American Idol | |
---|---|
Season 14 | |
Hosted by | Ryan Seacrest |
Judges | |
Winner | Nick Fradiani |
Runner-up | Clark Beckham |
Finals venue | Dolby Theatre |
Mentor | Scott Borchetta |
Release | |
Original network | Fox |
Original release | January 7 – May 13, 2015 |
Season chronology | |
The fourteenth season of American Idol , also known as American Idol XIV, premiered on the Fox television network on January 7, 2015. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Randy Jackson stepped down as the in-house mentor and was replaced by Scott Borchetta. Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the show.
Before the finale, it was announced that the fifteenth season would be the last of the reality show. Since the series began in 2002, it peaked in viewership at 30 million viewers per episode in 2006, slipping to 20 million viewers per episode in 2011, and down further since with an average of about 9.15 million viewers per episode in 2015. [1]
On May 13, Nick Fradiani was announced as this season's winner, with Clark Beckham as the runner-up.
The fourteenth season of American Idol featured a number of changes to its format. Former judge Randy Jackson, who had served as a mentor on the previous season, left the show and was succeeded by Big Machine Records founder Scott Borchetta. [2] In May 2014, Ryan Seacrest signed a two-year extension to remain as host through 2016, which would be the show's final season. [3] [4] Long-time sponsor Coca-Cola ended its relationship with the series, and the Ford Motor Company maintained a reduced role. [5] [6]
To evaluate their ability to perform in front of a live audience, the final 48 contestants participated in a private concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood before being cut to 24. [5] [6] Separate results shows during the top 12 rounds were discontinued in favor of a single two-hour broadcast on Wednesday nights, where the results from the previous week were revealed, similarly to So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars . [6]
A new feature was also introduced, where viewers could vote via Twitter to decide which of the bottom two singers from the previous week would advance. [7] Beginning with the top 9, the two contestants who received the lowest votes the previous week were revealed. [8] The bottom two contestants then performed in exactly the same format as the safe contestants. However, after the performances were completed, the viewers only had five minutes to vote by Twitter; the contestant with the higher vote count would be safe and the other contestant would be eliminated. [8]
The finale returned to the Dolby Theatre, where five of the first six-season finales took place. [9]
The American Idol "Audition Bus Tour" visited the following cities: Portland, Oregon; Portland, Maine; Reno, Nevada; Columbus, Ohio; Richmond, Virginia; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Amarillo, Texas; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Branson, Missouri; Tallahassee, Florida; and Kansas City, Missouri. [10]
Auditions took place in the following cities: [10] [11]
City | Preliminary date | Preliminary venue | Filming date(s) | Filming venue |
---|---|---|---|---|
Minneapolis, Minnesota | June 18, 2014 | Mariucci Arena | September 24–25, 2014 | Minneapolis Convention Center [12] |
New Orleans, Louisiana | June 25, 2014 | Lakefront Arena | August 26–27, 2014 | Morial Convention Center [13] |
Various cities | July 9–21, 2014 | Varied | August 13–14, 2014 | Bartle Hall Convention Center (Kansas City) [14] |
Uniondale, New York | July 23, 2014 | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | September 16–17, 2014 | Marriott Hotel (Brooklyn) [15] [a] |
Nashville, Tennessee | July 30, 2014 | Nashville Municipal Auditorium | August 3–4, 2014 | Music City Center [17] |
San Francisco, California | September 29, 2014 | Cow Palace | October 3–4, 2014 | Westin St. Francis [18] |
Hollywood week aired in four parts over two weeks. Contestants participated in three rounds: lines of ten, groups and solos. The judges also asked some of the most notable contestants to sing for them at the beginning of the rounds, surprising many of them, but they all advanced. After Hollywood Week, contestants performed in the Showcase round in front of a live audience at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.
The semifinals began on February 25, 2015, and were filmed at The Fillmore in Detroit, Michigan. [19] After the top 10 finalists were determined by the public vote, the judges chose two additional contestants to advance to the finals as Wild Card picks.
