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American Idol season 3

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American Idol
Season 3
Hosted byRyan Seacrest
JudgesPaula Abdul
Simon Cowell
Randy Jackson
WinnerFantasia Barrino
Runner-upDiana DeGarmo
Finals venueKodak Theatre
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseJanuary 19 (2004-01-19) –
May 26, 2004 (2004-05-26)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 2
Next →
Season 4
List of episodes

The third season of American Idol premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004, and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana DeGarmo by an approximate margin of 2% (1.3 million votes); the vote total (65 million votes) was then the highest recorded vote total in the show's history. This season also featured future EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, who finished seventh in the competition.

Both Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo released a single after the finale. Fantasia's first single, released in June 2004 on the RCA record label, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one, making Fantasia the first artist in the history of Billboard to debut at number one with their first single. In addition to Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, George Huff, Jennifer Hudson, and Camile Velasco all released albums since the season ended. This is also, to date, the only season in the show's history to produce multiple Grammy Award winners, courtesy of Fantasia (in 2011) and Hudson (in 2009 and 2017), as well as produce an Academy Award and Tony Award winner, courtesy of Hudson (in 2007 and 2022, respectively).

Changes from previous seasons

[edit]

Unlike previous seasons, the semifinalists this season performed in front of a small studio audience with orchestral accompaniment on a backing tape. This was also the first season to feature two guest judges in one week: the duo Ashford & Simpson appeared during the top 10 week.

Regional auditions

[edit]

Auditions were held in the summer of 2003 in the following cities:[1]

American Idol (season 3) – regional auditions
City Preliminary date Preliminary venue Filming date(s) Filming venue Golden tickets
Los Angeles, California August 3, 2003 Rose Bowl September 2003 Renaissance Hollywood Hotel[2] 25
Houston, Texas August 13, 2003 Minute Maid Park September 4–5, 2003[3] InterContinental Houston[4] 13
Atlanta, Georgia August 20, 2003 Georgia Dome September 2003 Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart[5] 24
New York City, New York August 25, 2003 Jacob K. Javits Convention Center August 29, 2003 Waldorf-Astoria Hotel[6] 29
San Francisco, California September 22, 2003 Pac Bell Park September 2003 Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel[7] 10
Honolulu, Hawaii September 30, 2003 Aloha Stadium October 4–5, 2003 Sheraton Waikiki Hotel[8] 17
Total number of tickets to Hollywood 118

In this season, over 80,000 attended the auditions in 6 cities. A prominent audition was William Hung, a University of California, Berkeley student, who became a surprise cult figure following his tuneless rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" at the San Francisco audition.[9] He was later invited back to perform on a special edition "Uncut, Uncensored and Untalented." His appearance on the show landed him a record deal with Koch Records and he released an album soon afterwards.[10]

Hollywood week

[edit]

There were 117 contestants in the first Hollywood round which was held at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California. The contestants first came onto the stage in groups, but each performed solo. They were also asked to write original lyrics and melody for one of ten song titles given and perform their song the next day. After their performances, they were divided into four groups and one group was eliminated.

In the next round, the remaining 87 contestants performed in groups in three. The men and the ladies were separate and they were each given three different songs to choose: the ladies had The Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," Vonda Shepard's "Tell Him," or Candi Staton's "Young Hearts Run Free"; the men had Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It," Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up," or The Drifters's "Up on the Roof." 30 contestants were cut and 57 then advanced to the next stage where they performed solo. The contestants were then divided into three groups and placed in separate rooms, with one group sent home. 32 contestants remained for the semifinals.

Semifinals

[edit]

George Huff replaced Donnie Williams after the latter was disqualified, following a DUI arrest.[11]

Unlike previous seasons, the contestants this season performed in front of a small studio audience with orchestral accompaniment on a backing tape. As with the second season, two performers from each group were selected by public vote to proceed on to the top 12, and those who failed at any of the previous stages were given a second chance in the Wild Card round.

During the Wild Card round, twelve contestants were invited back to participate. However, after being evaluated during the week in rehearsals, only eight were chosen by the judges to perform that night. One performer was chosen by public vote, and one performer was chosen by each of the three judges.

Four contestants in the wildcard round were eliminated by the judges before they had the chance to sing: Lisa Leuschner, Eric Yoder, Tiara Purifoy, and Marque Lynche.

