American Idol season 5
The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge. Taylor Hicks won the competition. American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006 followed the season finale.
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) [1]
- Foxborough, Massachusetts (Greater Boston)
Unlike Season Four, no guest judges were involved during the auditions.
Early eliminated contestants
Early auditions
- Princess Brewer gave Simon Cowell a headache with her singing. In the finale, she received a "Golden Idol" but Brewer did not attend the show.
- Chonna Clepper auditioned in Greensboro dressed in almost nothing.
- Holly Corrente worked at a rehabilitation facility. Auditioned in Boston and eliminated there.
- Rhonetta Johnson had a diva attitude, a potty mouth, and no underwear. She made negative comments, mostly about and directed to Paula Abdul after being rejected by the judges. Eliminated in Greensboro auditions. Johnson later appeared in a Rolling Stone issue discussing the lives of various rejected American Idol 5 auditioners. She won a "Golden Idol" award for the Jackson Award, as revealed during the season finale.
- Ryan Hart auditioned in Las Vegas singing a song in the style of screamo. He was not accepted and made fun of by Randy Jackson upon leaving, but Hart couldn't depart without screaming a few (censored) words to Simon Cowell.
- Yuliya Matus was a Ukrainian-American entertainer who auditioned in Chicago. She sang a butchered version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" despite getting a "yes" from Paula Abdul, she was turned away by Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell. She was crying as she came out.
- Crystal Parizanski auditioned in Chicago, and she was known for her tan and quirky personality. She was nominated for a Golden Idol.
- Tessie Mae Reid was a wannabe country music singer who auditioned in Greensboro and compared herself to Diana DeGarmo and Carrie Underwood. She sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Simon Cowell said that the song was too big for her voice. She said that he was wrong.
- Joshua David "Josh" Royse is an 18-year-old from Turpin, Oklahoma who auditioned in San Francisco. He sang Hoobastank's "The Reason". Royse is a Christian musician who writes about Christianity. On the show, he also performed an original song about the American Idol audition process (title "The Greatest Feeling Of All") with another contestant he met while they were in San Francisco. He did not make it past his initial audition. The judges praised his singing but said he was not what they were looking for. Later, he was chosen by the American Idol Underground A/R team and signed a recording contract with an independent record company in California. His American Idol song was made into a music video on the American Idol website. He also has an "Idol Alumni" testimonial on the website. In addition, he has spoken in radio interviews on a handful of stations in the U.S., and has airplay for "The Greatest Feeling of All".[2]
- Michael Sandecki auditioned in Boston, claiming he was "The Next Clay Aiken", and he did closely resemble Aiken at his original audition. However, he sang poorly, and he blamed his bad singing on the fact that he had to "pee." The judges allowed him to go to the men's room and come back when he was done. His singing remained the same, and he was rejected. On the season finale, he won a "Golden Idol" for Best Impersonator, and was asked to sing. He started to sing "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", when somebody else walked out on stage. Sandecki turned around and nearly fainted when he saw it was the real Clay Aiken. Aiken then helped Sandecki finish the song.
- Zachary Travis auditioned in Denver dressed in a woman's crop top, tight blue jeans with a studded belt and high heeled boots, and sang the Whitney Houston song "Queen of the Night" which was described by Simon Cowell as atrocious and Travis as being confused.
Hollywood round one
The first round of Hollywood consisted of two days of solo performances of one of 12 pre-selected songs, to a piano and background vocal accompaniment, with each singer singing on one day and touring Los Angeles on the other day.
Only 165 out of the 175 that made it to Hollywood go to Hollywood.
Of the 175 hopefuls who made it to Hollywood, 99 were selected to move on to the next round. Among those cut from competition at this time were:
- Jeffrey "Ryan" Baysden auditioned in Greensboro. He was told by Simon Cowell, "finally, a Ryan with talent!"
- Tim Chiles auditioned in Chicago and stuck out by way of his bald head.
- Steven David, Jr. auditioned in his Air National Guard uniform in Greensboro, danced with Paula Abdul, and turned out to be married.
- Yvette Gonzales auditioned in Las Vegas and had been cut during the first round.
- Ashley Guadamuz auditioned in San Francisco.
- David Hoover aka "Crazy Dave", sent through by Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul in Denver. Won a Golden Idol award during the season finale for "Outstanding Male Performance".
- Shelby Johnson eliminated during the first round.
- Kymyata Kelty Simon Cowell said that she made the song scary during the first round.