Color key:
This contestant was chosen by the public to advance. |
This contestant was not chosen by the public, but was chosen by the judges as a Wild Card pick. |
This contestant was eliminated. |
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
|
|
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
|
|
Performers | Song |
---|---|
Aretha Franklin | "I Will Survive" |
There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve contestants competing. At least one contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, although the judges could veto one elimination through the use of the "judges' save."
Color key:
This contestant was saved by America's vote. |
This contestant was in the bottom two or three, but was saved by America's vote. |
This contestant was saved from elimination by the judges. |
This contestant was in the bottom two, but was saved from elimination by voters on Twitter. |
This contestant was eliminated. |
This contestant won American Idol. |
This contestant was the runner-up. |
Contestants performed the songs they originally sang at their auditions, and are listed in the order they performed.
Contestant | Song | Result |
---|---|---|
Sarina-Joi Crowe | "Love Runs Out" | Eliminated |
Rayvon Owen | "Wide Awake" | Safe |
Daniel Seavey | "Straight Up" | Safe |
Maddie Walker | "Suitcase" | Safe |
Tyanna Jones | "Wings" | Safe |
Nick Fradiani | "In Your Eyes" | Safe |
Jax | "I Want to Hold Your Hand" | Safe |
Qaasim Middleton | "Sir Duke" | Safe |
Clark Beckham | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" | Safe |
Joey Cook | "King of Spain" | Safe |
Quentin Alexander [a] | "Royals" | Safe |
Adanna Duru [a] | "You and I" | Safe |
Sarina-Joi Crowe performed "Neon Lights," but the judges chose to not save her, resulting in her elimination. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. The judges did, however, choose to use their "judges' save" the following week when Qaasim Middleton was announced as the performer to be eliminated.
Contestant | Song | Result |
---|---|---|
Rayvon Owen | "Burn" | Safe |
Maddie Walker | "She's Country" | Safe |
Joey Cook | "Fancy" | Safe |
Clark Beckham | "Takin' It to the Streets" | Safe |
Jax | "Blank Space" | Safe |
Qaasim Middleton | "Jet" | Saved by the judges |
Adanna Duru | "Runaway Baby" | Safe |
Tyanna Jones | "Tightrope" | Safe |
Daniel Seavey | "Happy" | Safe |
Quentin Alexander | "Rolling in the Deep" | Safe |
Nick Fradiani | "Wake Me Up" | Safe |
Performers | Song |
---|---|
Jussie Smollett & Yazz | "No Apologies" |
Nile Rodgers served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants chose songs featured in movies, and are listed in the order they performed.
Contestant | Song | Film | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Adanna Duru | "Love You I Do" | Dreamgirls | Eliminated |
Daniel Seavey | "Lost Stars" | Begin Again | Safe |
Rayvon Owen | "Stayin' Alive" | Saturday Night Fever | Bottom three |
Nick Fradiani | "Danger Zone" | Top Gun | Safe |
Joey Cook | "Mad World" | Donnie Darko | Safe |
Tyanna Jones | "Circle of Life" | The Lion King | Safe |
Quentin Alexander | "You're the One That I Want" | Grease | Safe |
Maddie Walker | "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | Footloose | Eliminated |
Clark Beckham | "Sunday Morning" | Cheaper by the Dozen 2 | Safe |
Jax | "Grow Old with You" | The Wedding Singer | Safe |
Qaasim Middleton | "Come Together" | Across the Universe | Safe |
Performers | Song |
---|---|
Top 11 | "Get Lucky" |
Jennifer Lopez | "Feel the Light" |
Kenny Loggins | "Footloose" |
Boy George served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Beginning the following week, viewers could vote via Twitter to determine which of the bottom two contestants would be eliminated and which would be saved.
Contestant | Song | Result |
---|---|---|
Daniel Seavey | "You Make My Dreams" | Eliminated |
Quentin Alexander | "In the Air Tonight" | Safe |
Joey Cook | "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" | Safe |
Tyanna Jones | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | Safe |
Jax | "You Give Love a Bad Name" | Safe |
Nick Fradiani | "Man in the Mirror" | Safe |
Clark Beckham | "Every Breath You Take" | Safe |
Qaasim Middleton | "Addicted to Love" | Safe |
Rayvon Owen | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Twitter save |
Performers | Song |
---|---|
David Hasselhoff | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" "Walking on Sunshine" "Never Gonna Give You Up" "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" "Let's Dance" "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" |
Top 11 with Boy George | "Karma Chameleon" |
Salt-N-Pepa | "Push It" |
Kelly Clarkson served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from her discography, and are listed in the order they performed.
