American Idol season 6

American Idol season 6
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	13 (as of February 22, 2007)
Production
Executive producers	Nigel Lythgoe Ken Warwick Simon Fuller
Running time	Varies
Original release
Network	FOX
Release	January 16 2007

The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the FOX Broadcasting Network on January 16,2007 and will run until late May. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host.

Broadcast schedule

Beginning in mid-November 2006, FOX began airing teaser clips of the upcoming sixth season. First a bad contestant was highlighted, with judge Cowell giving his usual horrified grimace, then by early December another began airing, a female singing "Stormy Weather" as the judges looked on approvingly.

The season premiere began as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and 17. Starting the following week, regularly scheduled hours of the program will air at 8 p.m. (EST) on Tuesdays and 9 p.m. (EST) on Wednesdays.

The audition shows were spread over eight episodes, each covering one of the seven cities toured as well as a "Best of the Rest" episode. They aired on Jan. 16 (Minneapolis), 17 (Seattle), 23 (Memphis), 24 (East Rutherford), 30 (Birmingham), 31 (Los Angeles), February 6 (San Antonio), and February 7 ("The Best of the Rest"). Guest judges for that leg of the process included Olivia Newton-John, Carole Bayer Sager and Jewel. The Hollywood round episodes aired on February 13 and 14. The Top 24 were announced on February 14. Voting rounds began on February 20.

It has been reported that the 2006 British The X Factor winner Leona Lewis is scheduled to perform on an early episode of American Idol Season 6, thanks to the connection with Simon Cowell.

TV Guide Channel will bring back a second season of Idol Tonight, the live pre-show to American Idol, which will air on Wednesdays starting in March. The show will feature former Idol runner-up Justin Guarini as a correspondent along with Kimberly Caldwell and Rosanna Tavarez. Additionally American Idol Extra, a behind-the-scenes show, will also return for a second season, corresponding with the start of the finals in March. It will air Thursdays on Fox Reality.

Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez are expected to perform on the show, on March 28 and April 11, respectively.

Regional auditions phase

Locations

The Auditions were held in the following cities:

• Pasadena, California (billed as the Los Angeles auditions during the broadcast): Rose Bowl - August 8
• San Antonio, Texas: Alamodome - August 11
• East Rutherford, New Jersey (billed as the New York City auditions during the broadcast): Continental Airlines Arena - August 14
• Birmingham, Alabama: Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex - August 21
• Memphis, Tennessee: FedEx Forum - September 3
• Minneapolis, Minnesota: Target Center - September 8
• Seattle, Washington: KeyArena - September 19

Auditioning contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on August 6, 2006 (born between August 7, 1977 and August 6, 1990).

Structure of auditions

Auditions for the show were held in the seven cities shown above. As reported in The Los Angeles Daily News, the 2006 process was especially difficult: the 10,000 or so contestants waited in long lines, then were herded before two very young assistant producers and given roughly 15 seconds to perform one song. At that point the large majority of them were summarily rejected.

gayness of the first phase were typically then seen by Idol's executive producers, and only if surviving that cut (because they were especially good and fit what Idol was looking for, or especially bad in some novel way) were seen by Cowell, Abdul, and Jackson. The contestants then had one chance to impress the judges by singing a song of their choice a cappella. Then the judges each gave them either a "yes" or a "no" to continue to the next round. If they received a majority of yeses, the contestant would receive a "golden ticket" that qualified them for the "Hollywood Rounds". If rejected, the auditioner returned home.