- Eden Kentner eliminated with Jayne Santayana, Ashley Guadamuz and Shawna White during the first cut.
- Melissa Lucas auditioned in San Francisco and was always seen with Katharine McPhee.
- Ronnie "R.J." Norman was profiled as the "Cocky Guy" in Austin. He cried when he was eliminated in Hollywood.
- Kendall Philips auditioned in Chicago and was well known for her overconfidence.
- Jayne Santayana auditioned in San Francisco, sang "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker.
- Joshua and Jarrett Simmons are the younger set of male twins that auditioned together in Chicago.
- Zachary Smits was a 17-year-old, auditioned in Chicago.
- Heather Ward was the African American woman who surprised the judges by singing Gretchen Wilson's country song "Redneck Woman" in Las Vegas.
- Shawna White was 16 years old, wore pigtails that inspired yodeling from the judges, auditioned in San Francisco.
- John Williams sang a Michael Jackson song and did a dance in San Francisco. Simon Cowell was not impressed with his "routine," but Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul put him through.
- Kendra Winston was the mother of three children, grew up in 42 different foster care situations, auditioned in Greensboro.
Hollywood rounds two and three
The remaining 99 hopefuls competed in Round Two, which consisted of three- or four-person groups singing one of six or so pre-selected songs. Cuts were made (of individuals, not whole groups) after this round.
Approximately 60 contestants went on to Round Three, which was a solo a capella performance of one of 95 possible songs. After this, cuts were made by segregating performers into different rooms, with everyone in a given room either moving on or being cut.
Across both rounds, 55 were cut, including:
- Meredith Bandas grouped with Leah Barrettsmith and Lauren Weckerly during the group rounds.
- Leah Barrettsmith, one of the two sisters who auditioned together in Chicago and were profiled as "small-town" girls, sang the song "Blessed" during Chicago auditions.
- Kenneth (Chase) Bush grouped with Taylor Hicks and Patrick Hall during the group singing. Auditioned in Greensboro.
- Lea Cabrera grouped with Jes Hudak during the group rounds.
- Rochelle-Elaine Dye came to her Denver audition with several friends and family who had her name spelled out in t-shirts. She said she was about to be evicted.
- Sarah Enouen grouped with Mecca Madison and Jessica Santos during the group rounds.
- Hannah Freeman grouped with Paris Bennett and Stevie Scott during the group rounds.
- Gina Glocksen was profiled as a dental assistant and the lead singer in an all-girl band, auditioned in Chicago.
- Anthony Hansen grouped with one of the Brittenum twins, Jose Penala, and Elliott Yamin. Auditioned in Chicago.
- Ricky Hayes was a music major, auditioned in Austin.
- Jason Horn, funeral director, auditioned in Austin with "You Raise Me Up".
- Jes Hudak grouped with Lea Cabrera during the group rounds. She had short hair.
- Ashley Jackson, "fit model", sang with her mouth closed, auditioned in Austin.
- Devin Johnson one of the 175 contestants that made it to Hollywood.
- Josh Jordan, sang during the group performance together with David Radford, Will Makar, and Kevin Covais.
- Garet Layne Johnson, profiled as the "Wyoming Cowboy," auditioned in Denver, was advised to get voice lessons before going to Hollywood. He was featured as part of a Brokeback Mountain parody called "BrokeNote Mountain," along with the two other cowboys in his group, Matthew Buckstein and Michael Evans. It was replayed during the finale after the trio won a "Golden Idol" award for "Best Male Bonding"; they also performed the song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys."
- Mecca Madison was an 18-year-old high-school senior and belly dancer. She auditioned in Las Vegas.
- Celeste Scalone was a former contestant on Making the Band.
- Tyra Juliette Schwartz came from New York and was dumped by her boyfriend shortly before auditioning in Greensboro. She was a former contestant on Making the Band.
- Cory Sellers Originally from Auburn, Alabama. He auditioned in Greensboro and performed "The First Cut Is the Deepest" Round One in Hollywood. Sellers is currently a performing singer-songwriter in Atlanta, Georgia. (official site)
- Jennifer Sieminski later gave a very detailed interview describing behind-the-scenes practices of American Idol [3]
- Jordan Southerland auditioned in Greensboro and was profiled wearing a fireman outfit on the show. He received complimentary reviews in his audition and wore the firesuit in honor of all the firemen who assisted in Hurricane Katrina and in honor of his father who was very sick and had been a fireman for 20 years. In Hollywood he performed the song "Bless the Broken Road".
