American Idol Through The Years(Part 1)

Season 10 is beginning in just a few days, can you feel the excitement? Can ya? No? Well to get you in that American Idol spirit I’dol be The Judge will be bringing out our Favorite Idol Winners & Losers, Favorite Idol Moments, Worst Idol Moments as well as Much Much More.

Today we will rank the 9 American Idol Winners. Let’s see where your favorite lands:

9: Lee Dewyze(Season 9)=I’m sorry but Crystal Bowersox consistently beat him week to week. It’s true she might have peaked a little early, but week to week she outshined everyone and in a season of very weak performers she was a bright star. DeWyze had a decent back story, a relatively decent voice and a cute face, DeWyze is easily the 9th best Idol Winner out of 9 seasons.


8. Kris Allen(Season 8)= Although Kris Allen definitely stepped up his game in the last couple weeks, he was still outshined by the season’s runner up Adam Lambert. Kris Allen fit more with the cookie cutter American Idol winner than Adam Lambert. Allen was a cute guy with a decent voice and was the opposite of Adam Lambert. The audience chose but in this instance they chose wrong.


7. Taylor Hicks(Season 5)= In no way do I think that runner-up Katherine McPhee should have won or third runner-up Eliott Yamin, we all know that the biggest shocker of Season 5 and probably American Idol history was the elimination of Chris Daughtry. It’s possible that Daughtry’s fame might have been more catapulted due to his elimination, but it’s still one of the biggest shockers in AI history. Taylor Hicks had a following that helped gain him the win. He had an interesting voice and once Daughtry was eliminated was the best singer still available.



6. Ruben Studdard(Season 2)= The battle between him and Clay Aiken was one of the tightest races in American Idol history. Out of 24 million votes Ruben won by a slim margin of a little over 100,000. He and Clay Aiken both helped American Idol gain traction. He had a smooth voice and was a loveable guy. But his album sales and popularity pales in comparison to runner up Clay Aiken.



5. Jordin Sparks(Season 6)= In the season of Sanjaya, Jordin Sparks was a star. This season also saw our first(and hopefully only) beat boxer in Blake Lewis. Simon loved Melinda Doolittle but she also peaked a little early, enough to let young Jordin Sparks gain confidence and traction and create some of the more memorable performances in the season. Jordin is also the last female to win American Idol. We’ll see if Season 10 can change this fortune.


4. David Cook(Season 7)= Season 7 probably will go down as the season of the instruments. It was the first time in American Idol history that contestants can play their instruments. This might have helped David Cook overtake teen “heart-throb” David Archuletta. Good or bad, Cook changed the way the subsequent seasons would look. It’s possible that Season 8 and 9 the contestants hid behind their instruments, but David Cook did it to perfection. He changed classic songs to make it sound like he just created them. Cook is still one of the more original contestants to ever grace the American Idol stage.



3. Fantasia Barrino(Season 3)= In the season of “the diva” Fantasia overtook them all. Her story of being a single mom, being illiterate, having a very rough childhood, along with having one of the most interesting voices and great performing skills allowed Fantasia Barrino to overtake contestants like future Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson and future lounge singer Diana DeGarmo. Honestly there hasn’t been a slam dunk, no doubt about it finale in American Idol history than Fantasia versus Diana. Fantasia probably is still one of the best performers in American Idol history.



2. Carrie Underwood(Season 4)= If only Carrie Underwood wasn’t on Season 4, Bo Bice probably would have won the season. Unfortunately Bo, along with all the other contestants had to run into a force named Carrie Underwood. I don’t think that I have rooted for any other contestant more than I did for Carrie. She was just something special, and her popularity, fame and fortune have shown that she really has everything and more than we thought in Season 4. Simon Cowell predicted before the season began to air that she would be the winner. From the moment she stepped onto the stage to when the confetti rained down Carrie Underwood proved why she deserves to be one of the best American Idols ever.




1. Kelly Clarkson(Season 1)= Although one might say there wouldn’t be a Kelly Clarkson without American Idol, in all honesty, there would be no American Idol without Kelly Clarkson. She was able to turn American Idol into the juggernaut it was, and to a certain extent still is. She was able to break through all of the music industry’s walls and make her presence known. She was an unbelievable contestant and was able to parlay this into a fantastic career. Although Carrie Underwood has outsold Clarkson in album sales, there would be no Carrie Underwood without the success of Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson gave the show notoriety and respectability. Although Justin Guarini was a formidable runner up, and Season 1 had other talent in Tamara Gray, Clarkson was a star. Despite some recent album issues, she still is by far the best American Idol winner.


So there you have it, 9 American Idol winners, some good, some bad and some fantastic. American Idol has had some interesting contestants over the years, so I give all the winners some credit for being one of only nine. It is a title that will follow them wherever they go. The best compliment an artist can get is for everyone to forget that they were a part of American Idol, only Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson can justifiably do this.

I hope Season 10 brings back the credibility and fame that some of the past winners have received, we shall soon see.

Check back in with I’dol Be The Judge, where we will be tackling some of the best and worst moments of American Idol history.