On this Idol Eve, it only makes sense to reflect back on seasons past. The producers and judges of the show are certainly doing that, by telling us how much better this season is going to be than last season. But was Season Six the worst of the bunch? Both Season 5's winner (Taylor Hicks) and runner up (Katharine McPhee) have been dropped from their labels, but S5 also brought us Chris Daughtry, who had the best-selling album of 2007. Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson are the two best-selling Idol winners, but where's everyone else from those seasons?It takes more than record deals and album sales to make a great American Idol season. It takes a real depth of talent that few seasons are able to manage. I still wonder how, if tens of thousands of people audition every year, they can't seem to find a Top Twenty where ALL TWENTY CONTESTANTS are pretty damned good singers. Are they that few and far between? Let's hope not, as tomorrow night we start looking again. But before we look forward to our next American Idol let's look back at Idols past.
For the purpose of this list, we are going to look at how the season itself was, not so much on what did or didn't happen with the contestants after the season wrapped. That's for a different analysis. I'm trying to examine the Idol product as it was presented to us on the screen. So, without further ado, let's work our way from worst...to first.
Coming in at #6:
SEASON THREE
Fantasia Barrino, Diana DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, George Huff, John Stevens, Jennifer Hudson, Jon Peter Lewis, Camile Velasco, Amy Adams, Matthew Rogers, Leah LaBelle
More than any other season, it became pretty clear early on who should and would win Season Three. Sure, Hudson has gone on to wow us with her Oscar-winning turn in Dreamgirls, but this was a younger Hudson with far less polish and presence. She was more of a powerhouse here while Fantasia caressed our ears with her soulful, passionate cries. Looking at the final three can tell you how weak her competition was. Besides Hudson, London was her only real competition and she went out fourth. Trias had a thin and weak voice, and DeGarmo was little more than a good pageant singer.
Coming in at #5:
SEASON SIX
Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones, Chris Richardson, Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen, Chris Sligh, Stephanie Edwards, Brandon Rogers
If we were going to just base this on talent, last season would rank much higher, but it takes more than talent to make a good Idol. Part of the blame for this season's overall failure must fall on the producers, who chose to show the audience essentially nothing about these contestants. We learned nothing really about their personal lives, loves or passions. Beyond that, early favorites Sligh and Glocksen faltered early and left just as quickly while under-talented Malakar became a national phenomenon simply because he wasn't good enough. Doolittle and Jones should have gone to the finals, but neither made it and instead we got Amazonian, but otherwise somewhat bland Sparks, and fun but gimmicky Lewis. It's sad when in the finale you really don't care who wins.
Coming in at #4:
SEASON TWO
Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Joshua Gracin, Trenyce, Carmen Rasmusen, Kimberly Caldwell, Rickey Smith, Corey Clark, Julia DeMato, Charles Grigsby, Vanessa Olivarez
The closest finale vote ever, Season Two delivered three powerhouse surprises that "didn't look like pop stars," according to Simon Cowell; two overweight black singers and one lanky white geek made up the final three. It was wonderful and one of the great evolutions of the show that "look" took a back seat to talent, and no one could deny that these three unlikely stars were deserving of their positions. So many of the other finalists were clearly out of their class, though, it ultimately made for a show with four or five real contestants and six or seven seat fillers. So we twiddled our thumbs for eight weeks and waited for the Final Four.
Coming in at #3:
SEASON ONE
Kelly Clarkson, Justin Guarini, Nikki McKibbin, Tamyra Gray, RJ Helton, Christina Christian, Ryan Starr, A.J. Gil, Jim Verraros, EJay Day
Just like the second season, Season One was really a show about three great singers and their supporting cast.
There's always something magical about the first season, because it was all so raw and new; just like Kelly Clarkson. She came out of nowhere to blow us away and snatch the title away from early favorite Guarini. The two turned in stellar performance after stellar performance but it became clear about mid-way through that Clarkson was in a class of her own. Tamyra Gray had Whitney-level chops and stood high as the third talent of the series, but lacked the control and passion needed to really capture the audience. Others turned in nice performances, but Starr was more style than substance and I could never get over Christian's warbly vibrato. Beyond that, the rest never really dazzled. Thus, while it gets kudos for starting the Idol juggernaut, it can't rank any higher on this list.
Coming in at #2:
SEASON FOUR
Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, Vonzell Solomon, Anthony Fedorov, Scott Savol, Constantine Maroulis, Anwar Robinson, Nadia Turner, Nikko Smith, Jessica Sierra, Mikalah Gordon, Lindsey Cardinale
The best Final Three since Season Two, and no one could argue that Bice and Underwood were truly deserving of their placement in the finale. Underwood was a favorite throughout while Bice, just like Clarkson in Season One, rose to capture the fans and judges with his consistent rock vocals. Other notable talents left earlier than they should have, with Turner and Smith standing high as amazing talents who just failed to click with the audience, while heart-warming personal stories elevated the likes of Fedorov to the Final Four. Still, a good balance and a great final run made this the season to beat.