Daniel Seavey performed "Breakaway," but he lost the Twitter vote and was eliminated.
Contestant | Kelly Clarkson song | Result |
---|---|---|
Nick Fradiani | "Catch My Breath" | Safe |
Jax | "Beautiful Disaster" | Safe |
Tyanna Jones | "Mr. Know It All" | Safe |
Joey Cook | "Miss Independent" | Safe |
Quentin Alexander | "Dark Side" | Safe |
Qaasim Middleton | "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" | Eliminated |
Clark Beckham | "The Trouble with Love Is" | Safe |
Rayvon Owen | "Since U Been Gone" | Twitter save |
Performers | Song |
---|---|
Top 8 | "People Like Us" |
Kelly Clarkson | "Heartbeat Song" "At Last" |
Jason Derulo and Florida Georgia Line served as guest mentors this week. Contestants performed one song each from the Billboard Hot 100, and are listed in the order they performed.
Qaasim Middleton performed "Hey Ya!," but he lost the Twitter vote and was eliminated.
Contestant | Song | Result |
---|---|---|
Jax | "Poker Face" | Safe |
Nick Fradiani | "Teenage Dream" | Safe |
Quentin Alexander | "Latch" | Safe |
Joey Cook | "Wrecking Ball" | Eliminated |
Clark Beckham | "Make It Rain" | Safe |
Tyanna Jones | "Stay" | Safe |
Rayvon Owen | "Set Fire to the Rain" | Twitter save |
Performers | Song |
---|---|
Florida Georgia Line | "Sippin' on Fire" |
Jason Derulo | "Want to Want Me" |
Iggy Azalea & Jennifer Hudson | "Trouble" |
Each contestant performed two songs. [28] Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Joey Cook performed "My Funny Valentine" and "Somebody to Love," but she lost the Twitter vote and was eliminated.
Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Tyanna Jones | 1 | "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" | Safe |
8 | "Proud Mary" | ||
Clark Beckham | 2 | "Superstition" | Safe |
7 | "Moon River" | ||
Jax | 3 | "Piece of My Heart" | Safe |
11 | "Beat It" | ||
Nick Fradiani | 4 | "American Girl" | Safe |
9 | "Only the Good Die Young" | ||
Quentin Alexander | 5 | "Are You Gonna Go My Way" | Eliminated |
10 | "The Sound of Silence" | ||
Rayvon Owen | 6 | "Long Train Runnin'" | Twitter save |
12 | "Always on My Mind" |
Each contestant performed two songs. [29] Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Quentin Alexander performed "Light My Fire" and "Shake It Out," but he lost the Twitter vote and was eliminated.
Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Jax | 1 | "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" | Safe |
9 | "White Flag" | ||
Nick Fradiani | 2 | "Harder to Breathe" | Safe |
6 | "Maggie May" | ||
Clark Beckham | 3 | "Yesterday" | Safe |
8 | "Boyfriend" | ||
Tyanna Jones | 4 | "Party in the U.S.A." | Eliminated |
7 | "Heaven" | ||
Rayvon Owen | 5 | "I'm Not the Only One" | Bottom two |
10 | "Go Your Own Way" |
Martina McBride and Jay DeMarcus served as guest mentors this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one representing a judge's hometown, and one representing their own soul. [30]
Tyanna Jones sang "Only Girl (in the World)" mid-show; however, there was no longer a Twitter save, and she was automatically eliminated as having the lowest number of votes from the previous week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Clark Beckham | 1 | "Living for the City" | Safe |
5 | "Your Man" | ||
Jax | 2 | "Empire State of Mind" | Safe |
6 | "Human" | ||
Nick Fradiani | 3 | "Bright Lights" | Safe |
8 | "What Hurts the Most" | ||
Rayvon Owen | 4 | "Need You Now" | Eliminated |
7 | "Believe" |
Performers | Song |
---|---|
Harry Connick Jr. | "City Beneath the Sea" |
Martina McBride | "Over the Rainbow" |
Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by mentor Scott Borchetta, one dedicated to the finalists' hometowns, and one chosen by the judges. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Rayvon Owen performed "Want to Want Me", "As", and "You Are So Beautiful"; however, he was revealed to have had the lowest vote count from the previous week and was eliminated.
Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Clark Beckham | 1 | "Beautiful Day" [a] | Safe |
5 | "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" | ||
7 | "Earned It" | ||
Nick Fradiani | 2 | "Because the Night" [a] | Safe |
4 | "Back Home" | ||
9 | "I'll Be" | ||
Jax | 3 | "My Generation" [a] | Eliminated |
6 | "My Immortal" | ||
8 | "Misery Business" |
Each contestant performed three songs, one of which was chosen by producer Simon Fuller, and are listed in the order they performed.
Jax was revealed to have the lowest number of votes from the previous week and was eliminated prior to performing.
Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Clark Beckham | 1 | "Georgia on My Mind" | Runner-up |
3 | "Ain't No Sunshine" [a] | ||
5 | "Champion" | ||
Nick Fradiani | 2 | "Bright Lights" | Winner |
4 | "I Won't Give Up" [a] | ||
6 | "Beautiful Life" |
Color key:
Contestant | Pl. | Semifinals | Top 12 | Top 11 [a] | Top 9 | Top 8 | Top 7 | Top 6 | Top 5 | Top 4 | Top 3 | Finale | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3/4 | 3/5 | 3/11 | 3/12 | 3/19 | 3/26 | 4/2 | 4/9 | 4/16 | 4/23 | 4/30 | 5/6 | 5/12 | 5/13 | ||
Nick Fradiani | 1 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner |
Clark Beckham | 2 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up |
Jax | 3 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |
Rayvon Owen | 4 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Twitter save | Twitter save | Twitter save | Twitter save | Bottom two | Eliminated | ||
Tyanna Jones | 5 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |||
Quentin Alexander | 6 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | ||||
Joey Cook | 7 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |||||
Qaasim Middleton | 8 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Saved | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | ||||||
Daniel Seavey | 9 | Safe | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | |||||||
Adanna Duru | 10 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | ||||||||
Maddie Walker | N/A | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | ||||||||||
Sarina-Joi Crowe | 12 | N/A | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | ||||||||||
Mark Andrew | Safe | N/A | Eliminated | ||||||||||||
Adam Ezegelian | Safe | N/A | |||||||||||||
Alexis Gomez | N/A | Safe | |||||||||||||
Loren Lott | N/A | Safe | |||||||||||||
Shannon Berthiaume | N/A | Eliminated | |||||||||||||
Lovey James | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Shi Scott | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Katherine Winston | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Riley Bria | Eliminated | ||||||||||||||
Trevor Douglas | |||||||||||||||
Michael Simeon | |||||||||||||||
Savion Wright |
National media outlets reported on an exchange between judge Harry Connick Jr. and contestant Quentin Alexander, noting that Connick scolding a contestant was awkward. [31] [32] On the live airing of the top 6 show, there were three contestants who had not been saved when Alexander was chosen. After he performed, host Ryan Seacrest noted that he appeared to be upset. When asked, Alexander responded, "This sucks, we've got two of the best vocalists, my best friend [Joey Cook] sitting over there. This whole thing is whack, but I'm going to shut up right now." Seacrest then replied that it was a competition, and with the save anything could happen. After Alexander had left the stage, Connick Jr. said, "Quentin, if it's that whack, then you can always go home, because Idol is paying a lot of money to give you this experience and for you to say that to this hand that is feeding you right now, I think is highly disrespectful." Alexander was then prompted by the producers to return to the stage, where he approached the judges and clarified that he meant the two being potentially eliminated was whack, not the show nor the experience. Later, after performing his second song, he explained, "I understand that these things are going to happen, and I just didn't want my friend to leave" and apologized. [33] Judge Jennifer Lopez empathized with Alexander's emotions running high, but said that as an artist, he would have to learn to work through that even when putting on a performance. [34] Joey Cook commented after being eliminated on Alexander's statements:
I pretty much just told him what he did was beautiful, in my opinion, and it was the perfect representation of him. Quentin is a very emotional person. He’s very 'all cards on the table.' There is no sugar coating. He doesn’t hide his emotions. He’s honest. He’s a raw human being, and I think what happened last night was the perfect example of that and how emotional of a person he is. [35]
The producers played up the exchange in what Music Times termed "what seemed like shady circumstances" to replay the incident throughout the week in show promos and at the beginning of the top 5 show. [36] [37] An Idol source also stated that for fairness purposes, the judges and contestants had a strict wall of silence between them and only interact onstage so Connick Jr. and Alexander have not had contact since last week. [36] Alexander was eliminated the following week with what Music Times questioned as possibly the first time American Idol "went into an episode with what seemed to be a very clear agenda." [38] Yahoo's managing editor Lyndsey Parker detailed many points that she argued was American Idol "throwing Quentin Alexander under the tour bus" referring to the idiom of "throwing [someone] under the bus" by sacrificing a friend as the show heavily promoted the summer tour, which only guaranteed that the top five finalists would be included. [39] Included in her critique was that the show had aired the promotional video featuring the confrontation, which she characterized as "misleadingly edited" to boost ratings. [40] She also wrote:
Throughout the evening, almost all of the contestants were lavishly praised, even though two of them actually messed up, one of them made a questionable lyrical change, and several of them had obvious pitch issues. Quentin’s perfectly solid “Light My Fire” received one of only two negative critiques among the night’s dozen performances, and undeservedly so.
Parker also referenced a "backhanded and unflattering" exchange from Connick Jr. insinuating that Alexander needed Auto-Tune. [39] She also noted that the "fan save" via Twitter was handled uniquely in that contestant Rayvon Owen didn't have a replay or critique until after a commercial break, while Alexander did not get the same treatment, and host Ryan Seacrest claimed Alexander had muttered "I give up," to which Alexander had to clarify that he had actually said, "I give it up." [39] USA Today echoed the sentiment stating that the awkward moments probably led to his elimination. [41]
This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2015) |
The season premiere was watched by 11.2 million viewers; down 25% from the thirteenth season's premiere (which had an audience of 15.19 million viewers). However, it was up 6.3% from the thirteenth season's finale (which had an audience of 10.53 million viewers), the second time in the show's history[ citation needed ]. Currently, the most-viewed episode this season was the "Minneapolis Auditions," which aired on January 21, 2015, and the episode with the fewest viewers tuning in was the "Top 7 Perform: Billboard Hits," which aired on April 8, 2015. This episode now takes the top spot as the least-viewed and worst-rated American Idol episode ever, with 6.58 viewers. The title was previously held by the thirteenth season's "The Final 2," which was watched by 6.76 million viewers on May 20, 2014. [42] [43] The average viewership in millions for the audition episodes was 10.84. The "Top 10 Perform: Movie Night" episode was moved to Thursday night, to make way for the two-hour finale of Empire. This season, there was a two part finale, with the first of two parts airing on Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at 9/8c. The second of the two-part-finale aired on Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at 8/7c. [44]
No. | Episode | Air date (2015) | Timeslot (ET) | Rating/Share 18–49 | Viewers (millions) | Weekly rank | Source(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Nashville Auditions" | January 7 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 3.2 / 10 | 11.20 | 6 | [45] [46] [47] |
2 | "Nashville & Kansas City Auditions" | January 8 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 3.1 / 9 | 11.23 | 8 | [46] [47] [48] |
3 | "Kansas City Auditions" | January 14 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 3.0 / 9 | 10.87 | [49] [50] [51] | |
4 | "Brooklyn Auditions" | January 15 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.6 / 8 | 10.42 | 10 | [51] [52] [53] |
