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 ever recorded in the show's history. The split was 56 percent to 44 percent.

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, with the second being the ninth season. 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 and the third being the eighth season.

Michael Johns died on August 1, 2014, making him the first American Idol finalist to die.

Changes from past seasons

Prior to the start of season 7, Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that season 6 had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants. Changes were planned for season 7 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 created. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

Regional auditions

For Season 7, auditions began in San Diego, California on July 30, 2007, and continued in the following cities:

Episode Air Date	Audition City	Date	First Audition Venue	Callback Date	Callback Venue	Golden Tickets
January 15, 2008	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	August 27, 2007	Wachovia Center	September 1–2, 2007	Hyatt Regency	29
January 16, 2008	Dallas, Texas	August 6, 2007	Texas Stadium	September 20–23, 2007	W Hotel Dallas Victory	24
January 22, 2008	San Diego, California	July 30, 2007	Qualcomm Stadium	September 12–13, 2007	Rancho Bernardo Inn	31
January 23, 2008	Charleston, South Carolina	August 18, 2007	North Charleston Coliseum	September 6–7, 2007	Charleston Area Convention Center	23
January 29, 2008	Omaha, Nebraska	August 10, 2007	Qwest Center Omaha	October 5–6, 2007	Qwest Convention Center	19
January 30, 2008	Miami, Florida	August 22, 2007	American Airlines Arena	September 29–30, 2007	JW Marriott Hotel	17
February 5, 2008	Atlanta, Georgia	August 14, 2007	Georgia Dome	October 8–10, 2007	Georgia International Convention Center	21
Total Tickets to Hollywood						164

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 Season 1 - 3 or the last phase of Hollywood round of Season 4 -6 (top 44 of Season 4 and 5, top 40 of Season 6), those holding recording or management contracts, or those who were not US citizens or landed immigrants (i.e. permanent residents).

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 8 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 performance 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 contestant's performance, 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. It was later revealed that his non-selection resulted in serious rift between Simon Cowell and the show producer Nigel Lythgoe.

Semi-finalists

• Daniel 'Danny' Anthony Noriega (born September 29, 1989 in Azusa, California, 18 at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego. He previously auditioned for Idol in season six 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. Noriega competed as Adore Delano on the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

• Luke Menard (born December 1, 1978 in Crawfordsville, Indiana, 29 at the time of the show) auditioned in Omaha with "Bend and Break" by Keane. In Hollywood, he sang "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" 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 season seven of Idol, he was a member of the a cappella group Chapter 6 and has toured with them for the past six years, as well as appearing on their albums and DVD. After leaving Idol, Menard was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. He successfully went through chemotherapy and will soon be undergoing radiation therapy. He was declared cancer free on December 18, 2008.

• Robert "Robbie" Carrico (born November 13, 1981 in Beckley, West Virginia, 26 at the time of the show) 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. The band's song "Messed Around" was written and produced by JC Chasez from *NSYNC.

• Jason Curtis Yeager (born August 26, 1979, 28 at the time of the show) 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. He released a Christian album called The Heart of Me in 2008

• Colton Berry (born October 11, 1989, 18 at the time of the show) is from Staunton, Virginia. He auditioned in Charleston.

• Garrett Haley (born August 1, 1990, 17 at the time of the show) is from Elida, Ohio. He auditioned in San Diego.

• Asia'h Epperson (born August 20, 1988, 19 at the time of the show) 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. She currently has a few songs of her own on her MySpace page, including a cover of "Can't Buy Me Love". She now lives in Atlanta, GA and is working on her new album. She was arrested August 12, 2010 for assaulting a club goer. In January 2011, she became a part of the original cast of the musical Hair Show starring Chaka Khan. Promotional material for the musical revealed that she is now a protégé of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

• Kady Malloy (born May 9, 1989, 18 at the time of the show) 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." Kady is currently in a pop-country duo with Nashville musician Andrea Young. The pair began writing and recording in early 2010 and perform across the country.

• Alaina Whitaker (born February 21, 1991, 17 at the time of the show) 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, she and her sister won a talent competition in Tulsa, beating one of David Cook's bands, Midwest Kings. Whether or not Cook was in the band at the time is unknown. Her group Della Rose was working on their debut album in Nashville before they disbanded. The group has opened up for numerous major country acts including Travis Tritt, and Keith Anderson, who was also known as the groups Mentor.

• Alexandréa Lushington (born February 13, 1991, 17 at the time of the show) is from Douglasville, Georgia, and auditioned in Atlanta. In 2004, she sang against fellow Idol semi-finalist David Archuleta on an episode of the television show Star Search.

• Joanne Borgella (May 29, 1982 – October 18, 2014, 25 at the time of the show) a was 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 (born June 19, 1982, 25 at the time of the show) is professional model from Lowell, Indiana, who auditioned in Dallas.