Notable eliminated audition contestants

• Kenneth Briggs, an unsuccessful auditioner with spooky eyes who was likened by Simon Cowell to a primitive species of primate: "You look like one of those creatures in the jungle with those massive eyes, what are they called? Bush baby". The remark drew criticism on The View from Rosie O'Donnell, who commented: "To make fun of someone's physical appearance, is this what America thinks is entertainment?"
• Jonathan Jayne, auditioned in Seattle. He became good friends with Kenneth Briggs while waiting to audition. He sang "God Bless America", which Kenneth thought was worthy enough to get a ticket to Hollywood, but the judges kindly declined. It quickly came to the judges attention that Jonathan might be mentally challenged, which prompted Paula to tell him to always believe in himself. Even Simon was incredibly respectful towards him. It turned out that at some point, Jonathan competed in the Special Olympics, and recently that organization released a statement thanking the judges for being gracious toward Jonathan.
• Sarah Goldberg, who auditioned in New York and sang a terrible rendition of Selena's "Dreaming of You". Considered by fans as the "crazy girl." Saying she wanted to be the first American Idol who has never sung before (and that was very evident in her audition), she screamed to Paula, Randy, and guest judge Carole (Simon was not there), "I'm unique! Woo-hoo!" She gave a speech about the judges being rude after they rejected her, to the hoots and cheers of the waiting contestants behind her. That clip was later shown and commentated on The Daily Show with the host saying, "Somebody forgot to take her pills!"
• Martik "Eccentric" Manoukian, auditioned in Los Angeles. Claiming to be "the most exciting entertainer on planet Earth," Manoukian attended the Los Angeles audition acting like a panther, complete with a "panther crawl" and growl. After being rejected by the panel, Manoukian stated, "I might be blowing up as big as Michael Jackson, maybe bigger."
• Ian Benardo, a self-proclaimed "superstar" from New York who gave a rendition of "Gloria" by Laura Branigan. When Cowell gave his opinion, Benardo asked to see Cowell's working visa, and followed this up with a barrage of one liner insults on the judges, particularly aimed at Simon. Next, Ian directed his attention to a more personal subject, his twin brother separated at birth, Colin James Bindner, who has a solar system on his neck and a galaxy on his chest. This continued until he was forced out of the auditioning room by security guards. Benardo also tried out for So You Think You Can Dance just as unsuccessfully and with just as many censored insults directed to that show's judges. Some assume that Benardo only went on the show due to a grudge against British judges (one of the judges on So You Think You Can Dance was also British), which was enforced by a monologue after his audition about how he is infuriated that British people like Cowell were criticizing Americans.
• Sherman Pore, who at age 64 was more than double the age limit of 28 when he auditioned in Los Angeles (and never lied about his age like several other contestants have), still had his audition with a rendition of "You Belong To Me." The audition was made possible by a petition, which in turn was inspired by the motivation from his "lady love," who had died of cancer two days before the audition. While he was unable to receive a golden ticket due to his age, he was greatly admired by the judges as well as viewers. Cowell even asked to shake his hand after the audition.
• Margaret Fowler, who auditioned in Birmingham, Alabama. She did not make it but she is remembered for her yellow clothes (which symbolized according to herself, a match of the golden ticket to the Hollywood round that she did not receive). Simon Cowell said her Big Bird-inspired ensemble looked like an "Easter Bunny nightmare experiment," but it did not faze Margaret one bit. "I loved every minute of it because when he said I was a big, fat Easter bunny – who does not love a big, fat Easter bunny?" she tells People magazine. Margaret Fowler’s age disqualifies her (she was 50, 22 years over the limit of 28).
• Ashanti Johnson, who had made it to Hollywood two times before, but had never made it to a semi-final round. She tearfully begged the judges to put her through after rejection, going on a long, melodramatic tirade about how much she's changed. The judges were unconvinced, and Ashanti finally left the audition room.
• Victoria Watson, auditioned in Birmingham. She had never cut her hair since birth, so it nearly reached the floor. Victoria sang Josh Groban's “You Raise Me Up”. The judges claimed her vocal style was too old-fashioned and therefore was rejected. She took her rejection hard, sobbing not long after she left the audition room.
• Nichole Gatzman, auditioned in Birmingham and brought "Team Nichole" along. Her rendition of Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" was seen by the judges as "too nasal" and "not ready". The rejection was one of the most controversial ever on the show, as fans and radio stations constantly suggested she should have made it to Hollywood. She appeared on Larry King Live the week of the air date.

