American Idol season 5

American Idol season 5
Created by	Simon Fuller
Directed by	Bruce Gowers
Starring	Ryan Seacrest Paula Abdul Simon Cowell Randy Jackson
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	41
Production
Executive producers	Nigel Lythgoe Ken Warwick Simon Fuller
Running time	Varies
Original release
Network	FOX
Release	January 17 2006 – May 24 2006

The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge, and Ryan Seacrest returned to host. It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise and also with 13 contestants (including all of the top 9) getting record deals - seven of them with major labels. It was also the first season of the series to be aired in high definition.

Auditions

Auditions were held in seven cities in the summer and early fall of 2005 in the following order:

• Chicago, Illinois
• Denver, Colorado
• Greensboro, North Carolina
• San Francisco, California
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Austin, Texas (later stages of auditions were held in San Francisco because of Hurricane Katrina and the number of evacuees in Texas)
• Foxborough, Massachusetts (Greater Boston)

Unlike Season Four, no guest judges were involved during the auditions.

Top 12 finalists

Taylor Hicks Taylor Reuben Hicks is from Birmingham, Alabama. He is gray-haired and performed "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke at his original audition in Las Vegas. At the first audition, the judges were surprised by his appearance. He is one of four contestants in American Idol history to not ever be in the bottom three. He won the competition on May 24. "Levon" (Elton John) "Easy" (The Commodores) "Takin' It to the Streets" (The Doobie Brothers) "Living for the City" (Stevie Wonder) "Not Fade Away" (The Crickets featuring Buddy Holly) "Trouble" (Ray LaMontagne) "Take Me Home, Country Roads" (John Denver) "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen) "You Send Me" (Sam Cooke) "Just Once" (James Ingram) "Play That Funky Music" (Wild Cherry) "Something" (The Beatles) "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley) - Top 2 05/10/06 "In the Ghetto" (Elvis Presley) - Top 2 05/10/06 "Dancing in the Dark" (Bruce Springsteen) - Top 2 5/17/06 "You Are So Beautiful" (Joe Cocker) - Top 2 5/17/06 "Try a Little Tenderness" (Otis Redding) - Top 2 5/17/06 "Living for the City" (Stevie Wonder) - Winner 5/24/06 "Levon" (Elton John) - Winner 5/24/06 "Do I Make You Proud" - Winner 5/24/06

Katharine Hope McPhee's mother is a vocal coach. At the time she auditioned in San Francisco, Randy Jackson said her audition was the best he'd heard yet that season. At the end of the first semi-final round, Simon Cowell said that he had heard four very good singers that evening and that McPhee was the best among them. She is from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. McPhee was the runner-up on American Idol as announced on the May 24 finale. "Since I Fell for You" (Barbra Streisand) "All in Love Is Fair" (Stevie Wonder) "Think" (Aretha Franklin) "Until You Come Back to Me" (Stevie Wonder) "Come Rain or Come Shine" (Ella Fitzgerald) "The Voice Within" (Christina Aguilera) - Bottom 2 03/29/06 "Bringing Out the Elvis" (Faith Hill) "Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen) "Someone to Watch Over Me" (Frank Sinatra) "I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston) - Top 2 04/26/06 "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins) "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (KT Tunstall) "Hound Dog" / "All Shook Up" (Elvis Presley) - Bottom 2 05/10/06 "Can't Help Falling in Love" (Elvis Presley) - Bottom 2 05/10/06 "I Believe I Can Fly" (R. Kelly)- Top 2 5/17/06 "Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland) - Top 2 5/17/06 "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues" (Ella Fitzgerald) - Top 2 5/17/06 "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" (KT Tunstall) - Runner-Up 5/24/06 "Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland) - Runner-Up 5/24/06 "My Destiny" - Runner-Up 5/24/06