Color key:

  This contestant was chosen by the public to advance.
  This contestant was not chosen by the public, and had to perform again for the judges.
  This contestant was not chosen by the public, but was chosen by the judges as a Wild Card pick.
  This contestant was eliminated.

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Group 1 (February 11)

[edit]
Contestant Song Result
Diana DeGarmo "I've Got the Music in Me" Safe (2nd)
Marque Lynche "Wind Beneath My Wings" Eliminated
Ashley Thomas "Crazy" Eliminated
Katie Webber "Orange Colored Sky" Wild Card
Erskine Walcott "Open Arms" Eliminated
Jennifer Hudson "Imagine" Wild Card
Matthew Metzger "Walking in Memphis" Wild Card (3rd)
Fantasia Barrino "Something to Talk About" Safe (1st)

Group 2 (February 18)

[edit]
Contestant Song Result
Matthew Rogers "What You Won't Do for Love" Safe (2nd)
Briana Ramirez-Rial "Don't Know Why" Eliminated
Noel Roman "This I Promise You" Eliminated
Kara Master "I'm Outta Love" Eliminated
Lisa Leuschner "Sweet Thing" Eliminated (3rd)
Jesus Roman "Back at One" Eliminated
Camile Velasco "One Last Cry" Safe (1st)
Marisa Joy "Some Kind of Wonderful" Eliminated

Group 3 (February 25)

[edit]
Contestant Song Result
Elizabeth LeTendre "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" Wild Card
Eric Yoder "In the Still of the Night" Eliminated
Amy Adams "The Power of Love" Safe (2nd)
Jon Peter Lewis "Tiny Dancer" Wild Card (3rd)
Charly Lowry "Chain of Fools" Eliminated
Jonah Moananu "I Wish" Eliminated
Leah LaBelle "I Have Nothing" Wild Card
LaToya London "All by Myself" Safe (1st)

Group 4 (March 3)

[edit]
Contestant Song Result
Suzy Vulaca "Un-Break My Heart" Wild Card
John Preator "That's What Love Is All About" Eliminated
Heather Piccinini "New Attitude" Eliminated
John Stevens "She's Always a Woman" Safe (1st)
Jasmine Trias "Run to You" Safe (2nd)
George Huff "Always and Forever" Wild Card (3rd)
Lisa Wilson "Come to My Window" Eliminated
Tiara Purifoy "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" Eliminated

Wild Card round (March 10)

[edit]

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Result
Jon Peter Lewis "A Little Less Conversation" Saved
Elizabeth LeTendre "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" Eliminated
Katie Webber "So Emotional" Eliminated
George Huff "Lean on Me" Saved[a]
Suzy Vulaca "I Will Survive" Eliminated
Matthew Metzger "When I See You Smile" Eliminated
Leah LaBelle "Let's Stay Together" Saved[b]
Jennifer Hudson "I Believe in You and Me" Saved[c]
  1. ^ Simon Cowell's Wild Card choice
  2. ^ Paula Abdul's Wild Card choice
  3. ^ Randy Jackson's Wild Card choice

Top 12 finalists

[edit]
Back standing – Leah LaBelle, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia Barrino, John Stevens, Matthews Rogers, Amy Adams, Jon Peter Lewis
Seated – Camile Velasco, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, Diana DeGarmo, George Huff

Finals

[edit]

This season, guests were introduced as celebrity judges and often also served as mentors for the week they appeared.

Color key:

  This contestant was saved by the public vote.
  This contestant was in the bottom two or three, but was saved by the public vote.
  This contestant was eliminated.
  This contestant won American Idol.
  This contestant was the runner-up.

Top 12 – Soul (March 17)

[edit]

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Result
LaToya London "Ain't Nobody" Safe
Amy Adams "You Make Me Feel Brand New" Bottom three
Matthew Rogers "Hard to Handle" Safe
Camile Velasco "Son of a Preacher Man" Safe
Jon Peter Lewis "Drift Away" Safe
Fantasia Barrino "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" Safe
George Huff "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" Safe
Jennifer Hudson "Baby I Love You" Bottom two
John Stevens "Lately" Safe
Leah LaBelle "You Keep Me Hangin' On" Eliminated
Jasmine Trias "Inseparable" Safe
Diana DeGarmo "Think" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 12 Soul medley
Clay Aiken "Solitaire"

Top 11 – Country (March 24)

[edit]

