American Idol (season 7)
The seventh season of American Idol, the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008, and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total in the show's history. The split was 56 to 44%.
The seventh season was the first season during which neither the winner nor the runner-up was ever in the bottom group during any week before the finale on May 21, 2008. It was also the second season during which both the winner and the runner-up were male contestants, with the second season being the first.
Changes from past seasons
Prior to the start of the seventh season, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that the sixth season had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants. Changes were planned for the seventh season designed to return attention to the contestants by providing more information on their backgrounds and families.A major change for the seventh season was allowing contestants to play musical instruments, an element that originated on Australian Idol and can also be seen on Norway's Idol and Canadian Idol. A brand new set was built, and a new introduction credit sequence was created. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, which would be the venue for the live series finale for the next six years.
Regional auditions
For the seventh season, auditions began in San Diego, California, on July 30, 2007, and continued in these cities:Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 28, 2007, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible include former contestants who had previously reached the semifinal of the first through third seasons, or the last phase of Hollywood round of fourth through sixth seasons, those holding recording or management contracts, or those who were not US citizens or landed immigrants.
One auditioner this year, Alexis Cohen, gained media attention due to her outraged reaction and profuse profanities after the judges rejected her in the Philadelphia audition. She also returned in season eight to audition in New York and her audition was featured. She was later found dead in a hit-and-run accident.
Another auditioner who gained some public attention was Renaldo Lapuz, who sang his own composition "We're Brothers Forever", which he wrote for Simon Cowell. He was later asked to return to perform in the finale.
Hollywood week
The Hollywood week took place at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California, over a period of five days. A total of 164 contestants were invited from the seven audition cities. This year, the process was altered slightly to ensure that no talent would be prematurely dismissed. The contestants were allowed two performances before elimination, and the group round was removed.The first round of individual performances lasted two days. For the first time ever, contestants had the option of either being accompanied by the band or playing an instrument themselves. Some were shown playing the keyboard, guitar, or even the drums. If the judges approved of the contestantss performances, they received a "free pass" to the third and final round of performances, and 48 contestants were given this "free pass". Unlike previous seasons, contestants whose performances not considered good enough were given a second chance in the second round. They lined up on stage in groups of 10 and each sang a short segment of a song a cappella. After each group had finished, the judges cut those they felt not talented enough. Almost 100 were eliminated in this round.
In the final round, all the remaining contestants performed individually a song chosen from a large list of songs provided, accompanied by the band and three backup singers. After each performance, the judges decided whether or not to cut the contestant. By the end of the day, only 50 contestants remained. The judges then deliberated further on who should be in the top 24, and their decision was revealed the next day in the" Green Mile" episode.
One of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood week was Josiah Leming, whose unhappiness with the backing band resulted in him dismissing the band. He was cut in the "Green Mile" episode. Another piece of drama involved contestant Kyle Ensley when Simon Cowell voiced strong objection over him not being selected for the semifinals. His nonselection was later revealed to have resulted in serious rift between Simon Cowell and the show producer Nigel Lythgoe.
Semifinalists
- Daniel 'Danny' Noriega auditioned in San Diego. He previously auditioned for Idol in the sixth season and made it to Hollywood week, but was cut in the first round. His elimination song was Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love". Shortly following his elimination, Noriega received an offer from Rosie O'Donnell to perform on her cruise.
- Luke Menard auditioned in Omaha with "Bend and Break" by Keane. In Hollywood, he sang "Arthur's Theme " by Christopher Cross and "Grace Kelly" by Mika. He auditioned for the sixth season in Memphis and sang "How Deep Is Your Love", but did not make it to Hollywood. Prior to the seventh season of Idol, he was a member of the a cappella group Chapter 6.
- Robert "Robbie" Carrico is from Melbourne, Florida, and auditioned for the show in Miami. His professional singing career prior to American Idol includes being a member of the pop group Boyz N Girlz United, which opened for Britney Spears during her "...Baby One More Time Tour" in 1999.
- Jason Yeager is from Grand Prairie, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas. He appeared and was a finalist on the first season of Making the Band, the MTV reality show that led to the formation of boy band O-Town.
- Colton Berry is from Staunton, Virginia. He auditioned in Charleston.
- Garrett Haley is from Elida, Ohio. He auditioned in San Diego.
- Asia'h Epperson is from Joplin, Missouri, and auditioned in Atlanta singing "How Do I Live." Two days before the auditions, her father died in a car accident. Her elimination song was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston.