Elliott Yamin Efraym Elliott Yamin (pronounced Yah-MEEN) was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He started singing at the age of five and did not have any formal training. He auditioned for American Idol in Boston. After his first semi-final performance, Simon Cowell said that he was potentially the best male vocalist in American Idol history. Yamin lost on May 17 in one of the closest outcomes in Idol history. "If You Really Love Me" (Stevie Wonder) "Moody's Mood for Love" (James Moody) "Heaven" (Bryan Adams) "Knocks Me Off My Feet" (Stevie Wonder) "Teach Me Tonight" (The DeCastro Sisters) "I Don't Want to Be" (Gavin DeGraw) "If Tomorrow Never Comes" (Garth Brooks) - Bottom 2 04/05/06 "Somebody to Love" (Queen) - Bottom 3 04/12/06 "It Had to Be You" (Frank Sinatra) "A Song for You" (Donny Hathaway) "On Broadway" (George Benson) - Bottom 2 05/03/06 "Home" (Michael Bublé) - Bottom 2 05/03/06 "If I Can Dream" (Elvis Presley) - Top 2 05/10/06 "Trouble" (Elvis Presley) - Top 2 05/10/06 "Open Arms" (Journey) - "What You Won't Do For Love" (Bobby Caldwell) - "I Believe to My Soul" (Ray Charles) - Eliminated 05/17/06

Chris Daughtry Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is a bald-headed rocker and former car service worker from McLeansville, North Carolina. During the audition round, he was profiled as a "Rocker Dad." He originally auditioned in Denver. "Wanted Dead or Alive" (Bon Jovi) "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" (Fuel) "Broken" (Seether featuring Amy Lee) "Higher Ground" (Stevie Wonder) "I Walk the Line" (Johnny Cash) "What If" (Creed) "Making Memories of Us" (Keith Urban) "Innuendo" (Queen) "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong) - Bottom 2 04/19/06 "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" (Bryan Adams) - Top 2 4/26/06 "Renegade" (Styx) "I Dare You" (Shinedown) "Suspicious Minds" (Elvis Presley) - "A Little Less Conversation" (Elvis Presley) - Eliminated 05/10/06

Paris Ana'is Bennett is the granddaughter of Grammy Award winner Ann Nesby, and sang "Cowboy Take Me Away" by The Dixie Chicks at her original audition in Greensboro. She is from Fayetteville, Georgia. Her mother and grandmother are apart of the Grammy-winning group, Sounds of Blackness. "Midnight Train to Georgia" (Gladys Knight) "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Bette Midler) "Conga" (Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine) "All I Do" (Stevie Wonder) "Fever" (Peggy Lee) "Work It Out" (Beyoncé) "How Do I Live" (LeAnn Rimes) - Bottom 3 04/05/06 "The Show Must Go On" (Queen) "These Foolish Things" (Billie Holiday) - Bottom 3 04/19/06 "The Way We Were" (Barbra Streisand)- Bottom 2 04/26/06 "Kiss" (Prince and The Revolution) - "Be Without You" (Mary J. Blige) - Eliminated 05/03/2006

Kellie Dawn Pickler is from Albemarle, North Carolina, but was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was profiled as a roller-skating waitress. Her mother left when she was two and her father has had numerous legal problems; he is now free. Pickler lived with her grandfather and originally auditioned in Greensboro. She was never in the bottom three until she was eliminated. "How Far" (Martina McBride) "Something to Talk About" (Bonnie Raitt) "I'm the Only One" (Melissa Etheridge) "Blame It on the Sun" (Stevie Wonder) "Walkin' After Midnight" (Patsy Cline) "Suds in the Bucket" (Sara Evans) "Fancy" (Reba McEntire) "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen) "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" (Ella Fitzgerald) "Unchained Melody" (The Righteous Brothers) - Eliminated 04/26/06

Ace Young Brett Asa "Ace" Young (who goes by his middle name) is from Denver, and he auditioned there as well. At that time, Randy Jackson called him one of the best he'd seen so far this season. After he sang "Father Figure", Simon Cowell said that Young had the 'X-Factor' (a reference to another RTL talent show, in the UK). Young had been singing since age nine and had voice lessons. "Father Figure" (George Michael) "If You're Not the One" (Daniel Bedingfield) "Butterflies" (Michael Jackson) "Do I Do" (Stevie Wonder) - Bottom 3 03/15/06 "In the Still of the Night" (The Five Satins) "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" (Train) - Bottom 3 03/29/06 "Tonight I Wanna Cry" (Keith Urban) "We Will Rock You" (Queen) - Bottom 3 04/12/06 "That's All" (Nat King Cole) - Eliminated 04/19/06