Disqualified

• Akron Watson auditioned in San Antonio. He was given the opportunity to sing 2 songs because the judges liked his voice but Cowell was concerned about a lack of personality. The judges eventually sent him to Hollywood; however, it was reported the night after his audition aired that Watson was disinvited, possibly due to a 2003 marijuana possession conviction.

Hollywood phase

Structure of rounds

The so-called "Hollywood" phase of the audition process was held over four days in mid-November 2006 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

The first round consisted of each contestant singing one song a capella of their own choosing in front of the judges and all the other contestants of the same gender. Contestants were then told whether they were moving on or going home, in groups of six. This extended over the first two days, first females, then males.

The second round took place on the second and third day, and consisted of groups of three or four contestants choosing, rehearsing, and then performing one of nine pre-selected songs with piano accompaniment. Groups were reviewed and contestants were then judged individually as to whether they were moving on or going home.

The third round took place on the fourth day, and consisted of individual contestants performing a song from a pre-selected list, accompanied by a piano and a couple of backup singers. Contestants were split up into 3 rooms, and 2 of the rooms were selected to be the Top 40, which was later cut down into the Top 24.

Notable eliminations in Hollywood

First Round

• Ashlyn Carr, auditioned in San Antonio. After displaying a good voice but showing what the judges described as "odd facial expressions", Carr was rejected. After some second thoughts from Cowell, she was brought back in and was sent to Hollywood after a second audition. It was reported the night after her audition that she had been arrested in August 2006 for putting sugar in the gas tank of her ex-boyfriend's car, but this did not affect her appearance in the Hollywood rounds where she was eliminated.
• Jory Steinberg, auditioned in New York. After being lauded with praise from the judges in her initial audition, she was eliminated in the first group of girls who performed on stage, whom Simon called, in no less terms, terrible. Jory had previously been a part of label in Canada but due to shifting rosters, she was dropped before an album was made.
• Porcelana Patino, auditioned in New York. She treated her preparation as if she was trying out for The Contender, so she got up at five every morning to workout and lost 15-20 pounds. She impressed the judges and proceeded to the Hollywood round. She was then eliminated in the first cuts.
• Sarah Burgess, auditioned in New York with her parents under the impression she was staying at a friend's house in Ohio. She tearfully explained that her parents did not approve of her becoming a singer. She gave a different tone to her rendition of "Call Me" by Blondie which the judges admired and they unanimously agreed to send her to the Hollywood round. After the audition, Seacrest helped Burgess call her father about what actually transpired over the past few days. In Hollywood, she was eliminated in the first cuts.
• Rachel Zevita, auditioned in New York. Being a trained opera singer, she impressed the judges by performing three completely different songs: a rock tune-"Eternal Life" by Jeff Buckley, a ballad-"Get Here" by Oleta Adams, and "Cara, cara e dolce," an italian art song by Alessandro Scarlatti. She passed the New York audition, but was not specifically seen or heard on the Hollywood round episode, meaning she was eliminated and probably fairly early.
• Jenry Bejarano, auditioned in New York. He impressed the judges with a fine voice and a good look, but despite being a slight fan favorite, was not seen at any point in the Hollywood round, meaning he may been eliminated fairly early like Rachel Zevita.