- Halicia Thompson sang the theme from A Different World and kissed Simon Cowell. She auditioned in Greensboro.
- James Gaerries grouped with David Avram and Syd Harcourt during the group rounds. Auditioned in Chicago.
- William Trice one of the contestants who was eliminated during the Hollywood round 3.
- Nicole Turk grouped with Celeste Scalone, Kinnik Sky and Tyra Schwartz. She was visibly irritated by Tyra Schwartz.
- Erica Walters one of the contestants who made it in Denver.
- Tatiana Ward auditoned in Boston. Simon Cowell compared her to his pet poodle, and complained that her singing was too "old fashioned." Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul let her through.
- Megan Zieger was first seen in Hollywood, where she had a bad case of laryngitis, but managed to sustain her voice.
Final cutdown
On January 23, 2006, after a considerable time lapse from Hollywood Week, and after the audition shows began to air on January 17, the judges reviewed tapes and considered early audience reaction to the contestants. Without any additional performances from the contestants, the judges then reduced the remaining 44 contestants to 24 semi-finalists in a Pasadena, California hotel. Among those eliminated at this point were:
- David Avram #4929 grouped with Syd Harcourt and James Gaerries during the group rounds.Auditioned in Chicago.
- Brooke Barrettsmith #9719, one of the two sisters who auditioned together in Chicago and were profiled as "small town" girls.
- Megan Bobo #37340, one of the last two girls to be told if they were in the final 24 or not, lost the place to Kinnik Sky.Auditioned in Denver.
- Jessica Jo Santos #78151 grouped with Mecca Madison during the group rounds.Auditioned in Las Vegas.
- Antonio Bridges #75320 auditioned in Las Vegas.
- Derrell and Terrell Brittenum #7958, #7959, older set of twins that auditioned together in Chicago. In Hollywood, Derrell quit after mistakenly thinking his brother had been cut. After an apology, the judges allowed both brothers to stay in the competition. They made it to the final 44, but they were disqualified in January 2006 after being arrested.
- Murcelia "Marcy" Smith #35871, auditioned in Denver, was in the same group as Brenna Gethers and was visibly irritated by Gethers's obnoxious nature and unreliability in turning up for practice. Gethers, however, made a great show of being friendly with her on stage when Simon Cowell remarked on this after the group performance.
- Bobby Bullard #35990 grouped with Chris Daughtry and Ace Young during the group rounds. Auditioned in Denver.
- Bobby Dillard #31701 auditioned in San Francisco.
- Syd James Harcourt #10300 and Will Makar were the final two men to be called into the room where the final selection for the top 24 was to take place. Auditioned in Boston.
- Cortney Layne grouped with Nicole Ortiz, Brianna Taylor, and Becky O'Donohue during the group rounds and made to the top 44. Auditioned in Boston wearing a pink shirt.
- Eugenia Littlejohn #35660 cried and said her dreams of ever making it as a singer were destroyed (she was only 26) when she was not selected for the final 24, provoking surprised reactions from all three judges. Auditioned in Denver.
- Mark Adam Locklear #63998 auditioned in Greensboro.
- William McCoy #60242 auditioned in Greensboro.
- Nicole Ortiz #13677grouped with Cortney Layne, Brianna Taylor, and Becky O'Donohue during the group rounds. Auditioned in Boston.
- Crystal Stark #1140, sang I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston in Chicago. Katharine McPhee got angry when Stark failed to make it.
- Brianna Taylor #11142, sang the song "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys in Boston.
- April Walsh #37870, sang the song "It's Oh So Quiet" by Björk in Denver. Grouped with Lisa Tucker and Ayla Brown in Hollywood.
- Stephanie White #11425 grouped with Gina Glocksen during the group rounds. She's red-haired, has a sultry voice, and auditioned in Boston.
- Nick Whitten #61919 grouped with Brenna Gethers and Marcy Smith during the group rounds. Auditioned in Greensboro.
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 24 semi-finalists, announced February 15, 2006, along with their songs performed on the show, were:
Top 12 finalists
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 24 semi-finalists, announced February 15, 2006, along with their songs performed on the show, were:
Women-eliminated
Ayla Marie Brown (14336) (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 plans to release a single in September, followed by an album in October. She performed the National Anthem at the Boston Pops.
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Shontai Kinnik Sky Marshall (63995) (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.
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Heather Josephine Cox (36338) (born January 1, 1984) is from Jonesville, North Carolina. She auditioned in Denver. Grouped with Halicia Thompson and Kellie Pickler during Hollywood group performances.