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Country song Result
Diana DeGarmo "A Broken Wing" Bottom three
George Huff "I Can Love You Like That" Safe
Fantasia Barrino "Always on My Mind" Safe
John Stevens "King of the Road" Safe
Camile Velasco "Desperado" Bottom two
Jennifer Hudson "No One Else on Earth" Safe
Jon Peter Lewis "She Believes in Me" Safe
Jasmine Trias "Breathe" Safe
Matthew Rogers "Amazed" Eliminated
LaToya London "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" Safe
Amy Adams "Sin Wagon" Safe
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Kimberley Locke "8th World Wonder"

Top 10 – Motown (March 31)

[edit]

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson served as mentors and guest judges. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Motown song Result
Camile Velasco "For Once in My Life" Safe
Jon Peter Lewis "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" Safe
LaToya London "Ooo Baby Baby" Bottom three
Amy Adams "Dancing in the Street" Eliminated
John Stevens "My Girl" Safe
Jennifer Hudson "Heat Wave" Bottom two
Jasmine Trias "You're All I Need to Get By" Safe
Diana DeGarmo "Do You Love Me" Safe
Fantasia Barrino "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Safe
George Huff "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" Safe
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Top 10 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

Top 9 – Elton John (April 7)

[edit]

Elton John served as a mentor and guest judge. Contestants performed songs from Elton John's discography and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Elton John song Result
Fantasia Barrino "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" Safe
Jon Peter Lewis "Rocket Man" Safe
Jasmine Trias "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" Bottom two
John Stevens "Crocodile Rock" Safe
Camile Velasco "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" Eliminated
George Huff "Take Me to the Pilot" Safe
Diana DeGarmo "I'm Still Standing" Bottom three
LaToya London "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" Safe
Jennifer Hudson "Circle of Life" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 9 (Men) "Daniel"
Top 9 (Women) "Bennie and the Jets"
Top 9 "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
Tamyra Gray "Raindrops Will Fall"

Top 8 – Movie soundtracks (April 15)

[edit]

Quentin Tarantino served as a mentor and guest judge.[12] Contestants chose songs featured in movies and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Film Result
George Huff "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" Against All Odds Safe
Jennifer Hudson "I Have Nothing" The Bodyguard Safe
Jon Peter Lewis "Jailhouse Rock" Jailhouse Rock Eliminated
Diana DeGarmo "My Heart Will Go On" Titanic Bottom three
Fantasia Barrino "Summertime" Porgy and Bess Safe
Jasmine Trias "When I Fall in Love" Sleepless in Seattle Safe
John Stevens "As Time Goes By" Casablanca Bottom two
LaToya London "Somewhere" West Side Story Safe
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Christina Christian "Forever and Never"[13]

Top 7 – Barry Manilow (April 21)

[edit]

Barry Manilow served as a mentor and guest judge. Contestants performed songs from his discography and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Barry Manilow song Result
Diana DeGarmo "One Voice" Safe
George Huff "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" Safe
Jennifer Hudson "Weekend in New England" Eliminated
Jasmine Trias "I'll Never Love This Way Again" Safe
LaToya London "All the Time" Bottom three
John Stevens "Mandy" Safe
Fantasia Barrino "It's a Miracle" Bottom two
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Top 7
with Barry Manilow
"Let Freedom Ring"

Top 6 – Gloria Estefan (April 28)

[edit]

Gloria Estefan served as a mentor and guest judge. Contestants performed songs from her discography and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Gloria Estefan song Result
Fantasia Barrino "Get on Your Feet" Safe
George Huff "Live for Loving You" Bottom two
LaToya London "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" Safe
John Stevens "Music of My Heart" Eliminated
Jasmine Trias "Here We Are" Bottom three
Diana DeGarmo "Turn the Beat Around" Safe
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Top 6 Gloria Estefan medley

Top 5 – Big Band (May 5)

[edit]

Contestants performed two songs each and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Big band song Result
Diana DeGarmo "Someone to Watch Over Me" Safe
"Get Happy"
George Huff "Cheek to Cheek" Eliminated
"What a Wonderful World"
LaToya London "Too Close for Comfort" Safe
"Don't Rain on My Parade"
Jasmine Trias "The Way You Look Tonight" Bottom two
"Almost Like Being in Love"
Fantasia Barrino "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" Safe
"What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"

Top 4 – Disco (May 12)

[edit]