- Kady Malloy is from Houston, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas. She became known on the show for her impersonation of Britney Spears and can also impersonate several other artists. Malloy is trained in opera singing. Her elimination song was "Who Wants to Live Forever" by Queen. She has released several songs to her MySpace and shot a video for a cover of "Time After Time" with Colton Berry. Simon's comment after her audition was: "Out of all of the people we have seen during this season you are the best."
- Alaina Whitaker is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and auditioned in Dallas. She was a member of the female country group Della Rose along with Andrea Young and Erin James. Before the show, her sister and she won a talent competition in Tulsa. Her group Della Rose was working on their debut album in Nashville before they disbanded. The group has opened up for several major country acts including Travis Tritt, and Keith Anderson, who was also known as the group's mentor.
- Alexandréa Lushington is from Douglasville, Georgia, and auditioned in Atlanta. In 2004, she sang against fellow Idol semifinalist David Archuleta on an episode of the television show Star Search.
- Joanne Borgella was a model from Hoboken, New Jersey, who auditioned in Philadelphia. Before auditioning for Idol, she appeared in and won Mo'Nique's Fat Chance.
- Amy Davis is professional model from Lowell, Indiana, who auditioned in Dallas.
Semifinals
Top 24 – 1960s
Top 20 – 1970s
Top 16 – 1980s
Finalists
Finals
Top 12 – Lennon–McCartney Songbook
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Syesha Mercado | "Got to Get You into My Life" | Bottom 3 |
| 2 | Chikezie | "She's a Woman" | Safe |
| 3 | Ramiele Malubay | "In My Life" | Safe |
| 4 | Jason Castro | "If I Fell" | Safe |
| 5 | Carly Smithson | "Come Together" | Safe |
| 6 | David Cook | "Eleanor Rigby" | Safe |
| 7 | Brooke White | "Let It Be" | Safe |
| 8 | David Hernandez | "I Saw Her Standing There" | Eliminated |
| 9 | Amanda Overmyer | "You Can't Do That" | Safe |
| 10 | Michael Johns | "Across the Universe" | Safe |
| 11 | Kristy Lee Cook | "Eight Days a Week" | Bottom 2 |
| 12 | David Archuleta | "We Can Work It Out" | Safe |
Top 11 – The Beatles
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Amanda Overmyer | "Back in the U.S.S.R." | Eliminated |
| 2 | Kristy Lee Cook | "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" | Bottom 2 |
| 3 | David Archuleta | "The Long and Winding Road" | Safe |
| 4 | Michael Johns | "A Day in the Life" | Safe |
| 5 | Brooke White | "Here Comes the Sun" | Safe |
| 6 | David Cook | "Day Tripper" | Safe |
| 7 | Carly Smithson | "Blackbird" | Bottom 3 |
| 8 | Jason Castro | "Michelle" | Safe |
| 9 | Syesha Mercado | "Yesterday" | Safe |
| 10 | Chikezie | "I've Just Seen a Face" | Safe |
| 11 | Ramiele Malubay | "I Should Have Known Better" | Safe |
Top 10 – Year They Were Born
| Order | Contestant | Song | Year | Result |
| 1 | Ramiele Malubay | "Alone" | 1987 | Safe |
| 2 | Jason Castro | "Fragile" | 1987 | Bottom 3 |
| 3 | Syesha Mercado | "If I Were Your Woman" | 1987 | Bottom 2 |
| 4 | Chikezie | "If Only for One Night" | 1985 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Brooke White | "Every Breath You Take" | 1983 | Safe |
| 6 | Michael Johns | "We Will Rock You" / "We Are the Champions" medley | 1978 | Safe |
| 7 | Carly Smithson | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | 1983 | Safe |
| 8 | David Archuleta | "You're the Voice" | 1990 | Safe |
| 9 | Kristy Lee Cook | "God Bless the USA" | 1984 | Safe |
| 10 | David Cook | "Billie Jean" | 1982 | Safe |
Top 9 – Dolly Parton
Mentor: Dolly Parton| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Brooke White | "Jolene" | Bottom 3 |
| 2 | David Cook | "Little Sparrow" | Safe |
| 3 | Ramiele Malubay | "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Jason Castro | "Travelin' Thru" | Safe |
| 5 | Carly Smithson | "Here You Come Again" | Safe |
| 6 | David Archuleta | "" | Safe |
| 7 | Kristy Lee Cook | "Coat of Many Colors" | Bottom 2 |
| 8 | Syesha Mercado | "I Will Always Love You" | Safe |
| 9 | Michael Johns | "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" | Safe |
Top 8 – Inspirational Music
