When was the first american idol

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“American Idol” debuted in 2002 during the reality TV boom and ran for 15 seasons on Fox. It moved to new home ABC in 2018. The show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest since day one, gives unknown singers the chance to win a recording contract. During its two decades on the air, “Idol” has produced many successful superstars including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Phillip Phillips. The current trio of judges are Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie. Tour our photos below to see the updated list of “American Idol” winners for all seasons.

American Idol has become one of the biggest television phenomena of all time, but nobody could have predicted that when the show first debuted on Fox on June 11, 2002.

The show looked very different back then from the more streamlined version that fans are familiar with today. It had two hosts: a then-unknown Ryan Seacrest and another unknown named Brian Dunkleman, and only one of the judges — pop singer Paula Abdul — was a recognizable face. The other two judges were a steely Englishman named Simon Cowell and a session musician and producer named Randy Jackson, and it was that crew who debuted on television all across the nation that night, introducing the show's premise to make a superstar out of an unknown singer.

Ironically, the Season 1 winner of American Idol didn't make that much of a standout impression when she first auditioned. Texas native Kelly Clarkson had already moved to Los Angeles, failed at making a living singing there and moved back to Texas, where she was waitressing to make ends meet, when she auditioned for American Idol in Dallas, singing "At Last," as well as Madonna's "Express Yourself." Her audition was as memorable for an entertaining exchange with Randy Jackson as it was for her vocal performance:

Despite that, Clarkson would go on to become a clear standout from Season 1, and she ended up winning the first season of American Idol on Sept. 4, 2022, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. She received 58% of the vote over runner-up Justin Guarini, and immediately following the show, she signed a recording contract with RCA Records, 19 Recordings and S Records, releasing her double-A-side debut single, "Before Your Love" and "A Moment Like This," on Sept. 17, 2002.

Though later Idol winners would often struggle in the real-life marketplace, Clarkson's journey to stardom was exactly what American Idol had promised. Her debut single quickly rose to No. 1, and went on to become the best-selling single of 2022, launching her onto a fast track to superstardom that has seen her become one of the most successful singers of her generation, as well as a household name whose success also encompasses a run as a coach on The Voice and her own daily talk show.

See the Most Memorable American Idol Auditions

Did You Know These Stars Were Rejected by American Idol?

When was the first american idol

Simon Cowell
Paula Abdul
Randy Jackson

Ryan Seacrest
Brian Dunkleman

June 11, 2002 – September 4, 2002

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- Season 2
The first season of American Idol premiered on June 11, 2002 (under the full title American Idol: The Search for a Superstar) and continued until September 4, 2002.

This season was won by 20-year-old Texas waitress Kelly Clarkson, who has since gone on to become a Grammy Award-winning superstar.

This season was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman, the latter of whom left the show after this season.

Auditions[]

The following cities hosted auditions for Season 1. The dates of the auditions are also shown.

  • Los Angeles, California - April 20-22, 2002
  • Seattle, Washington - April 23-25, 2002
  • Chicago, Illinois - April 26-28, 2002
  • New York City, New York - April 29-May 1, 2002
  • Atlanta, Georgia - May 3-5, 2002
  • Dallas, Texas - May 5-7, 2002
  • Miami, Florida - May 11, 2002

At the end of the auditions, a total of 121 golden tickets were given out. This is the only season of American Idol where the auditions were aired in one episode.

Hollywood[]

The Hollywood week rounds were held in Pasadena Civic Center where 121 contestants competed for a place in the finals. The contestants first emerged on stage in groups of 9 or 10 but performed solo unaccompanied, and those who did not impress the judges were cut after the group finished their individual performances. 65 were selected to proceed on to the next round. The singers were expected to learn their songs that night and perform the next day in groups of three. The girls and boys were separated and given crash course to learn their song, which was Dionne Warwick's "I Say a Little Prayer" for the girls and "For Once in My Life" for the boys. Many however frequently forgot the lyrics. Again those who failed to impress were cut immediately after their performance. 45 made it to the next round, and the 20 cut were given their last chance to voice their opinion to the judges before leaving. In the final round, the remaining 45 were given new songs to learn and each performed solo and a cappella. 30 contestants would be chosen after this round. In this round Justin Guarini impressed the judges and his fellow contestants alike. The Top 15 were first announced, the judges then select 15 more out of the remaining 30. The 30 were split into two groups and the judges then go to each group to announce the chosen group. Delano Cagnolatti was initially amongst those announced as the Top 30, but he was later disqualified for falsifying his age, and became the first person to be disqualified on American Idol. He was replaced by EJay Day.