Bucky Covington William Joel "Bucky" Covington is from Rockingham, North Carolina. He auditioned in Greensboro. He has an identical twin brother named Rocky. "Simple Man" (Lynyrd Skynyrd) "The Thunder Rolls" (Garth Brooks) "Wave on Wave" (Pat Green) "Superstition" (Stevie Wonder) "Oh, Boy!" (Buddy Holly) - Bottom 2 03/22/06 "Real Good Man" (Tim McGraw) "Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)" - (Vertical Horizon) "Fat Bottomed Girls" (Queen) - Eliminated 04/12/06

Mandisa (born Mandisa Lynn Hundley) is from Antioch, Tennessee. She had a successful original audition in Chicago, after which Simon Cowell made jokes about her size. He later apologized after being confronted by Miss Hundley. Like Pickler, she was never in the bottom 3 until her elimination. "Never" (Heart) "Cry" (Faith Hill) "I'm Every Woman" (Chaka Khan) "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" (Stevie Wonder) "I Don't Hurt Anymore" (Dinah Washington) "Shackles (Praise You)" (Mary Mary) "Any Man of Mine" (Shania Twain) - Eliminated 04/05/06

Lisa Gabrielle Tucker is from Anaheim, California, and she auditioned in Denver. Simon Cowell called her the "best 16-year-old" ever to audition on the show at the time of her original Denver audition. She was also a runner-up on Star Search but lost to Tiffany Evans. A week after her elimination she appeared in an episode of The O.C. "I Am Changing" (Jennifer Holliday) "Who's Lovin' You" (The Jackson 5) "Here's Where I Stand" (Tiffany Taylor) "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)" (Stevie Wonder) - Bottom 2 03/15/06 "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" (Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers) - Bottom 3 03/22/06 "Because of You" (Kelly Clarkson) - Eliminated 03/29/06

Kevin Patrick Covais was 16 years old at the time, and is from Levittown, New York. For his audition in Boston, he sang "You Raise Me Up". Viewers gave him the nickname 'Chicken Little'. "One Last Cry" (Brian McKnight) "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (Marvin Gaye) - Bottom 3 03/02/06 "Vincent" (Don McLean) "Part-Time Lover" (Stevie Wonder) "When I Fall in Love" (Nat King Cole) - Eliminated 03/22/06

Melissa McGhee Melissa Christine McGhee is from Tampa, Florida. She auditioned in Denver. She sang "Can't Fight the Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes for her audition. She had not sung on camera until her first week in the top 24. "When the Lights Go Down" (Faith Hill) "Why Haven't I Heard from You" (Reba McEntire) "What About Love" (Heart) "Lately" (Stevie Wonder) - Eliminated 03/15/06

Song themes

• March 14 ~ Stevie Wonder
• March 21 ~ 1950s
• March 28 ~ 2000s
• April 4 ~ Country
• April 11 ~ Queen
• April 18 ~ Great American Songbook
• April 25 ~ Love songs
• May 2 ~ Songs from year of birth/Billboard Top 10
• May 9 ~ Elvis Presley
• May 16 ~ Clive Davis's choice/Judges' choice/Contestants' choice
• May 23 ~ Song previously performed by contestant/Another song previously sung by contestant/Original Song for American Idol 5: "My Destiny" (McPhee) or "Do I Make You Proud" (Hicks)

Performers on results shows

• March 15 ~ Stevie Wonder
• March 22 ~ Barry Manilow
• March 29 ~ Shakira and Wyclef Jean
• April 5 ~ Kenny Rogers
• April 12 ~ Final 8 sing a medley of Queen
• April 19 ~ Rod Stewart
• April 26 ~ Andrea Bocelli and David Foster
• May 3 ~ Top 5 perform "Together We Are One" (originally written and sung by Australian singer Delta Goodrem for the 2006 Commonwealth Games)
• May 10 ~ Top 4 perform a medley of Elvis songs
• May 17 ~ Each contestant of the Top 3 performs the song they will be singing on the American Idol Season 5: Encores CD.