Second Round

• Baylie Brown, a 16 year old from Krum, Texas. Brown was paired up with Antonella Barba and Amanda Coluccio in the group round, Baylie forgot a majority of her lyrics when performing in front of the judges, which resulted in her getting rejected. After her elimination, she tearfully confronted her teammates, one of whom (Amanda) had flirted with boys the previous night, but they shrugged her off.
• Ebony Jointer, the twenty three year old from Hacienda Heights, California was one of three Frisco’s car hops featured on the American Idol Best of the Rest episode.
• Matt Sato, who was featured many times in the first Hollywood episode. In most of the clips he was in, he was calling his mother to tell her that he made it through (or, when eliminated, the exact opposite).
• Perla Meneses, who auditioned in Minneapolis and sang Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" in front of the judges and were impressed. In the first round Simon warned her about her dancing and singing balance, and that they were unsure about her vocal performance. She did not bond well with the group she was in, which included Gina Glocksen, and was the only one eliminated from her group.
• Robyn Troup, auditioned in San Antonio, but was not seen until Hollywood week. She was the winner of the "My Grammy Moment" contest and consequently won a recording contract with Justin Timberlake. Two days after, her elimination was shown in the Hollywood group rounds.
• Sean Michel, auditioned in Memphis. The self-confessed Osama Bin Laden and Fidel Castro look-alike gave an upbeat version of the Johnny Cash song "God's Gonna Cut You Down". Despite his looks, the judges gave him a golden ticket to Hollywood. He was eliminated in the Hollywood group rounds with little footage shown of it.

Third Round

File:Jordinsparksidol.jpg

Jordin Sparks' audition, singing "Because You Loved Me."

• Brian Miller, who had auditioned in an earlier season. When he first auditioned, Simon could not remember him, but the other judges put him through. In the first Hollywood round, he was seen being praised for his singing by all three judges, but wasn't focused on much for the rest of the episode.
• Denise Jackson, auditioned in Minneapolis. Her mom was a drug addict and she was a self-confessed "crack baby".
• Jamie Lynn Ward, auditioned in Birmingham. Described by Ryan Seacrest as a "blue-eyed bombshell", she sang "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera. She was well known for her story about her father who shot himself and became paralyzed. She was eliminated this season in the cut for the top 40.
• Shyamali Malakar, who auditioned in Seattle with her brother Sanjaya. When she was put through to Hollywood, the judges thought she had better stage presence than her brother but that he had better vocals. This proved true, as she was eliminated this season in the cut for the top 40 while her brother made it through, eventually to the top 24.

Resulting Top 40

• Anna Kearns, auditioned in Seattle. She surprised the judges with her tall height in which she revealed that she was actually 6'7 tall in heels. After her strong rendition of the Aretha Franklin classic "Respect", Randy and Paula decided to put her through to Hollywood with Simon commenting that the two just put through a giraffe to the next round.
• Jimmy McNeal, auditioned in San Antonio. Simon described him as a fun little Ruben.
• Marisa Rhodes (12257), auditioned in New York. She is also 21 years old from Bethlehem, PA. She sang "Be My Baby" in Hollywood group round, together with Gina Glocksen, Perla Meneses, and Jessica Gordon. Rhodes cried when she was the last female contestant to be eliminated in the Top 40, with the final spot going to Antonella Barba.
• Matthew Buckstein was part of American Idol (season 5) but was eliminated during Hollywood week. He came back during the finale of season 5 as part of the group "The Brokenote Cowboys".
• Tami Gosnell, a taxi cab driver (puller) who was first seen on "The Best of the Rest" audition episode where she sang The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post". She said she would give all three of the judges a ride.
• Thomas "Tommy" Daniels, auditioned in Seattle. The judges praised his singing, especially after many poor auditions in Seattle. Daniels was the last guy eliminated from the top 40, with the final spot going to Sundance Head.
• Thomas "Tom" Lowe (78576) auditioned in Seattle. Originally from Manchester, England. Sang Always and Forever, Paula said it was "the best version of that song". Tom reached number 7 in the UK charts in the late nineties with boyband North and South. In the group round, he was with future top 24 contestants Chris Sligh, Rudy Cardenas, and Blake Lewis. His audition was only aired in the UK.