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Brenna Mema Gethers (14289) (born October 7, 1980 is from Mount Vernon, New York. She auditioned in Boston. Was known for her "catty" attitude.
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Stephanie "Stevie" Marie Scott (36600) (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.
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Rebecca "Becky" Clarise O'Donohue (11588) 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.
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Men-eliminated
| Gedeon Luke McKinney (4460) (born October 1,1988) was the 14th place semi-finalist in the fifth season of American Idol. He comes from Memphis, Tennessee, but the Memphis auditions had to be canceled due to relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina that were taking place in Memphis. He was so poor that his school let him administer a concert, and the students paid USD$2.00 to get in, so he could enter the contest in another city. He auditioned in Chicago, and made it through the first rounds and eventually was one of the top 24 contestants. He was not given enough votes to enter the top 12, and was voted off.
Gedeon McKinney's father Tony McKinney, an R&B singer who made an album "Love Me Right." died in December, 2005. "Hollywood is a place he always dreamed of going and I am living out my father's legacy, and I really thank God for that". Gedeon has three sisters and three brothers.
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| William John "Will" Hudson Makar (58581) (born March 2, 1989 in The Woodlands, Texas) is an American singer and was fifteenth-place on the fifth season of American Idol. He is of Ukrainian descent and studies Japanese. Will is currently a sophomore at The Woodlands College Park High School in The Woodlands, TX. He was held back a year in elementary school by request of his parents. In school, Will has starred in several musical productions. In 1999 Will sang with the Houston Children’s Chorus for President Clinton, and again in 2002 for President Bush. After five years as a member of the Houston Children’s Chorus, Will decided he had grown too old, and "retired." In 2003, Will, along with his three friends Louis, Bobby, and Aaron, formed a band called Last Born, of which Will held the position of the lead vocals until 2005, when he decided to pursue a solo career. Will auditioned for American Idol (Season 5)] in Austin, TX. His fans called themselves the Makaritas and/or the Makaroons.
He was eliminated on March 9, 2006, which was the same week that the Top 12 was announced. He finished in 15th place. During the show, Will developed a friendship with David Radford and Kevin Covais. They had performed together during the group performance in Hollywood week.[citation needed] He later appeared in the audience during Queen week.
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José "Sway" Penala (32613) (born January 23, 1978) is from South San Francisco, and he auditioned in San Francisco. He is the only Asian-American who made it to the semi-finals this season. His music career started in 1996 when he partnered with his good friend, Darrell, to form the group “DnH” - short for Drop n Harmony. Friends, Jerome and Lionel, joined the group within the next three years. The four self-starters worked hard on their craft, practicing constantly to blend their voices into the perfect mix of breathtaking harmonies. This San Francisco based group, was a favorite in the Bay Area and were likened to a Filipino Boyz II Men. At the end of 2001, Jose began a compilation with members of other Asian-American singing groups. During this initial collaboration, the four singers: Jose, Errol, Drey, and Cyrus, realized that they shared the same passion for music and similar visions of success. This led to the creation of a new group, “6th Day”. He wears a Fedora hat & coat and a military dog tag at his performances during the season.
He developed friendship with Elliott Yamin, Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry during this season. Elliott was also his group mate in the Hollywood week and his roommate.
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| David William Radford (2436) (born March 22, 1988 in Crystal Lake, Illinois) is a high school senior at Crystal Lake Central High School. David has also been popular in singing with many students in his high school.He has been singing "his way" since he can remember. As a child, whenever there was a spotlight, David somehow found a way to its center. In addition to singing, David plays the trumpet as well as a mean game of Ping-Pong. He originally auditioned in Chicago. He was eliminated from American Idol on March 2, 2006 along with José (Sway) Penala, Brenna Gethers and Heather Cox.
David also became best friends and roommates with semi-finalists, Will Makar, and Ayla Brown and finalists, Kevin Covais, Paris Bennett, Lisa Tucker, Katharine McPhee, and Kellie Pickler.
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Patrick Aaron Hall (79857) (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.
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Robert Jonathan "Bobby" Bennett, Jr. (36477) is from Denver and also auditioned there. He made an appearance in the March 21 episode wherein Barry Manilow performed that night.