The finale

On the finale, Carrie Underwood sang "Don't Forget to Remember Me" solo along with the song "Through the Rain" with the 12 finalists. Also, the finalists performed two medleys: one medley was for the female finalists and the other for the male finalists. Several special guests performed with one of the top five Idols: Al Jarreau (Paris Bennett), Live (Chris Daughtry), Meat Loaf (Katharine McPhee), Mary J. Blige (Elliott Yamin) and Toni Braxton (Taylor Hicks). Also, Prince performed without an Idol, as did Shakira, while Clay Aiken performed with lookalike auditioner Michael Sandecki, who resembled Aiken circa his 2003 audition. Towards the end of the program, the finalists performed "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne Warwick as well as other songs in the Burt Bacharach canon, with Burt Bacharach playing the piano. Several auditioners from the first round returned to accept "Golden Idol" awards, and to sing. A parody of Brokeback Mountain (though there was no mention of homosexuality) called "Brokenote Mountain," featuring a group of three failed auditioners (Layne Johnson, Michael Evans, and Matthew Buckstein) was replayed from the Hollywood round. The trio "The Brokenote Cowboys" then performed the Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys". In a pre-taped segment, finalist Kellie Pickler ate lunch with Wolfgang Puck at his brasserie as a way of making fun of Kellie's admitted lack of culinary savvy. Finally, just before the results were announced, Hicks and McPhee performed "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". The chairman of TeleScope Inc., the company which manages the American Idol results, came at the end of the show with the result card.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals began on February 21, with the names announced on February 15. There were three shows each week for the three weeks of the semi-finals.

There were no format changes from season 4; it featured 12 male singers and 12 female singers (24 total), with two of each being eliminated each week.

The semi-finalists, announced February 15, 2006, along with their songs performed on the show, were:

Female semi-finalists

	Ayla Marie Brown (born July 28, 1988) is from Wrentham, Massachusetts and is six feet tall. She attended high school at Noble and Greenough School and was a star basketball player. In 11th grade, she was the 4th woman to have ever scored 1000 points at Noble and Greenough School. During her junior year, she became only the 20th female to have ever scored 2000 points in a career at the high school stage. Her father, Scott Brown, is a Massachusetts state senator, and her mother, Gail Huff, is a local television personality at WCVB-TV. She also has a sister, Arianna Brown. She had a college basketball scholarship at Boston College. She originally auditioned in Boston, singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." After being voted off American Idol on March 9, 2006, she has continued to tour throughout the New England area, and released with singles "Know You Better" and "I Quit" in September followed the album "Forward" in October. She performed the National Anthem at the 2006 Boston Pops July 4th concert. "Reflection" (Christina Aguilera) "I Want You to Need Me" (Celine Dion) "Unwritten" (Natasha Bedingfield) - Eliminated 03/09/06
	Shontai Kinnik Sky Marshall (born May 13, 1977) is from Duluth, Georgia. She auditioned in Greensboro. She was grouped with Nicole Turk, Celeste Scalone and Tyra Schwartz during the group rounds. "Get Here" (Oleta Adams) "Here for the Party" (Gretchen Wilson) - Bottom 3 03/02/06 "If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys) - Eliminated 03/09/06
	Heather Josephine Cox (born November 16, 1983) is from Jonesville, North Carolina. She auditioned in Denver. Grouped with Halicia Thompson and Kellie Pickler during Hollywood group performances. "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" (Diana Ross) "Hero" (Mariah Carey) - Eliminated 03/02/06
	Brenna Mema Gethers (born October 7, 1980) is from Mount Vernon, New York. She auditioned in Boston, and was known for her "catty" attitude. She's now the lead singer for Bomb Squad, a funk-rock band that won an American Music Award for Best New Music in 2003. "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" (Stevie Wonder) "Last Dance" (Donna Summer) - Eliminated 03/02/06
	Stephanie "Stevie" Marie Scott (born May 22, 1986 in Fair Oaks, California). She auditioned in Denver. She sang "Emotions" with Hannah Freeman and Paris Bennett during their group performance in Hollywood. She was eliminated on February 23, 2006 along with Becky O'Donohue, Bobby Bennett, and Patrick Hall. She made a cameo appearance on the Top 6 performance show of American Idol on April 25, 2006. "To Where You Are" (Josh Groban) - Eliminated 02/23/06
	Rebecca "Becky" Clarise O'Donohue is from Dobbs Ferry, New York. Her original audition was in Boston with her twin sister (who didn't sing due to recent throat surgery). Simon Cowell praised her looks, but said no to her voice. She was let through to Hollywood by Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. "Because the Night" (Patti Smith) - Eliminated 02/23/06