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Michael Johns | "Dream On" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Syesha Mercado | "I Believe" | Bottom 3 |
| 3 | Jason Castro | "Over the Rainbow" | Safe |
| 4 | Kristy Lee Cook | "Anyway" | Safe |
| 5 | David Cook | "Innocent" | Safe |
| 6 | Carly Smithson | "The Show Must Go On" | Bottom 3 |
| 7 | David Archuleta | "Angels" | Safe |
| 8 | Brooke White | "You've Got a Friend" | Safe |
Top 7 – Mariah Carey
Mentor: Mariah Carey| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | David Archuleta | "When You Believe" | Safe |
| 2 | Carly Smithson | "Without You" | Safe |
| 3 | Syesha Mercado | "Vanishing" | Bottom 3 |
| 4 | Brooke White | "Hero" | Bottom 2 |
| 5 | Kristy Lee Cook | "Forever" | Eliminated |
| 6 | David Cook | "Always Be My Baby" | Safe |
| 7 | Jason Castro | "I Don't Wanna Cry" | Safe |
Top 6 – Andrew Lloyd Webber
Mentor: Andrew Lloyd Webber| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Syesha Mercado | "One Rock & Roll Too Many" | Bottom 2 |
| 2 | Jason Castro | "Memory" | Safe |
| 3 | Brooke White | "You Must Love Me" | Safe |
| 4 | David Archuleta | "Think of Me" | Safe |
| 5 | Carly Smithson | "Superstar" | Eliminated |
| 6 | David Cook | "The Music of the Night" | Safe |
Top 5 – Neil Diamond
Mentor: Neil DiamondEach contestant sang two songs.
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | Jason Castro | "Forever in Blue Jeans" | Safe |
| 2 | David Cook | "I'm Alive" | Safe |
| 3 | Brooke White | "I'm a Believer" | Eliminated |
| 4 | David Archuleta | "Sweet Caroline" | Safe |
| 5 | Syesha Mercado | "Hello Again" | Safe |
| 6 | Jason Castro | "September Morn" | Safe |
| 7 | David Cook | "" | Safe |
| 8 | Brooke White | "I Am...I Said" | Eliminated |
| 9 | David Archuleta | "America" | Safe |
| 10 | Syesha Mercado | "Thank the Lord for the Night Time" | Safe |
Top 4 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Each contestant sang two songs.| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | David Cook | "Hungry Like the Wolf" | Safe |
| 2 | Syesha Mercado | "Proud Mary" | Safe |
| 3 | Jason Castro | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Eliminated |
| 4 | David Archuleta | "Stand by Me" | Safe |
| 5 | David Cook | "Baba O'Riley" | Safe |
| 6 | Syesha Mercado | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Safe |
| 7 | Jason Castro | "Mr. Tambourine Man" | Eliminated |
| 8 | David Archuleta | "Love Me Tender" | Safe |
Top 3 – Judges' choice, Contestant's choice & Producer's Choice
Each contestant sang three songs.| Order | Contestant | Song — Judge | Result |
| 1 | David Archuleta | "And So It Goes" — Paula Abdul | Safe |
| 2 | Syesha Mercado | "If I Ain't Got You" — Randy Jackson | Eliminated |
| 3 | David Cook | "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Simon Cowell | Safe |
| 4 | David Archuleta | "With You" | Safe |
| 5 | Syesha Mercado | "Fever" | Eliminated |
| 6 | David Cook | "Dare You to Move" | Safe |
| 7 | David Archuleta | "Longer" | Safe |
| 8 | Syesha Mercado | "Hit Me Up" | Eliminated |
| 9 | David Cook | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Safe |
Finale – Clive Davis' choice, New Song & Contestant's Choice
Each contestant sang three songs.| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
| 1 | David Cook | "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" | Winner |
| 2 | David Archuleta | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Runner-Up |
| 3 | David Cook | "Dream Big" | Winner |
| 4 | David Archuleta | "In This Moment" | Runner-Up |
| 5 | David Cook | "The World I Know" | Winner |
| 6 | David Archuleta | "Imagine" | Runner-Up |
Elimination chart
Results night performances
During the Hollywood weeks, "Hollywood's Not America" by Ferras played when contestants were eliminated, while "Best Days" by Graham Colton was the elimination song for the semi-finals round. For the finals, season 2 winner Ruben Studdard remade Kenny Loggins' "Celebrate Me Home" as the exit song.Group song
The contestants also performed medleys of songs from that week's theme.- Top 24: A medley of songs from the 1960s, including "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room" by The Searchers, "Spanish Harlem" by Ben E. King, and "Bend Me, Shape Me" by The American Breed.