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Song themes
- March 14 ~ Stevie Wonder
- March 21 ~ 1950s music
- March 28 ~ 2000s music
- 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 ~ Three songs per contestant
- Clive Davis's choice
- Judges choice
- Free choice
- May 23 ~ Three songs per contestant
- 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)
- 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 2 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 while Clay Aiken performed with lookalike (circa Clay's 2003 audition look) auditioner Michael Sandecki. Towards the end of the program, the finalists performed "Thats What Friends are For" with Dionne Warwick as well as other songs in the Burt Bacharach canon, with Burt Bacharach playing the piano. Several auditionees from the first round returned to accept "Golden Idol" awards, and to sing. A group of 3 failed auditioners (Layne Johnson, Michael Evans, and Matthew Buckstein) performed in a parody of Brokeback Mountain called "Broke-Note Mountain" (though there was no mentioning of homosexuality). The trio "The Broke-Note 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 knowledge. Finally, just before the results were announced, Hicks and McPhee performed "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". Also, a special guest, who is a chairman at TeleScope Inc, came at the end of the show with the result card.
Semi-Finals/Finals elimination chart
| Female | Male | Top 12 | Top 24 |
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13-15 | Gedeon McKinney | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13-15 | Ayla Brown | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14-16 | Will Makar | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 14-16 | Kinnik Sky | Btm 3 | Elim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17-19 | José Penala | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 17-19 | Heather Cox | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18-20 | David Radford | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 18-20 | Brenna Gethers | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21-23 | Patrick Hall | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 21-23 | Stevie Scott | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22-24 | Robert Bennett, Jr. | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22-24 | Becky O'Donohue | Elim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ford music videos
On each of the results shows from the top 12 and onward, a music video was played involving the remaining contestants. The videos were sponsored by the Ford Motor Company.
- "All I Want": Ten people are on a camping trip. It soon gets halted by Bigfoot, who really is Ace in a costume. Hearing all the commotion, the park ranger (Katharine) sees what's going on, and is surprised to see "Bigfoot" there. After Ace shows himself, everybody gathers around and sings.
- "We Got the Beat": Eleven people go to the beach. The girls bury Kevin in the sand and build him a more muscular, fictitious body on the surface, after which they drive off, forgetting Kevin and leaving him behind.
- "Give a Little Love": Ten people go on the street and have a block party.
- "Just One Look": Kellie's car is in a wreck. So she takes it to a local garage to fix it up. Curious to know what's happening, she sees the car getting busted. Shocked, she runs to stop the commotion, but gets stopped by Ace and Katharine, trying to calm her down. After Mandisa pulls the switch, the car turns into a new, fixed one. Everybody celebrates. Afterwards, Ryan Seacrest comments that this is probably how Kellie believes cars are made.
- "Hit Me With Your Best Shot": Eight people go on a golf trip to win a new Ford car as the prize. All the balls are very close to the hole. (At the same spot each). Katharine blows at her ball, getting it in. Acting like they're on a team, Bucky wins, and the other people pelt him with golf balls.
- "Kids in America": Seven young and successful U.S. singers show off their billboards advertising their concerts or albums.
- "Call Me": Kellie's dog is lost, and Kellie is handing out "lost dog" posters. For extra help, Kellie jumps in her car with Chris, Elliott, Katharine, Paris, and Taylor to find him. After searching, Paris and Chris see him and tell everybody else that they spotted him. Following the dog, they end up at a warehouse alley and see in a box that has a mother and two puppies in it.
- "Hollywood Swinging": The five remaining singers spend a day in Hollywood and buy all sorts of merchandise. At the end, everyone is dressed up in their fashons.
- "Wonderful World": Katharine's garage is messy. She calls Elliott, Taylor, and Chris to fix it. They turn it into a greenhouse, with lots of plants and flowers. At the end, Kermit the Frog is in the passenger seat of Katharine's car with her rubbing his head and he says: "Hmm... I guess it is easy being green!"
- "Young At Heart": The three remaining singers are older and in their senior years, having a pool party. When they hop into their snazzy new Ford, however, they are transformed into their young adult selves. Ryan Seacrest then announced that he didn't know Simon Cowell was having a party.
- "Don't Stop": Taylor and Katharine go to a drive-in-movie and rewatch music video scenes, along with never-before seen clips. Fireworks go off in the background at the end.
Prediction websites
DialIdol
DialIdol is both the name of a computer program for Microsoft Windows and its associated website that began tracking contestants during Season 4 but sprang to prominence at the start of Season 5. The program allows users to automatically vote for the American Idol candidates of their choice using their PC's modem. The program then reports back to the main website, which keeps track of the results based on which contestant has the most busy signals. Based on the data received, the website then predicts which contestant will be eliminated. As of May 25, 2006 its predictions for Season 5 were 87% accurate. [4]
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
- In January 2006, twins Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were charged with forgery and theft after allegedly using a false identity to purchase a car. [5] This occurred after the "Hollywood" portion of the show was filmed, and the twins were subsequently disqualified. [6]
- 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.