Male semi-finalists

	Gedeon Luke McKinney (born October 1,1988) was from Memphis, Tennessee. He intended to audition in Memphis, but the auditions there were canceled due to the city's role in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina. He raised funds to travel to the Chicago auditions by putting on a benefit concert. His elimination was a surprise to many, including Simon Cowell, who had criticized him previously. "Shout" (The Isley Brothers) "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke) "When a Man Loves a Woman" (Percy Sledge) - Eliminated 03/09/06
	William John "Will" Makar (born March 2, 1989 in The Woodlands, Texas) is of Ukrainian/English descent. Will is currently a senior at The Woodlands College Park High School. In school, Will starred in several musical productions, including The Woodlands College Park High School Musical in January 2006, the performance of which began the day after the airing of the his American Idol audition and was covered by local media. He has also performed for Presidents Clinton and Bush and with singer Celine Dion as part of the Houston Children's Chorus. He has performed the National Anthem at many sporting events and was also a member of the band Last Born. During the Hollywood rounds, he performed Fly Me to the Moon with David Radford and Kevin Covais. Will was signed to Double Deal Brand Records, which also signed fellow top 16 semi-finalist Ayla Brown, and released his debut single titled "I Won't Make It Out" on iTunes on Friday, April 27, 2007. "I Want You Back" (The Jackson 5) "Lady" (Kenny Rogers) "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" (James Taylor) - Eliminated 03/09/06
	José "Sway" Penala (born January 23, 1978) is from South San Francisco, and he auditioned in San Francisco. He was the only Asian-American who made it to the semi-finals this season. He has performed with groups such as DnH and 6th Day. He wore a Fedora hat and coat and a military dog tag at his performances during the season. He developed friendships with Elliott Yamin, Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry during this season. Elliott was also his group mate in the Hollywood week and his roommate. "Reasons" (Earth Wind & Fire) "Overjoyed" (Stevie Wonder) - Eliminated 03/02/06
	David William Radford (born March 22, 1988 in Crystal Lake, Illinois) is a high school senior at Crystal Lake Central High School. In addition to singing, David plays the trumpet. He originally auditioned in Chicago. "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen) "The Way You Look Tonight" (Frank Sinatra) - Eliminated 03/02/06
	Patrick Aaron Hall (born September 24, 1977 is from Gravette, Arkansas and was seen for the first time in Hollywood. During the Hollywood rounds, Simon Cowell called him 'very likeable', and compared him to Clay Aiken. He received many positive comments during these rounds. To separate himself from the Clay Aiken comparison, however, he chose to perform Come to My Window on the first week of the Top 24. He was eliminated that week. "Come to My Window" (Melissa Etheridge) - Eliminated 02/23/06
	Robert Jonathan "Bobby" Bennett, Jr. is from Denver and also auditioned there. He made an appearance in the March 21 episode on which Barry Manilow performed. "Copacabana" (Barry Manilow) - Eliminated 02/23/06

Semi-Finals/Finals elimination chart

Stage:		Semi-Finals			Finals
Week:		2/23	3/2	3/9	3/15	3/22	3/29	4/5	4/12	4/19	4/26	5/3	5/10	5/17	5/24
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Taylor Hicks														Winner
2	Katharine McPhee						Btm 2						Btm 2		Runner-Up
3	Elliott Yamin							Btm 2	Btm 3			Btm 2		Elim
4	Chris Daughtry									Btm 2			Elim
5	Paris Bennett							Btm 3		Btm 3	Btm 2	Elim
6	Kellie Pickler										Elim
7	Ace Young				Btm 3		Btm 3		Btm 3	Elim
8	Bucky Covington					Btm 2			Elim
9	Mandisa							Elim
10	Lisa Tucker				Btm 2	Btm 3	Elim
11	Kevin Covais		Btm 3			Elim
12	Melissa McGhee				Elim
13-16	Gedeon McKinney			Elim
	Ayla Brown
	Will Makar
	Kinnik Sky		Btm 3
17-20	José "Sway" Penala		Elim
	David Radford
	Heather Cox
	Brenna Gethers
21-24	Patrick Hall	Elim
	Stevie Scott
	Bobby Bennett
	Becky O'Donohue

Prediction websites

DialIdol

Main article: DialIdol

DialIdol is both the name of a computer program for Microsoft Windows and its associated website that began tracking contestants during Season 4 and sprang to prominence at the start of Season 5. The program allows users to automatically vote for the American Idol contestants of their choice using their PC's phone modem. The program then reports back to the main website, which keeps track of the results based on the percentage of calls for each contestant that result in a busy signal. Based on the data received, the website then predicts which contestants may be eliminated or may be in danger of being eliminated. As of May 25, 2006, its predictions for Season 5 were 87% accurate.