- Top 20: A medley of songs from the 1970s, including "I Saw the Light" by Todd Rundgren, "It's a Heartache" by Bonnie Tyler, "The Things We Do for Love" by 10cc, and "I Feel the Earth Move" by Carole King.
- Top 12: A medley of songs by The Beatles including "All My Loving," "I Feel Fine," "Can't Buy Me Love," and "Help!."
- Top 11: A second medley of Beatles songs including "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," "Here, There and Everywhere," "Because," and "The End."
- Top 10: "Right Back Where We Started From" by Maxine Nightingale.
- Top 9: "9 to 5" by Dolly Parton.
- Top 8: "Shout to the Lord" by Hillsong.
- Top 7: "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men.
- Top 6: "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera.
- Top 5: A medley of songs by Neil Diamond, including "Cracklin' Rosie," "Song Sung Blue," and "Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show."
- Top 4: "Reelin' in the Years" by Steely Dan.
- Top 3: "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now" by McFadden & Whitehead.
Finale
- Top 12 – "Get Ready".
- Top 2 – "Hero"
- The top 2 meet Guru Pitka
- Seal and Syesha Mercado – "Waiting For You"
- Jason Castro– "Hallelujah"
- Girl finalists – Donna Summer medley – "She Works Hard for the Money", "Hot Stuff"
- Donna Summer with Top 12 girls – "Stamp Your Feet", "Last Dance"
- Carly Smithson and Michael Johns – "The Letter"
- Jimmy Kimmel
- Guy finalists – Bryan Adams medley "Summer of '69", "Heaven"
- Bryan Adams with the guys – "I Thought I'd Seen Everything", "Somebody"
- ZZ Top and David Cook – "Sharp Dressed Man"
- Graham Nash and Brooke White – "Teach Your Children"
- Jonas Brothers – "SOS"
- Renaldo Lapuz – "We're Brothers Forever"
- OneRepublic and David Archuleta – "Apologize"
- Jordin Sparks – "One Step at a Time"
- Gladys Knight – "Midnight Train to Georgia"
- Carrie Underwood – "Last Name"
- Top 12 – George Michael medley – "Faith", "Father Figure", "Freedom"
- George Michael – "Praying for Time"
- David Cook – "The Time of My Life"
Other performances
Idol Gives Back
The "Idol Gives Back" initiative returned on April 9 for a second year, with a special start time of 7:30 p.m. ET, running for 150 minutes. Again, proceeds will go to children's charities in Africa and the United States. Unlike "Idol Gives Back 2007" when no finalist was eliminated, Michael Johns was eliminated during "Idol Gives Back 2008."Controversies
- Season 7 contestant Carly Smithson stirred up controversy due to a prior major label record deal she had with MCA Records. It has been reported that MCA spent over 2 million dollars promoting Smithson's previous album "Ultimate High," which she made under the name Carly Hennessy. The album only sold 378 copies but is now available on iTunes. To further complicate things, Randy Jackson worked for MCA during the same period of time that Smithson was signed. The media noted that several of the other season 7 semi-finalists had previously also had record deals, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, and Michael Johns. According to a poll conducted by AOL Television, 63 percent of those polled believed that contestants who have already had record deals should not be contestants on American Idol. However, Idol rules state that contestants are eligible as long as they are no longer under contract when Idol begins, irrespective of any past contracts.
- David Hernandez was revealed by VotefortheWorst.com to have worked as a stripper in Phoenix, AZ. According to the owner of Dick's Cabaret, David's job included a routine featuring full nudity and performing lap dances for male clientele.
- On the show of April 29, the five remaining contestants each sang two songs. Diverting from their usual format, due to time constraints, the judges' critiques after each performance were instead to be bundled until after both songs were performed. However, after the first round had finished, host Ryan Seacrest asked for comments, and judge Paula Abdul, in discussing Jason Castro, delivered feedback on his second song before he had performed it. This has led to speculation that the show is scripted or rigged. The next day, Abdul claimed on Seacrest's radio show that she listened to the performance in rehearsal and in the rushed atmosphere of the show was confused and thought she was supposed to critique both.
- The presence of David Archuleta's father was a matter of some discussion and he was banned from providing his son with musical input during his song preparation.