Semi-finals

Top 24 – 1960s

Order	Males				Females
	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result		Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	David Hernandez	"In the Midnight Hour" (Wilson Pickett)	Safe		Kristy Lee Cook	"Rescue Me" (Fontella Bass)	Safe
2	Chikezie	"More Today Than Yesterday" (The Spiral Starecase)	Safe		Joanne Borgella	"I Say a Little Prayer" (Dionne Warwick)	Eliminated
3	David Cook	"Happy Together" (The Turtles)	Safe		Alaina Whitaker	"More Today Than Yesterday" (The Spiral Starecase)	Safe
4	Jason Yeager	"Moon River" (Andy Williams)	Safe		Amanda Overmyer	"Baby, Please Don't Go" (Big Joe Williams)	Safe
5	Robbie Carrico	"One" (Harry Nilsson)	Safe		Amy Davis	"Where the Boys Are" (Connie Francis)	Eliminated
6	David Archuleta	"Shop Around" (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles)	Safe		Brooke White	"Happy Together" (The Turtles)	Safe
7	Danny Noriega	"Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley)	Safe		Alexandréa Lushington	"Spinning Wheel" (Blood, Sweat & Tears)	Safe
8	Luke Menard	"Everybody's Talkin'" (Fred Neil)	Safe		Kady Malloy	"A Groovy Kind of Love" (The Mindbenders)	Safe
9	Colton Berry	"Suspicious Minds" (Mark James)	Eliminated		Asia'h Epperson	"Piece of My Heart" (Erma Franklin)	Safe
10	Garrett Haley	"Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (Neil Sedaka)	Eliminated		Ramiele Malubay	"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (Dusty Springfield)	Safe
11	Jason Castro	"Daydream" (The Lovin' Spoonful)	Safe		Syesha Mercado	"Tobacco Road" (John D. Loudermilk)	Safe
12	Michael Johns	"Light My Fire" (The Doors)	Safe		Carly Smithson	"The Shadow of Your Smile" (Tony Bennett)	Safe

Top 20 – 1970s

Order	Males				Females
	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result		Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Michael Johns	"Go Your Own Way" (Fleetwood Mac)	Safe		Carly Smithson	"Crazy on You" (Heart)	Safe
2	Jason Castro	"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" (Andy Gibb)	Safe		Syesha Mercado	"Me and Mrs. Jones" (Billy Paul)	Safe
3	Luke Menard	"Killer Queen" (Queen)	Safe		Brooke White	"You're So Vain" (Carly Simon)	Safe
4	Robbie Carrico	"Hot Blooded" (Foreigner)	Eliminated		Ramiele Malubay	"Don't Leave Me This Way" (Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes)	Safe
5	Danny Noriega	"Superstar" (Delaney & Bonnie)	Safe		Kristy Lee Cook	"You're No Good" (Betty Everett)	Safe
6	David Hernandez	"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (The Undisputed Truth)	Safe		Amanda Overmyer	"Carry On Wayward Son" (Kansas)	Safe
7	Jason Yeager	"Long Train Running" (The Doobie Brothers)	Eliminated		Alaina Whitaker	"Hopelessly Devoted to You" (Olivia Newton-John)	Eliminated
8	Chikezie	"I Believe to My Soul" (Donny Hathaway)	Safe		Alexandréa Lushington	"If You Leave Me Now" (Chicago)	Eliminated
9	David Cook	"All Right Now" (Free)	Safe		Kady Malloy	"Magic Man" (Heart)	Safe
10	David Archuleta	"Imagine" (John Lennon)	Safe		Asia'h Epperson	"All by Myself" (Eric Carmen)	Safe

Top 16 – 1980s

Order	Males				Females
	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result		Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Luke Menard	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" (Wham!)	Eliminated		Asia'h Epperson	"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (Whitney Houston)	Eliminated
2	David Archuleta	"Another Day in Paradise" (Phil Collins)	Safe		Kady Malloy	"Who Wants to Live Forever" (Queen)	Eliminated
3	Danny Noriega	"Tainted Love" (Gloria Jones)	Eliminated		Amanda Overmyer	"I Hate Myself for Loving You" (Joan Jett)	Safe
4	David Hernandez	"It's All Coming Back to Me Now" (Pandora's Box)	Safe		Carly Smithson	"I Drove All Night" (Cyndi Lauper)	Safe
5	Michael Johns	"Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds)	Safe		Kristy Lee Cook	"Faithfully" (Journey)	Safe
6	David Cook	"Hello" (Lionel Richie)	Safe		Ramiele Malubay	"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins)	Safe
7	Jason Castro	"Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen)	Safe		Brooke White	"Love Is a Battlefield" (Pat Benatar)	Safe
8	Chikezie	"All the Man That I Need" (Linda Clifford)	Safe		Syesha Mercado	"Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston)	Safe

Finalists

David Cook David Cook (born December 20, 1982 in Houston, Texas, 24 at the time of the auditions and 25 at the time of the show) is a native of Blue Springs, Missouri who auditioned in Omaha, Nebraska with Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer". Cook's interest in music began early in life; he received his first guitar at the age of 2. He formed a band while still at high school called Axium which was chosen as the best band in Kansas City in 2004. He later joined Midwest Kings in Tulsa, but left to pursue a solo project where he released an album titled Analog Heart. Prior to Idol he worked as a bartender at the "Blank Slate" in Tulsa, where he would also occasionally play shows. He enjoys doing crossword puzzles in his spare time and calls himself a "word nerd." His Hollywood performance of Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" did not impress Simon Cowell but did so with his second performance Edwin McCain's "I'll Be". He wore an orange wristband to support a seven-year-old fan with leukemia from Top 12 week onwards. He was never in the "bottom three". On May 21, 2008, he was declared the winner. He was signed to RCA Records and released a self-titled album on November 18, 2008, that was certified platinum in January 2009.