Zabasearch

This was the first season in which the free U.S. public service website, Zabasearch.com, started to openly present voting results (starting with the top 12 and onward) that it claims are from Cingular and American Idol. It has experienced controversy over the fact that its results change throughout the day until the results show.

Controversy

Main article: American Idol controversy

• In January 2006, twins Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were charged with forgery and theft after allegedly using a false identity to purchase a car. This occurred after the "Hollywood" portion of the show was filmed, and the twins were subsequently disqualified.
• Simon Cowell said that he didn't like "last year's winner" as much as Kellie Pickler. He has since said that it was a heat of the moment thing, as Carrie had performed on the show the week before and was not very fond of the performance.
• In January 2006, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) expressed concern about the show's portrayal of some contestants: "The real offense here was in the producer's decision to add insult to injury by turning a contestant's gender expression into the butt of a joke." Damon Romine, Entertainment Media Director, on January 20.
• In January 2006 The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, NAAFA accused the show of being discriminatory towards its plus sized contestants.
• In February 2006, it was discovered that José "Sway" Penala was reportedly signed to E-Real Records with his band 6th Day, at the time of his audition.
• Two rumors about finalist Katharine McPhee circulated during early March and throughout the season. The first was that she was quitting the show and wouldn't show up for the March 7th airing. The second was sparked by the loose fitting blouses she had been wearing, leading viewers to suspect she was pregnant. Katharine denied both rumors when interviewed by host Ryan Seacrest on the March 7th show.
• During the March 28 show while Mandisa Hundley was singing, her name and phone number came up, but changed for a few seconds and showed Taylor Hicks' name and phone number. At the end of the show the numbers were right.
• Mandisa Hundley was voted out after country week, whereby her rendition of "Any Man of Mine" was not well received as a good song choice. The reason behind her elimination was speculated to be what she said before she began to sing her rendition of "Shackles (Praise You)" by Mary Mary: "This song goes out to everybody that wants to be free. Your addiction, lifestyle and situation may be big, but God is bigger." Many viewers believed that the "lifestyle" stated was regarding the homosexual lifestyle, which she denied, clarifying that the lifestyle she was referring to was her lifestyle of addiction to food. Mandisa is a former employee of the Southern Baptist Convention, having joined the Convention in 2000 as a telephone sales representative for their LifeWay book division, and later in their women's enrichment events area, and later Beth Moore's Living Proof Live events. (Moore's books are published by LifeWay.)
• On the April 25 show, the theme of which was Greatest Love Songs and featured guest coaches Andrea Bocelli and David Foster, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe forced contestant Taylor Hicks to change his song a day before air time (and the same day as the dress rehearsal). Hicks' chosen song was "Try a Little Tenderness," but Lythgoe, in a radio interview, claimed the song was more appropriate for a Blues Brothers week and was not a song that Andrea Bocelli would sing. Hicks changed his song at the last minute to "Just Once" (James Ingram) and appeared very uncomfortable on stage. Hicks fans were distressed, feeling that a) Hicks' original choice of song was very appropriate to the theme; b) The producers changed the song at the last minute even though they must have known Hicks' choice the previous week as they must obtain clearance for all songs; c) Lythgoe's statement that it was not a song Andrea Bocelli would sing was dubious, as other song choices that were approved were songs sung by Bryan Adams ("Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," sung by Chris Daughtry) and Donny Hathaway ("A Song for You," sung by Elliott Yamin).
• During the East Coast transmission of the May 2 show, Paris Bennett was bleeped while singing Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" at the exact point where an obscenity appears in the lyrics. However, Fox confirmed that the song was not bleeped when it was broadcast on the West Coast. Forum posters on the West Coast said Bennett sang the radio edit of the song which excludes the obscenity, leaving viewers nationwide wondering why Bennett was precensored during the earlier live transmission. Paris was eliminated in the results show the day after.
• Following Chris Daughtry's elimination, many Idol fans claimed calls they dialed to Daughtry's line during the first few minutes of voting were misdirected. According to them, the first of his two numbers was answered by a recording of Katharine McPhee (who was also in the bottom two that night) giving thanks for their vote rather than Daughtry. [1] Others reported similar behavior dialing other lines, such as dialing Elliott Yamin's line and hearing a recording of Daughtry giving thanks for their vote.