Cut down to 24

The final pre-audience voting cutdown took place at the Pasadena Civic Center on January 14 or 15, 2007, just before the regional audition shows began airing (although at least one contestant had been shown a tape of the show in advance). Without any further auditioning, but possibly with some audience research having taken place, the 40 remaining contestants were reduced to 24. In a process taking a whole day, contestants wait in a sitting room until one by one, they go up an elevator and take a long walk to the other end of the Center's Gold Room. Then the three judges tell them whether they have made it onto the stage show or are cut.

The show capturing this phase was aired February 14, 2007.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals began on February 20, with the names announced on February 14. There will be three shows each week for the three weeks of the semi-finals.

There are no format changes from season 4 and 5. The semi-finals featured the contestants (24 total) divided by gender with the 12 male singers singing on Tuesdays and the 12 female singers on Wednesdays. Each person had the chance to select a song to sing live in front of the judges. Following the show's airing, each U.S. timezone would have two hours to vote by phone or by text-messaging. On Thursday, the two of each group with the lowest amount of votes were eliminated each week until the finals.

The 24 semi-finalists, announced February 14, 2007, were:

Females	Males
Alaina Alexander	Rudy Cárdenas
Antonella Barba	Jared Cotter
Melinda Doolittle	Sundance Head
Stephanie Edwards	Paul Kim
Gina Glocksen	Blake Lewis
Leslie Hunt	Sanjaya Malakar
Lakisha Jones	Nicholas Pedro
Amy Krebs	Chris Richardson
Haley Scarnato	Brandon Rogers
Sabrina Sloan	Chris Sligh
Jordin Sparks	Phil Stacey
Nicole Tranquillo	A.J. Tabaldo

Females

File:Alaina.jpg Alaina Alexander (66442)Alaina Alexander auditioned in Los Angeles. She is 24 years old and is from West Hollywood, California. Before her American Idol 6 audition, Alaina revealed that after struggling for six years to make it in the music business in L.A. that not long ago she decided that she was not going to sing anymore. Alaina had decided to go to college instead, and she considered American Idol to be her last chance to pursue a singing career. For her Los Angeles audition, Alaina Alexander sang "Feeling Good" by Michael Buble. Brass in Pocket (The Pretenders)
Antonella Barba (2123)Antonella Barba, age 20, auditioned with her best friend Amanda Coluccio and made it to Hollywood. An undergraduate at the Catholic University of America, she originally hails from Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She made it to Round 3 with Amanda and both passed the group round (although their third member, Baylie Brown, did not). Her friend, Amanda, was eliminated in the cut for the top 40. She is currently considered the female contestant to vote for on Vote for the Worst, due to an emergence of racy photos. These photos (topless, and performing a sex act on an unidentified man) are considered reason to disqualify her according to many reports. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
File:MelindaDoolittle.jpg Melinda Doolittle	Melinda Doolittle (57073), auditioned in Memphis, and is from Brentwood, Tennessee. Despite being a professional back-up singer, she admitted she was still tense and nervous about competing in the show. She sang "For Once In My Life" popularized by Stevie Wonder, and was met with universal praise from the three judges on her vocal ability. The judges did express concern over her nerves and told her to believe in herself. (Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone (Aretha Franklin)
Stephanie Edwards (52357) is 19 years old and is from Savannah, Georgia. She auditioned in Memphis. How Come You Don't Call Me (Prince)
Gina Glocksen (53750), auditioned in Memphis, and is from Naperville, Illinois. She auditioned in Chicago during Season 5 and made it to Hollywood, but was cut before the Top 44. All By Myself (Eric Carmen)
Leslie Hunt (73560), a 25-year-old dog walker from Chicago, Illinois, who was featured in an American Idol commercial before Season 6 started. She is a self-described indie rocker. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman (Aretha Franklin)
LaKisha Jones (8292), a 27-year-old bank teller who performed "Think" by Aretha Franklin, and is from Flint, Michigan. Viewer's were first introduced to Jones during the "Best of the Rest" segment aired after the city auditions were over. After the audition, LaKisha celebrated with her family and cried tears of happiness with her daughter. She is also the runner up of the Houston show, KPRC Local 2 Gimme the Mike, in 2005. Her first song in the top 24 was "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" which earned high praise from all three judges, Simon even going as far to say, "I'm very tempted to say to 23 other people book your plane tickets home". And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Jennifer Holliday)
Haley Scarnato (50411) is a 24-year-old who auditioned and also lives in San Antonio. After some impromptu greetings and handshakes with the judges, Haley sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt. Simon and Randy both thought she was just average and Paula thought she had great control with her voice. It's All Coming Back to Me Now (Celine Dion/Meat Loaf)
Sabrina Sloan (35422) (maiden name Scherff); Sloan is originally from Mission Viejo, California but now calls Studio City, CA her home. Sloan toured the United States as part of the Broadway musical Hairspray under her maiden name, Sabrina Scherff. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in both Musical Theatre and Communication Studies. I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (Aretha Franklin)
Jordin Sparks (80066) , auditioned in Seattle and is from Glendale, Arizona. This 17 year old was a contestant on America's Most Talented Kid in 2003 and had also appeared on the program's Tournament of Champions, on which she sang the Celine Dion ballad "Because You Loved Me" in her auditions. Give Me One Reason (Tracy Chapman)
Nicole Tranquillo (60162) is 21 years old and from Wernersville, Pennsylvania. She gained a vocal major at the University of the Arts. She auditioned in Memphis. She was eliminated in the first week of public voting. Stay (Chaka Khan) - (Eliminated February 22, 2007)
Amy Krebs (80984) is 22 years old and is from Federal Way, Washington, which is the same town that Sanjaya Malakar is from. She auditioned in Seattle. She was eliminated in the first week of public voting. I Can't Make You Love Me (Bonnie Raitt) - (Eliminated February 22, 2007)