Donna Summer served as a mentor and guest judge. Contestants performed two songs each and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Order Disco song Result
Jasmine Trias 1 "Everlasting Love" Safe
5 "It's Raining Men"
LaToya London 2 "Love You Inside Out" Eliminated
6 "Don't Leave Me This Way"
Fantasia Barrino 3 "Knock on Wood" Bottom two
7 "Holding Out for a Hero"
Diana DeGarmo 4 "This Is It" Safe
8 "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 4
with Donna Summer
"Bad Girls"
"Hot Stuff"
"Heaven Knows"
"She Works Hard for the Money"
"Last Dance"
Top 4
with Clay Aiken
"Fantasy"
Donna Summer "MacArthur Park"

Top 3 (May 19)

[edit]

Clive Davis served as a mentor and guest judge. Contestants performed three songs each: one chosen by Clive Davis, one chosen by one of the judges, and one chosen by themselves. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Order Songs Result
Jasmine Trias 1 "Saving All My Love for You"[a] Eliminated
4 "Mr. Melody"[b]
7 "All by Myself"
Fantasia Barrino 2 "Chain of Fools"[a] Safe
5 "A Fool in Love"[c]
8 "The Greatest Love of All"
Diana DeGarmo 3 "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"[a] Safe
6 "Because You Loved Me"[d]
9 "Don't Cry Out Loud"
  1. ^ a b c Song chosen by Clive Davis
  2. ^ Song chosen by Paula Abdul
  3. ^ Song chosen by Simon Cowell
  4. ^ Song chosen by Randy Jackson
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Tamyra Gray "Star"
"Raindrops Will Fall"
Guy Sebastian "Angels Brought Me Here"

Top 2 – Finale (May 26)

[edit]

The two finalists performed three songs each, and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Order Songs Result
Diana DeGarmo 1 "I Believe" Runner-up
3 "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)"
5 "Don't Cry Out Loud"
Fantasia Barrino 2 "All My Life" Winner
4 "Summertime"
6 "I Believe"
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Paul Anka "My Way"[a]
Tamyra Gray "The Star-Spangled Banner"
Kelly Clarkson & Ruben Studdard
with Fantasia Barrino & Diana DeGarmo
"The Impossible Dream (The Quest)"
Kelly Clarkson "Beautiful Disaster"
Top 12 "Reach Out I'll Be There"
"1-2-3"
"Heaven Knows"
"She Works Hard for the Money"
"Solid"
"It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
"I'm Still Standing"
"I Made It Through the Rain"
Ruben Studdard "What If"
Diana DeGarmo "I Believe"
Fantasia Barrino "Dreams"
Fantasia Barrino & Diana DeGarmo "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)"
Fantasia Barrino "I Believe"
  1. ^ The song was rewritten by Anka himself specially for this episode.

After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes — more than the first two seasons combined — Fantasia Barrino won American Idol over Diana DeGarmo.

Kelly Clarkson is quoted in the June 14, 2004 People magazine as saying she voted for Fantasia: "I just hit redial, redial."[citation needed]

Prior to the results show, the governors of Georgia and North Carolina — the home states of DeGarmo and Barrino, respectively — announced a friendly bet between them over which state's resident would prevail, with each wagering a VIP NASCAR ticket package and a shipment of his state's signature fruit. The bet participants were Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and North Carolina Governor Mike Easley.[14]

Elimination chart

[edit]

Color key:

  Winner
  Runner-up
  Saved by the public
  Saved by the judges
  Wild Card
  Bottom two or three
  Did not perform
  Eliminated
American Idol (season 3) - Eliminations
Contestant Pl. Semifinals Wild Card Top 12 Top 11 Top 10 Top 9 Top 8 Top 7 Top 6 Top 5 Top 4 Top 3 Finale
2/11 2/18 2/25 3/3 3/10 3/17 3/24 3/31 4/7 4/15[a] 4/21 4/28 5/5 5/12 5/19 5/26
Fantasia Barrino 1 Safe (1st) N/A N/A N/A N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Safe Safe Bottom two Safe Winner
Diana DeGarmo 2 Safe (2nd) N/A N/A N/A N/A Safe Bottom three Safe Bottom three Bottom three Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
Jasmine Trias 3 N/A N/A N/A Safe (2nd) N/A Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Safe Safe Bottom three Bottom two Safe Eliminated
LaToya London 4 N/A N/A Safe (1st) N/A N/A Safe Safe Bottom three Safe Safe Bottom three Safe Safe Eliminated
George Huff 5 N/A N/A N/A Wild Card (3rd) Saved Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Eliminated
John Stevens 6 N/A N/A N/A Safe (1st) N/A Safe Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Safe Eliminated
Jennifer Hudson 7 Wild Card N/A N/A N/A Saved Bottom two Safe Bottom two Safe Safe Eliminated
Jon Peter Lewis 8 N/A N/A Wild Card (3rd) N/A Saved Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Camile Velasco 9 N/A Safe (1st) N/A N/A N/A Safe Bottom two Safe Eliminated
Amy Adams 10 N/A N/A Safe (2nd) N/A N/A Bottom three Safe Eliminated
Matthew Rogers 11 N/A Safe (2nd) N/A N/A N/A Safe Eliminated
Leah LaBelle 12 N/A N/A Wild Card N/A Saved Eliminated
Elizabeth LeTendre N/A N/A Wild Card N/A Eliminated
Matthew Metzger Wild Card (3rd) N/A N/A N/A
Suzy Vulaca N/A N/A N/A Wild Card
Katie Webber Wild Card N/A N/A N/A
Heather Piccinni N/A N/A N/A Eliminated
John Preator N/A N/A N/A
Tiara Purifoy N/A N/A N/A
Lisa Wilson N/A N/A N/A
Charly Lowry N/A N/A Eliminated
Jonah Moananu N/A N/A
Eric Yoder N/A N/A
Lisa Leuschner N/A Eliminated (3rd)
Marisa Joy N/A Eliminated
Kara Master N/A
Briana Ramirez-Rial N/A
Jesus Roman N/A
Noel Roman N/A
Marque Lynche Eliminated
Ashley Thomas
Erskine Walcott
  1. ^ During the week of April 14, the episodes were pushed back one day for a White House press conference on Tuesday, April 13. The performance show aired on Wednesday, April 14, and the results show on Thursday, April 15.

Controversies

[edit]

Both Jennifer Hudson and LaToya London, part of final twelve, were eliminated, despite high praises from the judges. After Hudson was eliminated, Elton John, who was a mentor for that season, criticized the vote as "incredibly racist" in a press conference.[15]

The elimination of both Hudson and London has been pointed out as a classic demonstration of vote-splitting in American Idol, in which the presence of similar choices reduces the votes for each of the similar choices. Hudson, London, and Barrino (who would eventually go on to win the competition) were all female, African-American, highly praised singers — all appealing to the same demographic bloc of voters. All three of these previously popular singers ended up in the "bottom three" the night Hudson was eliminated, having the lowest individual vote counts.[16]

Reception

[edit]
Aboard USS Blue Ridge, Machinist's Mate 1st Class William Velasco watches his daughter Camile Velasco perform.

U.S. Nielsen ratings

[edit]

Live + same day ratings

This season the show was ranked second overall in total viewer for the 2003–2004 TV seasons, with its Tuesday episodes taking the top spot, averaging 25.73 million viewers, while the Wednesday episodes ranked third with 24.31 million.[17] It became the top-rated show for the 18-49 demographic for the season,[18] a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including 2011.