Post Idol

This is the first season that a majority of finalists have major label recording contracts after Idol. Of them - Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler are distributed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Bucky Covington by Universal Music Group; Mandisa and Ace Young by EMI. One finalist has a deal with an independent label - Paris Bennett. The remaining three finalists are unsigned - Lisa Tucker, Kevin Covais, and Melissa McGhee. Also, four semi-finalists have deals and albums with independent labels - Ayla Brown, Patrick Hall, Will Makar and David Radford. In addition, at least one contestant who was cut before the semi-finals - Bobby Bullard - has also been signed and recorded with a small label. So far, Daughtry has done the best in sales.

Major releases

Compilations

The compilation album for this season was performed by the top twelve finalists.

Information	Digital Downloads
Encores Released: May 23, 2006 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: - #3 (US) RIAA Certification: - Gold U.S. sales: - 311,946	Alphabetical order by song title "Father Figure" (#108 US) "Midnight Train to Georgia" (#52 US Pop) "Moody's Mood for Love" (#73 US Pop, #76 US Digital) "Takin' It to the Streets" (#69 US, #42 US Digital) "Think" (#121 US, #90 US Pop) "Wanted Dead or Alive" (#43 US, #11 US Digital, #37 US Pop)

Singles

Artist	Information
Taylor Hicks	"Do I Make You Proud/Takin' It to the Streets" Released: June 13, 2006 Label: Sony BMG Chart Positions: (2006): #1 (US), #1 (Canada), #16 (World) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 450,000 (physical sales), 86,000 (digital sales)
Katharine McPhee	"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny" Released: June 21, 2006 Label: Sony BMG Chart Positions: #2 (US Hot Single Sales), #6 (Canada) "Somewhere Over the Rainbow:" #12 (US) "My Destiny:" #60 (US) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 150,000 (physical sales), 210,000 (digital sales)
Kellie Pickler	"Red High Heels" Released: September 25, 2006 Label: BNA Records Chart Positions: (2006): #15 (US Country), #64 (US), #67 (US Pop) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 87,000
Daughtry	"It's Not Over" Released: November 21, 2006 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #4 (US), #3 (US Pop), #2 (Digital), #1 (Adult Top 40), #18 (Adult Contemporary) RIAA Certification: Platinum U.S. sales: 1,640,000
Bucky Covington	"A Different World" Released: January 16, 2007 Label: Lyric Street Records Chart Positions: #58 (US), #6 (US Country), #68 (US Pop), #64 (US Digital) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 168,000
Katharine McPhee	"Over It" Released: January 30, 2007 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #29 (US), #25 (Canada), #21 (US Pop), #18 (US Digital songs) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 522,000
Taylor Hicks	"Just to Feel That Way" Released: February 5, 2007 Label: Arista Records Chart Positions: #20 (US Adult Contemporary) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 10,000
Kellie Pickler	"I Wonder" Released: February 5, 2007 Label: BNA Records Chart Positions: #75 (US), #14 (US Country) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 198,000
Elliott Yamin	"Wait for You" Released: March, 2007 Label: RED Distribution Chart Positions: #13 (US), #5 (US Pop), #20 (Digital) #4 (pop airplay), #4 (Adult Contemporary), #13 (Adult Top 40) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 836,000
Daughtry	"Home" Released: April 10, 2007 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #5 (US), #7 (US Pop), #4 (Digital), #1 (Adult Top 40), #1 (Adult Contemporary), #12 (Hot Christian Songs) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 1,320,000
Daughtry	"What I Want" Released: April 23, 2007 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #6 (Mainstream Rock) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 41,000+
Katharine McPhee	"Love Story" Released: June 7, 2007 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 36,000+
Mandisa	"Only the World" Released: May 22, 2007 Label: Sparrow Records Chart Positions: #1 (US Single Sales), #7 (Hot Christian Songs), #5 (Christian AC) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 12,000
Taylor Hicks	"Heaven Knows" Released: May 28, 2007 Label: Arista Records Chart Positions: #27 (US Adult Contemporary) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 11,000
Daughtry	"Over You" Released: July 17, 2007 Label: Arista Records Chart Positions: #18 (US), #14 (US Pop), #21 (US Digital), #3 (Adult Top 40), #16 (Adult Contemporary) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 842,000
Kellie Pickler	"Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" Released: September, 2007 Label: Sony BMG Chart Positions: #16 (US Country), #102 (US) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: TBD
Bucky Covington	"It's Good to Be Us" Released: September, 2007 Label: Lyric Street Records Chart Positions: #17 (US Country), #102 (US) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: TBD
Mandisa	"God Speaking" Released: October 22, 2007 Label: Sparrow Records Chart Positions: #26 (Hot Christian Songs), #18 (Christian AC) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: TBD
Daughtry	"Feels Like Tonight" Released: January 8, 2008 Label: Arista Records Chart Positions: #31 (US), #20 (US Pop), #3 (Adult Top 40) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 85,000