Males

Jared Cotter (8067) is from Kew Gardens, New York (listed as Long Island on the show). He is 25 years old and auditioned in New York City. Back at One (Brian McKnight)

Jason "Sundance" Head (53540) auditioned in Memphis and lives in Porter, Texas. He is 28 years old and is the son of Roy Head, who had a number-two single with "Treat Her Right" in 1965; the song was second on the charts to The Beatles, which Jason said made his dad dislike them. He sang the classic hit "Stormy Monday." Unlike his first audition, his vocals did not fare well in the Hollywood rounds, especially the group round. He is currently considered the male contestant to vote for on Vote for the Worst. Nights in White Satin (The Moody Blues)

Blake Lewis (77804) (born July 21 1981) is 25 years old and auditioned in Seattle, and is from Bothell, Washington. The city's beatboxing champion, Lewis sampled a hip-hop tune to the judges before rendering Seal's "Crazy". Blake passed the auditions but Simon commented to him that "You are not that good as you think are," reminding him not to be cocky and overconfident in the future. Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)

Sanjaya Malakar (born September 10 1989) is 17 years old. He auditioned in Seattle with his sister Shyamali, singing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered". He is from Federal Way, Washington, the same town as Amy Krebs. After Malakar's audition, Simon commented that he had a better voice than his sister. Both made it to Hollywood, but Sanjaya was shown tearfully embracing his sister when he made it to the top 40 in Hollywood and she was cut. Randy thought that it was bad and the song was too big for him. Paula thought that he should choose a song that shows off his personality more while Simon felt that the whole song was boring. Despite it all, he was in the top four for the mens' group. Knocks Me Off My Feet (Stevie Wonder)

Nicholas "Nick" Pedro (10377) is 25 years old. He auditioned in New York and is from Taunton, Massachusetts. Pedro dropped out of the competition last season after forgetting the lyrics of "Buttercup" in Hollywood. This audition, he gave a soulful rendition of "Fly Me To The Moon" which earned him a second chance to fulfill his Idol aspirations. Now and Forever (Richard Marx)