And finally, at #1:
SEASON FIVE
Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, Paris Bennett, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young, Bucky Covington, Mandisa Hundley, Lisa Tucker, Kevin Covais, Melissa McGhee
And the very next year, Season Four was beaten. Forget about what has happened since with the Final Two losing their record deals, just look through that list. Daughtry has unabashedly become the breakout star of this season, despite his fourth place finish, but that's not to take away from the burgeoning success in the country arena of both Covington and Pickler, while Yamin is scorching up the charts with his debut project as well. To date, no season has had such a high number of extremely talented individuals vying for the top spot, and not before or since has a season had so many people deserving of lasting fame after their Idol runs. Regardless of your opinions of Hicks (and we all know Simon Cowell's disdain), I still think he was a highly entertaining live performer whose vocals were stronger than most people gave him credit for. McPhee was beautiful with a nice voice. There were great voices all the way down to pretty boy Ace Young and Mandisa, whose overly religious presentation may have sealed her Idol doom, but helped launch her successful post-Idol career.
Honestly, I think Season Five sets a pretty high bar for Idol entertainment. And of course Season Six is a train-wreck in comparison, but the potential is there. Sure the judges come up with the Top Twenty, but we're as much to blame as they are if the Top Twelve isn't good enough. We cut Sabrina Sloan and Sundance Head last year, to make room for the likes of Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato. It's an election year so we should be focusing on the importance of voting and voting intelligently. Let's do so with the Idol this year as well, so we all have a better product to watch.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
1-23-2008 @ 7:07PM
aglasan1 said...
I think one thing that would improve the quality of the show would be better control of the voting. It becomes an endurance contest when some people will vote a hundred times or more providing they have an auto redial system, or a very durable index finger. This kind of voting completely distorts the ideal of voting i.e. majority rule.
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1-25-2008 @ 4:38PM
Becky said...
season 2 hands down!!! Clay was the highlight of that whole season!!! since then the show has lost it's appeal and luster.. and I no longer have an interest in a show that pushes who it wants to win..like they did with Ruben in the very beginning.. or others from previous seasons.. why even let America vote..when we have no say..
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2-07-2008 @ 12:14AM
Preston said...
Season 5 stands out-- Eight of them released their first albums months after being on Idol! There's not all this idle time, like the others. Chris Daughtry's band Daughtry has had a hit selling album--all of his concerts were sold out last year and he's still well received. Taylor Hicks just did not catch on with some people, but he's doing it on his own terms, not the label. And I liked Katharine and Elliott's efforts. Not too crazy about Bucky Covington, but Kellie's a good country artist. And I was floored after hearing Mandisa's album--very inspiring on most numbers!
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2-07-2008 @ 12:33AM
Preston said...
I have found myself getting the albums by the former Idols after every season. Most of them are good, at most cases far better than when they were performing on TV. I'm hearing them more on the radio than back in 2003, when stations were reluctant to play anybody. Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry, Fantasia, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Elliott Yamin and several others have gotten a lot of airplay with their songs.
But some have released albums that failed to grab any attention. Diane DeGarmo's album didn't catch on. John Stevens' album, which I liked, only sold 18,000. I think it all boils down to making good songs and finding the right material to match with the voice. Not what the record company execs think. Other than Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis, who have albums out now and Phil Stacey with his new album coming out in April, I have YET to hear any new album from the other 9 of season 6! Are they walking away from the music business? If so, they need to, couldn't stand the other half of the top 12! Haven't heard anything from Sanjaya yet (and don't want to). Melinda Doolittle needs to get something out--that soulful voice she's got, she needs to use it more!
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2-08-2008 @ 7:27PM
veronica said...
I think Season 2 ... somehow the contestants were more varied, -- less hand picked, which made them more interesting.
And the biggest finale in the history of AI, the one everyone was talking about afterwards.
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2-18-2008 @ 9:25PM
cath said...
Season five had the most diverse group of performers and Taylor Hicks created more excitement and more media attention than any other winner. Love them or hate them, you know who they are.
This question should not be asked until American Idol no longer airs and at least 5 years has past since the last Idol season. History will determine which season was the best.
For me it will always be Season 5 because it was and is the only one I cared about.
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1-15-2008 @ 9:20AM
Gordy said...
There's no poll here, but Seasons 1 & 3 were the best. The rest were just sideshows and geekfests.
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1-15-2008 @ 10:21AM
Jason Hughes said...
fixed. thanks for the catch!
j/h
1-15-2008 @ 10:47AM
Jimmy said...