- 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. [7]
- In January 2006 The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, NAAFA accused the show of being discriminatory towards its plus sized contestants. [8]
- 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. [9]
- 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. [10]
- During the March 28th 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. [11]
- 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 her statement of 'This song goes out to everybody that wants to be free, your addiction, lifestyle and situation may be big, but God is bigger' before she sang her rendition of "Shackles (Praise You)" by Mary Mary. Many Americans speculated 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. (Mrs. Moore's books are published by LifeWay.) [12]
- On the April 25th show, whose theme 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). [13]
- 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.[14]
- Following Chris Daughtry's eliminaton, some 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. [19] 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. [15]
Major releases
Compilations
| Cover | Artist | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Top 12 Finalists | Encores
|
Singles
| Cover | Artist | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor Hicks | Do I Make You Proud/Takin' It to the Streets | |
| Katharine McPhee | Somewhere Over the Rainbow/My Destiny | |
 |
Kellie Pickler | Red High Heels
|
 |
Daughtry | It's Not Over
|
Albums
| Cover | Artist | Information |
|---|---|---|
 |
Kellie Pickler | Small Town Girl
|
| Daughtry | Daughtry
| |
 |
Taylor Hicks | Taylor Hicks
|
|
Katharine McPhee | TBD
|
Minor & independent releases
| Cover | Artist | Information |
|---|---|---|
|
Cory Sellers | EP
|
| Ayla Brown | Forward
| |
|
Patrick Hall | TBD |
|
Josh Royse | He'll Say Love (EP)
|
|
David Radford | Swing On By
|
Trivia
- In the top 24, 1 contestant was from Texas, 1 was from Alabama, 1 was from Florida, 1 was from Illinois, 1 was from Massachusetts, 2 were from Tennessee, 2 were from Georgia, 3 were from New York, 4 were from North Carolina, 4 were from California, 2 were from Colorado, and 2 were from Virginia (one of them now lives in North Carolina). One state, Arkansas, was represented for the first time in the semi-finals.
- In the top 12, 1 contestant was from New York, 1 was from Alabama, 1 was from Florida, 1 was from Georgia, 1 was from Colorado, 1 was from Tennessee, 1 was from Virginia, 2 were from California, and 3 were from North Carolina.
- One day after Chris Daughtry performed "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" on American Idol, the single shot up to the Top 10 download list on iTunes and stayed there for a number of days. When Fuel heard Daughtry sing it, they offered him the role of lead singer of their group should he be eliminated from the competition. [16] Daughtry was eliminated on May 10, 2006, and the band re-issued the offer on Ryan Seacrest's radio show the next day.
- After elimination, Bucky Covington was spotted attending the Dodge Charger 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race in Darlington, South Carolina. Fox, which carried the race and airs Idol, noted Covington's presence on pit road and noted his credentials holder was an old North Carolina Motor Speedway credential holder. Covington is from the Rockingham, North Carolina area.
- Taylor Hicks became the first male winner to win without ever being in the bottom three. Clay Aiken was never in the bottom three, but he lost in the final round to Ruben Studdard. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are the only two contestants besides Hicks so far to have ever won without ever being in the bottom three.
- The final two contestants Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee are the same ages as Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood were when they were the final two contestants in the previous season – 29 and 22.
- Katharine McPhee is only the second finalist to not be from the South (Justin Guarini, of Pennsylvania, was a finalist in the first season). Taylor is the third finalist and second winner from Alabama (Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks won Seasons 2 and 5 and Bo Bice finished second in Season 4).
- Taylor Hicks is the first male finalist to win opposite a female finalist (In Season 1 Kelly Clarkson emerged victorious over Justin Guarini, and in Season 4, Carrie Underwood won opposite Bo Bice).
- Ayla Brown cried when she was voted off, and Paris Bennett cried at each Top 12 elimination except her own.
- Judge Simon Cowell and winner Taylor Hicks share the same birthday—October 7.
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: [17]
- 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
References
External links
- Official Site
- American Idol 5's Final Four endorsing Graceland tourism
- ECU student on "American Idol" Behind-the-scenes interview from The East Carolinian, from a student of East Carolina University who was a former contestant.
- American Idol Season 5 at Curlie