Releases
iTunes
During Season 7, American Idol partnered with iTunes to make available for sale exclusive performance videos, live performance singles of the semi-finalists and full-length studio recordings of the songs that contestants performed on the show. In order to keep the competition fair, these singles were not allowed to appear on iTunes sales charts until after the finale. The contestants' performances during the season were removed from sale soon after the finale.The winning song, "The Time of My Life", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 2008. It was the first winner's song not to be performed during the competition as the Top 2 each selected a different song from a list of 10 entries in song-writing competition to perform instead. Cook performed "The Time of My Life" after Ryan Seacrest announced him as the winner of Season 7.
Post-Idol
David Cook's debut album was released on November 18, 2008, on 19 Recordings / RCA Records and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 22, 2009. Cook teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo on the album. A single from the album, "Light On", was released and peaked at 20 on the billboard top 100 list. His sophomore album, This Loud Morning, was released on June 28, 2011.David Archuleta signed with Jive Records and his self-titled debut album was released on November 11, 2008 and debuted at number two. Archuleta's album certified gold. Archuleta's first single, "Crush", debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart, giving it the highest single debut of 2008 and the highest single debut in 18 months. The song has sold 1.9 million copies as of January 2009.
Albums
Personal/Individual Albums- Why Wait
- David Archuleta
- David Cook
- Solidify
- Hold Back My Heart
- High Hopes & Heartbreak
- Christmas from the Heart
- Jason Castro
- Tear the World Down
- The Other Side of Down
- Who I Am
- This Loud Morning
- Begin
- Till Death Do Us Party
- Digital Vein
Singles
- "The Time of My Life"
- "Light On"
- "Come Back to Me"
- "Bar-ba-sol"
- "Permanent"
- "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
- "Don't You "
- "The Last Goodbye"
- "Fade into Me"
- "The Last Song I'll Write for You"
- "Laying Me Low"
- "Wait For Me"
- "Criminals"
- "Crush"
- "A Little Too Not Over You"
- "Touch My Hand"
- "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" ft. Charice
- "Something 'Bout Love"
- "Elevator"
- "Falling Stars"
- "Everything And More"
- "Wait"
- "15 Minutes of Shame"
- "Hold Up My Heart"
- "Radio Radio"
- "Double Trouble"
- "Night After Night"
- "Let's Just Fall In Love Again"
U.S. Nielsen ratings
Contestants who appeared in other talent shows/seasons
- Mishavonna Henson, auditioned in the seventh season and got cut during the Hollywood rounds, returned for the eighth season and made it in the top 36.
- Chikezie previously auditioned in the sixth season, but was cut during Hollywood Week.
- Carly Smithson previously auditioned in the fifth season under her maiden name "Hennessy", but was cut during Hollywood Week when the paperwork for her work visa failed to come through.
- Luke Menard previously auditioned in the sixth season, but was denied a golden ticket.
- Chris Watson, who originally auditioned in Philadelphia, but was cut in Hollywood Week, returned for the twelfth season and made it in the top 40.
- Julie Dubela, who originally auditioned in Miami, but did not advance past through the Hollywood Round, competed in American Juniors and eliminated in the semi-final stage.
- Colton Swon, who originally auditioned in Dallas, but he was cut in the last day of Hollywood Week, competed in the fourth season of The Voice with his older brother Zach as The Swon Brothers. They finished third.
- Danny Noriega would later compete on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as Adore Delano in 2014 where he was in the top 3. In 2016, Danny returned for the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars where he quit the competition in the second episode placing him ninth overall. He released the album Till Death Do Us Party on June 3, 2014.
- David Archuleta competed on the 2003 revival of Star Search, winning the $100,000 prize in the "Junior Singer" category.
- Alexandrea Lushington also appeared on the 2003 revival of Star Search, where she was eliminated by fellow Idol contestant David Archuleta.
- Jason Yeager previously appeared on the original version of Making the Band, finishing in the top 25.
- Joanne Borgella was the winner of the first season of Mo'Nique's Fat Chance.
Deaths
Finalist Michael Johns died in Tustin, California on August 1, 2014. On November 18, 2014, the coroner reported that Johns had died of dilated cardiomyopathy, which inhibited the flow of blood to his body and also caused his heart to enlarge. A fatty liver also contributed to his death.
Joanne Borgella
In October 2013, Semi-Finalist Joanne Borgella posted a video stating she had been diagnosed with cancer. She said she was suffering from severe headaches and, upon going to the emergency room to determine the cause of those headaches, discovered that cancer had spread to her brain. Borgella died early on October 18, 2014, at age 32.