Episode list
Show Episode Air date Week
rank
18-49
rating
Viewers
(in millions)
1 "Audition: New York"[19] January 19, 2004 2 12.9 29.0
2 "Audition: Atlanta"[19] January 20, 2004 3 12.5 28.6
3 "Audition: Houston"[19] January 21, 2004 1 12.7 29.4
4 "Audition: Los Angeles and San Francisco"[20] January 27, 2004 3 13.0 29.6
5 "Audition: Hawaii"[20] January 28, 2004 4 12.0 28.3
6 "Road to Hollywood, Best and Worst of the Rest"[21] February 2, 2004 8 9.7 21.1
7 "Hollywood Week: Part 1"[21] February 3, 2004 1 13.1 30.1
8 "Hollywood Week: Part 2"[21] February 4, 2004 3 12.6 28.8
9 "Top 32: Group 1"[22] February 10, 2004 2 11.1 26.2
10 "Top 32: Group 1 Results"[22] February 11, 2004 4 10.5 24.5
11 "Top 32: Group 2" February 17, 2004 2 10.9 25.2
12 "Top 32: Group 2 Results" February 18, 2004 6 9.8 22.1
13 "Top 32: Group 3"[23] February 24, 2004 4 11.3 26.6
14 "Top 32: Group 3 Results"[23] February 25, 2004 5 10.3 23.0
15 "Special: Uncut, Uncensored and Untalented"[24] March 1, 2004 6 8.5 19.7
16 "Top 32: Group 4"[24] March 2, 2004 1 11.1 25.5
17 "Top 32: Group 4 Results"[24] March 3, 2004 7 8.5 19.3
18 "Wildcard"[25] March 9, 2004 2 10.7 24.6
19 "Wildcard Results"[25] March 10, 2004 4 9.7 22.0
20 "Top 12 Perform"[26] March 16, 2004 1 11.3 26.7
21 "Top 12 Results"[26] March 17, 2004 2 9.7 22.9
22 "Top 11 Perform"[27] March 23, 2004 1 11.5 27.0
23 "Top 11 Results"[27] March 24, 2004 3 8.8 20.4
24 "Top 10 Perform"[28] March 30, 2004 2 8.8 25.9
25 "Top 10 Results"[28] March 31, 2004 3 9.4 21.9
26 "Top 9 Perform"[29] April 6, 2004 1 10.1 23.5
27 "Top 9 Results"[28] April 7, 2004 4 8.9 20.6
28 "Top 8 Perform"[30](1) April 14, 2004 3 9.7 23.1
29 "Top 8 Results"[30](1) April 15, 2004 8 6.2 15.3
30 "Top 7 Perform"[31] April 20, 2004 1 10.1 23.4
31 "Top 7 Results"[31] April 21, 2004 3 9.3 21.2
32 "Top 6 Perform"[32] April 27, 2004 1 10.4 23.4
33 "Top 6 Results"[32] April 28, 2004 3 9.3 21.2
34 "Special: The Final Five"[33] May 3, 2004 22 4.8 11.7
35 "Top 5 Perform"[33] May 4, 2004 6 9.0 22.8
36 "Top 5 Results"[33] May 5, 2004 7 8.8 21.2
37 "Top 4 Perform"[34] May 11, 2004 3 9.6 23.2
38 "Top 4 Results"[34] May 12, 2004 5 10.0 22.3
39 "Special: The Final Three"[35] May 17, 2004 4.2
40 "Top 3 Perform"[35] May 18, 2004 2 10.0 23.6
41 "Top 3 Results"[35] May 19, 2004 4 9.8 22.4
42 "Special: The American Idol Phenomenon"[35] May 23, 2004 27 3.7 10.8
43 "Top 2 Perform (Finale)"[36] May 25, 2004 2 10.6 25.1
44 "American Idol Season 3 Finale"[36] May 26, 2004 1 12.0 28.8

Note 1: The Top 8 shows were shifted to Wednesday and Thursday due to a presidential address on Tuesday.

Live + 7 day (DVR) ratings

[edit]
  • Home for the Holidays: Kelly, Ruben, & Fantasia

Home for the Holidays: Kelly, Ruben & Fantasia aired in November 2004.

Re-edited episodes of the third season were shown in syndication as American Idol Rewind, paired with season 4. This season could not be syndicated in full for reasons beyond control (citing its unfair voting allegations[16]) and is the only season to be edited thereof.

Music releases

[edit]

Concert tour

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "American Idol auditions". idolonfox.msn.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  2. ^ "Oops! - Something went wrong!" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  3. ^ "Making the cut is 'American Idol' dream". Houston Chronicle. August 16, 2003. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  4. ^ "'American Idol' hopefuls go before Simon, Paula and Randy". Houston Chronicle. September 5, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ "Idol Chatter". Fox News. September 3, 2003. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  7. ^ "Paly's Own American Idol | the Paly Voice". voice.paly.net. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "'Idol 3' auditions plan September stop in state". The Honolulu Advertiser. July 31, 2003. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  9. ^ "He's a loser, baby – today > entertainment – Reality TV". Today.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  10. ^ "William Hung 'Bangs' Latin Lovers, R. Kelly Cover On Inspiration". MTV. March 29, 2004. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Donnie Williams pulled from 'Idol' following arrest, replaced by George Huff". Reality TV World. February 26, 2004. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "Tarantino Facts". Archived from the original on September 19, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  13. ^ "Christina Christian performs Forever or Never on AI3" (Video). YouTube. American Idol. April 6, 2009. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
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