliminated from the finals were all female contestants, and this early elimination of females led to criticism of bias against women. Idol producer Ken Warwick said, "It's no secret that most reality shows are female driven, either by moms or by young girls. It does mean we're going to get a heftier amount of female votes and it's always bent towards the boys, obviously, we are very much aware that the voting can be skewed towards the boys." The voting also provoked considerable criticism after the last of these five females, Pia Toscano, a presumed front-runner, was surprisingly eliminated in ninth place. In response to criticism, the producers considered tweaking the voting format for next season. However, after Toscano's elimination, the next five eliminated contestants were all males, leading to the first Top 3 with two females since the sixth season.

Judges critique

Online critics from major news sources like Brian Mansfield of USA Today, Craig Berman of MSNBC, Dalton Ross of Entertainment Weekly, Andrea Reiher of Zap2it, and Tom Gliatto of People criticized the judges for being too nice, not being honest enough, not offering enough constructive criticism towards the contestants, and for not giving any guidance and direction for the viewers/voters in terms of why they should or should not be voting for someone. Executive producer Ken Warwick responded to these criticisms and said, "The truth of the matter is these kids are very good and I wouldn't influence the judges to say anything they don't absolutely believe ... They are trying to keep things on the straight and narrow. What they feel are genuine feelings, that's all I can ask them to do." 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!! U R NOT SHEEP!" In October 2011, however, judge Jennifer Lopez revealed that all three judges will be tougher on the contestants in season 11.

Lee DeWyze finale involvement

Many fans of the ninth season winner, Lee DeWyze, were upset that he did not take part in the season ten finale like he was rumored to. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe responded on his Twitter that he asked DeWyze to take part in the finale, but he declined, "I was so upset Lee DeWyze wouldn't present the winners trophy to Scotty," he wrote. "Especially as he'd been on the show this Season. I guess he was shy." 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. It wasn't until about 2 minutes before they announced that Nigel had approached me and asked if he could "borrow" me for a second. I didn't feel a last second jump on stage was appropriate. It was Scotty's moment. I appreciate American Idol, and the opportunity it has given me. And the people who have made that show possible. I am not angry, or bitter etc. It was an amazing Finale, and I would have loved to be a part of it. I just wasn't asked." DeWyze was seen in the audience towards the end of the show.

Contestants who appeared on other talent shows/seasons

Caitlin Koch, who auditioned for this season of American Idol but was cut in Hollywood, later auditioned for the first season of The X Factor. She made it to bootcamp and then to judges' houses, but was not chosen by Simon Cowell for the live finals.

Previous Idol contestants

Season 11

Ten of the contestants from season 10 auditioned for the subsequent season and made into the Top 24. Five of those advanced into the Top 13.

• Deandre Brackensick – auditioned in San Francisco, cut at the Top 24 selection
• Hollie Cavanagh – auditioned in Austin, cut at the Top 24 selection
• Colton Dixon – auditioned in Nashville, together with his sister Schyler, cut at the Top 24 selection over Brett Loewenstern
• Joshua Ledet – auditioned in New Orleans, did not make it to Hollywood Round
• Jeremy Rosado – auditioned in San Francisco, did not make it to Hollywood Round
• Chase Likens – auditioned in Nashville, cut on the group day of Hollywood week
• Brielle Von Hugel – auditioned in New Jersey, cut on the last day of Hollywood week
• Chelsea Sorrell – auditioned in Nashville, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds
• Aaron Marcellus – auditioned in New Jersey, cut at the Top 24 selection
• Reed Grimm – auditioned in unknown city, cut before meeting the judges.

Season 12

Three of the contestants from season 10 also auditioned for the subsequent season and made into the Top 40. Three of them made into the Top 20 and voting rounds. Only Janelle Arthur and Candice Glover had made it into Top 10.

• Melinda Ademi – auditioned in New Jersey, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds
• Janelle Arthur – auditioned in Austin, cut on the group day of Hollywood week
• Aubrey Cleland – auditioned in San Francisco, cut on the last day of Hollywood week
• Candice Glover – auditioned online, cut before meeting the judges, and won the twelfth season.

Season 13

Two of the contestants from season 10 also auditioned for the subsequent season and made into the Top 30. Caleb Johnson became the only contestant auditioning since season 10 to have qualified in the season's Top 13.

• Caleb Johnson – auditioned in Austin, cut on the last day of Hollywood week, and won the thirteenth season.
• Brandy Neelly – auditioned in Nashville, cut on the last day of Hollywood week

Season 14

One contestant from season 10 also auditioned for the subsequent season and made into the Top 24.

• Sarina-Joi Crowe – auditioned in Nashville, cut on the last day of Hollywood week

Season 15

One contestant from season 10 also auditioned, but did not make the Top 24.