Chris Richardson (8963) (born February 19 1984) is 23 years old. He auditioned in New York and is from Chesapeake, Virginia. During Richardson's audition Randy compared him to Justin Timberlake. I Don't Want to Be (Gavin DeGraw)

Brandon Rogers (74191) is 29 years old. He auditioned in Los Angeles and is from North Hollywood, California. Rogers has been a backup singer to established artists, performing on Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera's 2003 Justified and Stripped Tour and Anastacia's 2005 Encore Tour. After hearing his audition song, the judges (including guest judge Olivia Newton-John) were impressed with his vocals. Simon Cowell later mentioned he was the best auditioner coming from that city. Rock with You (Michael Jackson)

Chris Sligh (24994)is 28 years old, hails from Greenville, South Carolina, and attended Bob Jones University. He auditioned in Birmingham and sang "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal, after which Paula gave a standing ovation and stated, "I like you very much." Paula, Simon, and Randy laughed at his ambition "to make David Hasselhoff cry" (a nod to the Season 5 finale where David Hasselhoff did, in fact, cry). When he made it to the top 24, Simon said that he was not the strongest singer of the bunch, but has a great personality. Typical (Mute Math)

Philip Joel "Phil" Stacey (51815) is 29 years old. He auditioned in Memphis and is from Jacksonville, Florida. Stacey missed the birth of his newborn baby girl, Machaela, because she was born a week earlier than expected. He performed two songs before getting through to Hollywood: My Girl and Let's Get It On. I Could Not Ask for More (Edwin McCain)

Antonio Javier "A.J." Tabaldo (66398) auditioned in Los Angeles and is from Santa Maria, California. He is 22 years old. Tabaldo is half-Filipino and half-Portuguese, and auditioned in American Idol for five times. Never Too Much (Luther Vandross)

Rodolfo "Rudy" Cardenas (59575) auditioned in Seattle and is from North Hollywood, California. Originally from Venezuela, the 28-year-old is part of a Los Angeles-based band called M-Pact. In his audition, he sang Journey rock classic "Open Arms". Although Simon was unimpressed with his singing, Rudy made it to Hollywood with the support of the other two judges. In Hollywood, he sang "How Deep Is Your Love" together with Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, and Tom Lowe in group round. The judges were impressed by their vocals. Free Ride (Edgar Winter Group) - (Eliminated February 22, 2007)

Paul Kim (74501) auditioned in Los Angeles. He is from Saratoga, California, and attended Monta Vista High School. Kim is 25 years old, and being Korean-American, his motivation for auditioning was to alter the stereotypical Asian image that William Hung gave during the previous seasons. His performance received unanimous praise from the judges as Randy mentioned that Kim has one of the best male vocals he has heard this season. In contrast to their early praise, the judges mentioned when they put him through that Paul made it to the top 24 by "a split decision". Additionally, he performs without his shoes. Although he was recieved a bit better reviews from the judges than the other contestants, he was the first of the 24 to be voted off. Careless Whisper (George Michael) - (Eliminated February 22, 2007)

Semi-Finals/Finals elimination chart

Legend

Female

Male

Top 12

Top 24

Stage:		Semi-Finals			Finals
Week:		2/22	3/1	3/8	3/14	3/21	3/28	4/4	4/11	4/18	4/25	5/2	5/9	5/16	5/23
Place	Contestant	Result
1															Winner
2															Runner-Up
3														Elim
4													Elim
5												Elim
6											Elim
7										Elim
8									Elim
9								Elim
10							Elim
11						Elim
12					Elim
13-16				Elim
13-16				Elim
13-16				Elim
13-16				Elim
17-20			Elim
17-20			Elim
17-20			Elim
17-20			Elim
21-24	Rudy Cardenas	Elim
21-24	Nicole Tranquillo	Elim
21-24	Paul Kim	Elim
21-24	Amy Krebs	Elim

External links

• Official American Idol Contestants Website
• USA Today's online American Idol blog
• American Idol Season 6 News
• American Idol News - Season 6