5 | "Minneapolis Auditions" | January 21 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 3.4 / 11 | 11.76 | 3 | [54] [55] [56] |
6 | "New Orleans Auditions" | January 22 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8 / 9 | 10.65 | 7 | [56] [57] [58] |
7 | "San Francisco Auditions" | January 28 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.9/9 | 11.28 | 10 | [59] [60] |
8 | "San Francisco Auditions (Continued)" | January 29 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.2/7 | 9.37 | 17 | [60] [61] |
9 | "Hollywood Week: Part 1" | February 4 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 3.1/10 | 11.21 | 8 | [62] |
10 | "Hollywood Week: Part 2" | February 5 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.4/8 | 9.65 | 16 | [63] |
11 | "Hollywood Week: Part 3" | February 11 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8/9 | 10.66 | 9 | [64] |
12 | "Hollywood Week: Part 4" | February 12 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.3/8 | 9.62 | 16 | [65] |
13 | "Showcase Week: Part 1" [66] | February 18 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.8/9 | 10.70 | 11 | [67] |
14 | "Showcase Week: Part 2" [66] | February 19 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.1/7 | 8.98 | 22 | [68] |
15 | "Top 12 Boys Perform" | February 25 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.7/8 | 10.38 | 11 | [69] |
16 | "Top 12 Girls Perform" | February 26 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.2/7 | 9.43 | 16 | [70] [71] |
17 | "Guys Results: Top 8 Guys Perform" | March 4 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.1/7 | 8.89 | 19 | [72] [73] |
18 | "Girls Results: Top 8 Girls Perform" | March 5 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 2.2/7 | 9.41 | 23 | [73] [74] |
19 | "Top 12 Perform: Back to the Start" [75] | March 11 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 2.4/7 | 9.71 | 17 | [76] [77] |
20 | "Top 11 Perform: Party Songs" [78] | March 12 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 1.8/6 | 8.32 | 21 | [77] [79] |
21 | "Top 10 Perform: Movie Night" [80] | March 19 | 1.8/6 | 8.51 | 14 | [81] | |
22 | "Top 9 Perform: Songs from the 1980s" [82] | March 25 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.7/6 | 8.46 | 21 | [83] [84] |
23 | "Top 8 Perform: Kelly Clarkson Night" [85] | April 1 | 1.8/6 | 8.48 | 16 | [86] [87] | |
24 | "Top 7 Perform: Billboard Top 100" [88] | April 8 | 1.4/5 | 6.58 | <25 | [89] [90] | |
25 | "Top 6 Perform: American Classics" [91] | April 15 | 1.4/5 | 7.63 | <25 | [92] [93] | |
26 | "Top 5 Perform: Arena Anthems" [94] | April 22 | 1.5/5 | 7.47 | <25 | [95] [96] | |
27 | "Top 4 Perform: Judges' Hometowns & Soul Songs" [97] | April 29 | 1.6/5 | 7.36 | 25 | [98] [99] | |
28 | "Top 3 Perform: Judge's Pick, Scott Borchetta's Pick, & Contestant's Hometowns" [100] | May 6 | 1.4/5 | 6.93 | <25 | [101] [102] | |
29 | "Top 2 Perform" | May 12 | Tuesday 9:00 p.m. | 1.3/4 | 5.55 | <25 | [103] [104] |
30 | "Season 14 Finale" | May 13 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 1.7/6 | 8.03 | 18 | [104] [105] |
The top five finalists performed in the American Idol tour that year. [106]
American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to April 7, 2016, for 15 seasons. It was on hiatus for two years until March 11, 2018, when a revival of the series began airing on ABC.
The ninth season of American Idol premiered on Fox on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, and concluded on Wednesday, May 26, 2010. Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, and Randy Jackson returned as judges and were joined by Ellen DeGeneres, who was brought on as a replacement for Paula Abdul after a series of guest judges filled in during the auditions. Idol Gives Back also returned on April 21, 2010. The top 24 semifinal format used in the fourth through seventh seasons also returned this season. Cowell, DioGuardi, and DeGeneres all left the show after this season, although only Cowell's departure was announced in advance.
The tenth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox television network on January 19, 2011, and concluded on May 25, 2011. 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 judges' panel following the departures of Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, and Kara DioGuardi.