My ratings:
1. Season 5: Taylor’s win was (and still is) a joke, but this was probably the best season overall. Katharine, Chris and Paris were all solid, and Elliott remains one of my favorite contestants in the show’s history. I give this season bonus points for Kellie “I’m a minx” Pickler.
2. Season 4: Carrie’s coronation!
3. Season 1: Kelly has proven to be a deserving winner, but Justin’s presence in the finals brings down the overall rating. I do give bonus points for Dunkelman co-hosting – I would take him over Seacrest any day.
4. Season 3: Weak overall, but Fantasia gave some of the best final round performances I’ve ever seen.
5. Season 6: I liked Jordin, but in hindsight, Melinda should have won. Blake, Phil and Sanjaya were all jokes and brought the show down big time.
6. Season 2: The weakest of the lot.
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1-15-2008 @ 10:53AM
Mike S said...
I got to see Daughtry perform twice at my church as an opening act for national touring Christian rock bands. He had the star quality then and I have soundboard recordings from mixing those two shows that he played. It was right before the audiotions.
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1-15-2008 @ 12:01PM
JPN said...
Of course the quality is going down. They're in their seventh season. I mean, if someone has such a great and hidden talent, why would they wait seven years to apply? I guess some people will "age into" the competition too, but you've got to expect some dillution of the talent pool as it goes on. It's not new anymore.
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1-16-2008 @ 10:48PM
mandm said...
Season 5 was the best.Taylor was the best overall, all around talent that year.He deserved the win.Daughtry has a great voice, but was too bland and boring.I agree with the statement that Taylor's vocals are stronger and more impressive than what he is given credit for.Go to just one of his concerts and you will see that America got it right.
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1-16-2008 @ 10:44AM
Debbie said...
Paula was so out of line to giggle and laugh, thus encouraging her would-be stalker last nite. Bravo Simon for your chilvery. But honestly, why protect someone that is encouraging the creep. she acted like it was O.K. simon leaned in toward Paula in a protective postion and she kept giggling at the creep. Imature to say the least!
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1-16-2008 @ 11:29AM
Bea said...
For me the standard will always be Season 2. You got to know the contestants, and there was more back story and interesting information about relationships between the Idols in the mansion they shared. The emotional connection between the contestants and the viewing audience seems to be missing now. People just don't care that much who really wins. During Season 2 there was more media coverage in the individuals and more magazines ran human interest stories on them. Maybe the whole AI concept was fresh and new and has become stale and predictable now. Season 2 justifiably still holds the record for the most viewers for the finale. That finale between Ruben and Clay will go down as the best, most anticipated ever. It was electric!!
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1-16-2008 @ 11:34AM
linda said...
Season 5 was the best because of Taylor Hicks. He was far and away the best performer AI has seen
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1-16-2008 @ 1:28PM
susanna said...
Season Two was easily the best season of all. There may have been some great talent in other seasons, but the Clay/Ruben contest was just stupendous.
Just watching Clay emerge as a cutie pie with the best voice ever on Idol was enough to keep me watching other years. I don't think Idol realized what they had, and still can't forgive him for succeeding, despite their efforts to squelch his popularity.
None have compared. There are too many who are already professionals on there, and the show has lost its charm.
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3-11-2008 @ 11:38PM
gc said...
My favourite Season is #2....
what an amazing amount of talent in that group... and the finally between Ruben and Clay was something else...
the whole season was great week after week...
Idol has somehow lost its charm.. in the other season that followed when you saw the hands of the producers.. great rid of good singers and keep some who should have not even made it to the top 10, only because of either their looks or funny personality... remember it was suppose to be a singing competition.. I hope this year they will remember to embrace the singers who truly have a good voice... and let the people voting... VOTE.. and try not to influence their decisions... oh.. where is Taylor Hicks... i haven't heard anything from him since his CD was released... now there was a joke of a season...
The best female singer so far ... Kelly Clarkson and Kimberley Locke
Best male singer... Clay Aiken
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1-16-2008 @ 9:47PM
AI Fan said...
Season two outshined them all. They have never had as many (or as good) group numbers any other season, or as exciting a finale. Season 4's finale was really well done, but the rest of them were pretty much a yawn-fest for me.
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1-16-2008 @ 11:36PM
maria said...
Season two was my favorite. That was the only finale were I really didn't know who the winner was until Ryan read the name.
All the seasons had talented singers but the magic was lost after season two. Now the show seems very fake. Yet I still watch it.
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1-21-2008 @ 12:06AM
Barfly said...
Season 5 was by far the best for me-----even though the winner has had some problems, positions #2,3,4, and 6 all have viable career potential in the entertainment industry. {singing, Broadway, movies} Come to think of it, Bucky and Mandisa are doing really well, also. What other season can boast 6 Idols doing as well as these people are. Season 4 can't-----closest would probably be season 2.
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