• John Wayne Schulz – auditioned in Austin, cut at the Top 24 selection over Scotty McCreery

U.S. Nielsen ratings

American Idol ended the 2010–2011 television season as the number one and number two show in Total Viewers, and the number one and number three show in Adults 18–49. The Wednesday performance shows earned an average of 25.864 million viewers and an 8.8/24 rating in the Adults 18–49 demographic, while the Thursday results show earned an average of 23.798 million viewers and a 7.7/22 rating in the Adults 18–49 demographic. The show's success helped Fox network achieve the longest winning streak in broadcast history of seven consecutive season in the Adult 18–49 demo.

Episode list

Show # Episode Airdate U.S. viewers (millions) Rating/share Households Rating/Share (18–49) Note Weekly rank 1 East Rutherford Auditions January 19, 2011 26.23 14.2 / 22 9.7 / 26 3 2 New Orleans Auditions January 20, 2011 22.90 12.5 / 20 7.8 / 21 4 3 Milwaukee Auditions January 26, 2011 25.33 13.8 / 22 9.2 / 24 1 4 Nashville Auditions January 27, 2011 22.48 12.4 / 20 7.7 / 21 2 5 Austin Auditions February 2, 2011 25.14 13.4 / 21 9.0 / 24 4 6 Los Angeles Auditions February 3, 2011 21.89 11.9 / 19 7.5 / 20 6 7 San Francisco Auditions February 9, 2011 24.05 13.0 / 21 8.4 / 23 2 8 Hollywood Round, Part 1 February 10, 2011 21.94 12.0 / 19 7.3 / 20 3 9 Hollywood Round, Part 2 February 16, 2011 23.20 12.7 / 20 8.2 / 23 1 10 Hollywood Round, Part 3 February 17, 2011 22.18 12.0 / 20 7.6 / 22 2 11 Las Vegas Round/Top 24 Chosen, Part 1 February 23, 2011 22.72 12.5 / 20 7.9 / 21 3 12 Top 24 Chosen, Part 2 February 24, 2011 21.76 11.9 / 19 7.2 / 20 4 13 Top 12 Males Perform March 1, 2011 21.39 11.7 / 18 7.6 / 21 3 14 Top 12 Females Perform March 2, 2011 22.77 12.7 / 20 7.8 / 22 2 15 Top 10 Finalists + 3 WCs Revealed March 3, 2011 25.26 13.8 / 23 8.2 / 24 1 16 Top 13 Finalists Perform March 9, 2011 24.40 13.5 / 22 8.1 / 23 1 17 Top 13 Results Show March 10, 2011 22.05 12.6 / 20 6.7 / 19 2 18 Top 12 Finalists Perform March 16, 2011 22.58 12.9 / 21 7.6 / 22 1 19 Top 12 Results Show March 17, 2011 19.57 11.2 / 20 5.7 / 19 2 20 Top 11 Finalists Perform March 23, 2011 23.95 13.5 / 22 7.9 / 22 1 21 Top 11 Results Show March 24, 2011 21.30 12.1 / 20 6.4 / 20 3 22 Top 11 Part 2 Finalists Perform March 30, 2011 24.18 13.6 / 21 7.7 / 21 1 23 Top 11 Part 2 Results Show March 31, 2011 22.63 12.9 / 21 6.8 / 20 3 24 Top 9 Finalists Perform April 6, 2011 23.13 13.2 / 21 7.3 / 21 1 25 Top 9 Results Show April 7, 2011 21.54 12.3 / 20 6.4 / 20 3 26 Top 8 Finalists Perform April 13, 2011 23.03 12.7 / 20 7.3 / 21 1 27 Top 8 Results Show April 14, 2011 21.92 12.5 / 21 6.4 / 20 2 28 Top 7 Finalists Perform April 20, 2011 22.54 12.7 / 20 7.1 / 20 1 29 Top 7 Results Show April 21, 2011 20.32 11.5 / 20 5.8 / 19 2 30 Top 6 Finalists Perform April 27, 2011 22.32 12.6 / 20 7.1 / 20 2 31 Top 6 Results Show April 28, 2011 19.60 11.5 / 19 5.7 / 17 3 32 Top 5 Finalists Perform May 4, 2011 21.14 12.2 / 19 6.6 / 19 3 33 Top 5 Results Show May 5, 2011 21.29 12.2 / 21 6.3 / 20 2 34 Top 4 Finalists Perform May 11, 2011 23.05 13.0 / 21 7.1 / 20 1 35 Top 4 Results Show May 12, 2011 22.45 12.6 / 21 6.5 / 20 2 36 Top 3 Finalists Perform May 18, 2011 23.56 13.3 / 21 7.4 / 20 1 37 Top 3 Results Show May 19, 2011 21.76 12.5 / 21 6.3 / 20 3 38 Top 2 Finalists Perform May 24, 2011 20.57 11.4 / 18 6.4 / 19 4 39 Winner Revealed May 25, 2011 29.29 15.6 / 25 9.2 / 26 1

See also

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011

External links

• Official website