Survivor: Redemption Island is the twenty-second season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. It premiered on February 16, 2011. Applications were due in January 2010, and filming lasted from August to September 2010. The season was filmed near San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the same location as the previous season. The show featured returning players Russell Hantz and Rob Mariano and 16 new players to Survivor.
The eleventh season of American Idol premiered on Fox on January 18, 2012, and concluded on May 23, 2012. Ryan Seacrest returned as host, while Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, and Steven Tyler all returned as judges. Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, a songwriter and producer, also returned as an in-house mentor to work with the contestants on a weekly basis. This season followed the same format as the tenth season. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both announced that they would be leaving the show two months after the finale, although Lopez later returned as a judge for the show's thirteenth season.
The Voice is a reality talent show. The series is part of the franchise The Voice and is based on a similar competition format in the Netherlands, The Voice of Holland. The show is hosted by Carson Daly, with Alison Haislip serving as the backstage and social networking correspondent, and the coaches, all well-known musicians, were Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. The inaugural season premiered April 26, 2011, and ended on June 29, 2011, with the live finale.
The first season of the American version of the music competition show The X Factor began airing on Fox on September 21, 2011.
The twelfth season of American Idol premiered on January 16, 2013, as part of the mid-season of the 2012–13 network television season. Ryan Seacrest returned as host. Randy Jackson returned for his twelfth season as judge and was joined by new judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban, who replaced Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
The fourth season of the American television sitcom Modern Family aired on ABC from September 26, 2012 to May 22, 2013.
The eighth season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from June 4 to September 18, 2013. Following the previous season, Sharon Osbourne left the program following a dispute with the network, leading to Mel B replacing her. The judging panel was expanded with Heidi Klum serving as a fourth judge. Along with these changes, the live rounds for this season were moved to Radio City Music Hall in New York.
The American Baking Competition is a reality competition television series that aired on CBS from May 29 to July 10, 2013. It was an adaptation of The Great British Bake Off. The series aimed to find the best amateur baker in the United States. The series was hosted by Jeff Foxworthy and judged by Marcela Valladolid and Paul Hollywood. The competition was won by Brian Emmett.
The thirteenth season of American Idol, styled as American Idol XIII, premiered on the Fox television network on January 15, 2014. Ryan Seacrest returned as host for his thirteenth season. Keith Urban was the only judge from the twelfth season to return. Former judge Jennifer Lopez, who returned after a one-season absence, and Harry Connick Jr. both joined the judging panel following the departures of Mariah Carey, Randy Jackson, and Nicki Minaj, although Jackson remained as a mentor, replacing Jimmy Iovine.
The fifth season of the television comedy series The Middle began airing on September 25, 2013 on ABC in the United States. It is produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions and Warner Bros. Television with series creators DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler as executive producers.
The ninth season of American talent show competition series America's Got Talent was broadcast on NBC from May 27 to September 17, 2014. Following the previous season, the program underwent a number of format changes, including the second audition stage and to the Wildcard format. The most significant change to be made was the inclusion of the "Golden Buzzer", an element that was being introduced into the Got Talent franchise around that time. Apart from the format changes, the ninth season's audition process featured the first and only involvement of a third-party television program to collaborate with America's Got Talent in offering a place in the competition.
Season twenty of Dancing with the Stars premiered on March 16, 2015, and concluded on May 19, 2015.
The sixth season of the television comedy series The Middle began airing on September 24, 2014, on ABC in the United States. It is produced by Blackie and Blondie Productions and Warner Bros. Television with series creators DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler as executive producers.
The fifteenth season of American Idol, also branded as American Idol: The Farewell Season, premiered on the Fox television network on January 6, 2016. Ryan Seacrest continued as host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Scott Borchetta also returned as the in-house mentor. On April 7, 2016, Trent Harmon was announced as this season's winner, while La'Porsha Renae was the runner-up.
The tenth season of the American reality talent show The Voice premiered on February 29, 2016, on NBC. Carson Daly returned as the show's host. Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Pharrell Williams all returned as coaches. Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera returned after a one-season hiatus, replacing Gwen Stefani who did not return as a coach for this season, however instead served as an advisor for Team Blake in the Battle Rounds.