Albums

Artist	Information
Chris Daughtry	Daughtry Released: November 21, 2006 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #1 (BB 200), #1 (Rock) , #1 (Digital), #1 (Comprehensive), #1 (Internet) RIAA Certification: 3x Platinum U.S. sales: 3,710,048 UK sales: 1,543,919
Kellie Pickler	Small Town Girl Released: October 31, 2006 Label: BNA Records Chart Positions: #1 (US Top Country), #9 (Billboard 200), #12 (Canada Top Country Albums) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 725,000
Taylor Hicks	Taylor Hicks Released: December 12, 2006 Label: Arista Records Chart Positions: #2 (US Billboard 200), #43 (Canada), #5 (United World Chart) RIAA Certification: Platinum U.S. sales: 701,000
Elliott Yamin	Elliott Yamin Released: March 20, 2007 Label: Hickory Records Sony RED Distribution Chart Positions: #3 (Billboard 200), #1 (Top Independent Albums), #11 (Top R&B albums) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 489,556
Katharine McPhee	Katharine McPhee Released: January 30, 2007 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #2 (US Billboard 200), #23 (Canada), #5 (United World Chart) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 366,000
Bucky Covington	Bucky Released: April 17, 2007 Label: Lyric Street Records Hollywood Records Chart Positions: #4 (Billboard 200), #1 (US Top Country) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 321,000
Mandisa	True Beauty Released: July 31, 2007 Label: Sparrow Records Chart Positions: #43 (Billboard 200), #1 ( Hot Christian Albums) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 100,000

Minor & independent releases

Artist	Information
Bobby "Bluu Suede" Bullard	The Bluu Suede Project Released: 2007 Label: Stres Entertainment Inc.
Ayla Brown	Forward (LP) Released: October 17, 2006 Label: Double Deal Brand Records [2] U.S. sales: 2,800 as of June 20th, 2007
Brenna Gethers and the Bomb Squad	Bomb Squad Released 2005, then rerecorded with Brenna's voice in 2007 Label: None
Paris Bennett	Princess P (LP) Released: May 8, 2007 Label: 306 Entertainment U.S. sales: 19,000
Ace Young	"Scattered (Digital Download)" Released: October 20, 2006 Label: Freeman Records U.S. sales: -
Elliott Yamin	"This Christmas (Digital Download)" Released: December 6, 2006 Label: Pulse Recording and Three Ring Projects Chart Positions: #167 (Hot Digital Songs) U.S. sales: -
Katharine McPhee	"I Lost You"/"Dangerous" (Wal-Mart) Released: December 19, 2006 Label: RCA Records U.S. sales: -
Patrick Hall	One for the Ages (LP) Released: February 2007 Label: Ni-Fi Records U.S. sales: -
Josh Royse	He'll Say Love (EP) Released: 2007 Label: Great Music, Inc.
David Radford	Swing on By (LP) Released: 2007 Label: independent
Stephanie White	Knee Deep InSanity (CD Baby) Released: October 12, 2007 Label: independent U.S. sales: - 1,000+ as of April 2008 Notes: lead singer of her band, Stephanie White and the New Jersey Philth Harmonic

Awards

Season five won American Idol the number one television show of the year on Nielsen Ratings for the third consecutive year. In 2006, American Idol also became the most nominated unscripted show ever, and has several nominations in the 2006 Emmy Awards for Season 5:

• Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
• Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety, Music Program or Special - Episode #519
• Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Bruce Gowers
• Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Large team entries - Primarily Multi-Camera Productions) - "Audition City: Greensboro"
• Outstanding Lighting Direction - "American Classics Songbook with Rod Stewart"
• Outstanding Lighting Direction - "Finale"
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special or Animation - "American Classics Songbook with Rod Stewart"
• Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series - Episode #530

External links

• Official American Idol Contestants Website