Semi-finals[]

The 30 contestants who reached this stage in this season were referred to in the show as the finalists. Before their performance, the contestants took part in intensive music work shop where they were given vocal coaching by Debra Byrd and advice by stylists. The contestants were held in the Red Room before they each emerged to perform solo with piano accompaniment. There was no studio audience at this stage and the performance was pre-taped. The audience voted after each round of performance, and the results of the vote were announced the next day live. A total of 3.3 million votes were cast in the first week of voting. Below are the three semi-final groups with contestants listed in their performance order. In each group, three people advanced to the next round, based on votes by the viewers.

Wild Card Round[]

After 9 singers advanced on to the Top 10, five contestants were chosen by the judges to compete in the Wild Card Round. The contestants competing were Kelli Glover, Christopher Aaron, Alexis Lopez, R.J. Helton & Angela Peel. Helton was chosen to continue on in the competition.

Top 10[]

The following contestants were Season 1's Top 10

Finals[]

Top 10 perform[]

During the first round of the finals, the Top 10 performed a song from the Motor City for a spot in the Top 8.

Eliminated Contestants[]

When was the first american idol

EJay Day was one of the two eliminated contestants on July 17, 2002, bringing the total down to 9 remaining contestants.

When was the first american idol

Jim Verraros was one of the two eliminated contestants on July 17, 2002, bringing the total down to 8 remaining contestants.

Top 8[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 8.

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Top 8 perform[]

During this round of the finals, the Top 8 performed a song from the year 1960 for a spot in the Top 7.

Eliminated Contestant[]

When was the first american idol

A.J. Gil was the eliminated contestant on July 24, 2002, bringing the total down to 7 remaining contestants.

Top 7[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 7.

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Group performance:

  • "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas

Top 7 perform[]

During this round of the finals, the Top 7 performed a song from the year 1970 for a spot in the Top 6.

Eliminated Contestant[]

When was the first american idol

Ryan Starr was the eliminated contestant on July 31, 2002, bringing the total down to 6 remaining contestants.

Top 6[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 6.

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Group performance: "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night

Top 6 perform[]

During this round of the finals, the Top 6 performed a song from a Big Band for a spot in the Top 5.

Eliminated Contestant[]

When was the first american idol

Christina Christian was the eliminated contestant on August 7, 2002, bringing the total down to 5 remaining contestants.

Top 5[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 5.

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Group performance:

  • "Bandstand Boogie" by Barry Manilow

Top 5 perform[]

During this round of the Finals, the Top 5 contestants performed love songs from composer Burt Bacharach for a spot in the Top 4.

Eliminated Contestant[]

When was the first american idol

R.J. Helton was the eliminated contestant on August 14, 2002, bringing the total down to 4 remaining contestants.

Top 4[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 4.

  • Tamyra Gray
  • Kelly Clarkson
  • Justin Guarini
  • Nikki McKibbin (bottom 2)

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Group performance:

Top 4 perform[]

During this round of the finals, each contestant will perform a song from the year 1980 and a song from the year 1990 for a spot in the Top 3.

Eliminated Contestant[]

When was the first american idol

Tamyra Gray was the eliminated contestant on August 21, 2002, bringing the total down to 3 remaining contestants.

Top 3[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 3.

  • Kelly Clarkson
  • Justin Guarini
  • Nikki McKibbin (bottom 2)

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Group performance:

Top 3 perform[]

During this round of the finals, the Top 3 performed a song of their choice and a song picked by the judges for a spot in the Top 2.

Eliminated Contestant[]

When was the first american idol

Nikki McKibbin was the eliminated contestant on August 28, 2002, bringing the total down to 2 remaining contestants.

Top 2[]

The following contestants were safe from that round and advanced on to the Top 2.

  • Kelly Clarkson
  • Justin Guarini

Performances[]

(The first round of performances was the contestant's choice and the second round were chosen by the judges). The contestants performed in the following order:

Group performance:

  • "Love Will Keep Us Together" by Neil Sedaka

Top 2 perform[]

During the final round of the finals, the Top 2 performed two of their first winning single and a previous song from the past round for a spot as first season's American Idol.

Runner-up[]

When was the first american idol

Justin Guarini was the runner-up of Season 1. Kelly Clarkson being the winner.

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Winner[]

When was the first american idol

Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol on September 4, 2002. Watch her journey in American Idol.

Controversies[]

Tamyra Gray's Elimination[]

On the top 4 results show, fans, audience members and the judges were stunned when it was announced that front runner Tamyra Gray had the lowest number of votes and would be going home. Throughout her run, Gray had earned virtually nothing but praise and acclaim from the judges and the audience members alike, with many predicting she would win the competition. After she was announced to be eliminated, the audience errupted in boos and the judges showed their dismay for the results.

Notable past Idol contestants[]

  • Kelli Glover, who had made the semifinals, later tried out for season 9 of America's Got Talent and made the top 24. She had previously tried out for the show in 2009.