David Archuleta David Archuleta (born December 28, 1990 in Miami, Florida, 16 at the time of the auditions and 17 at the time of the show) is from Murray, Utah who auditioned in San Diego with John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". In 2003, at the age of 12, he sang on several episodes of the television show Star Search and went on to win the season finale and the $100,000 grand prize. In one episode, he competed against Alexandréa Lushington, who was a fellow semi-finalist this season. He suffered from vocal paralysis after that show which affected one of his vocal cords. He impressed the judges with his performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Bryan Adams's "Heaven" during the Hollywood round. He was never in the "bottom three" in American Idol and finished as the Season 7 runner-up. He was signed to Jive Records and has since released a number of albums.

Syesha Mercado Syesha Mercado (born January 2, 1987 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, 21 at the time of the show) is from Sarasota, Florida who auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Think". She is a student at Florida International University and has been singing and dancing since she was a child. During Hollywood week, she became ill and almost completely lost her voice. In preparation for her final Hollywood performance with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools", she went on voice rest and wrote down everything she had to say on a pad of paper. Prior to American Idol, she appeared on the short-lived US version of Star Academy (known as The One: Making a Music Star when it aired on ABC in July 2006 for two weeks). Kara DioGuardi, who was one of the coaches on the Endemol franchise, joined Idol for Season 8. She was voted off as a third-place finisher and has since pursued a career in musical theatre.

Jason Castro Jason Castro (born March 25, 1987, 20 at the time of the show) Rockwall, Texas auditioned in Dallas with Keith Urban's Once in a Lifetime and Ray LaMontagne's version of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. He started in music playing the drums. In high school, he played for a band, Keeping Lions, which has since disbanded. In 2006, he appeared on Cheyenne Kimball's MTV reality TV series, as her real-life dating interest. Castro is the first person in his family, which is originally from Colombia, to be born in the United States. He is a student at Texas A&M University, with a construction science major and music minor. He began growing his hair out for dreadlocks during his senior year of high school. He exited the competition in fourth place. He has since been signed to Atlantic Records and released a number of albums and EPs.

Brooke White Brooke White (born June 2, 1983 in Mesa, Arizona, 24 at time of show) was a nanny from Van Nuys, California auditioned in Philadelphia with Corinne Bailey Rae's Like a Star. During her audition, she admitted to never having seen an R-rated movie, prompting Cowell to state that the show will "bring her over to the dark side." In 2005, she released an album titled Songs from the Attic under New Millennium Records. She performed Carole King's "Beautiful" on Hollywood week. She finished in fifth place on Idol. After the contest, she started her own record label "June Baby Records" with Randy Jackson, and released an album, High Hopes & Heartbreak.

Carly Smithson Carly Smithson (born September 12, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland, 24 at the time of that show) is a professional singer and bartender/waitress from San Diego, California, where she has been living for the past three years. Smithson previously signed a recording contract with major USA label MCA Records and released an album in 2001 entitled Ultimate High under her birth name, Carly Hennessy. The album sold approximately 300 copies in the first three months following its release. Smithson was originally auditioned in Las Vegas during season five, but was dropped from the show due to a problem with her visa. She auditioned in San Diego with Whitney Houston's I'm Every Woman, and performed Leo Sayer's version of "When I Need You" and Heart's version of "Alone" in the Hollywood rounds. She finished sixth in the show. She later teamed up with former members of Evanescence and formed a new band We Are The Fallen as its lead singer.

Kristy Lee Cook Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984, 24 at the time of that show) is a horse trainer from Selma, Oregon. She sold her prized horse in order to afford the trip to audition in Philadelphia where she auditioned with Amazing Grace, a song she also performed during the Hollywood week. In 2001, she was signed to a major label, Arista Nashville. Cook also signed with Britney Spears' production company, and Spears herself was supposed to have a cameo in Cook's first video. At the time of signing, she was managed by the former manager of LeAnn Rimes. In 2005, she released a CD called Devoted with Ren-Hen Records. Since appearing on the show, Kristy Lee Cook has released an album entitled "Why Wait", which peaked on number eight on the Billboard country charts. The album contained a single, "15 Minutes of Shame", which peaked in the Top 30 on the Billboard country charts. As of December 2008, she has been dropped from Arista Nashville.

Michael Johns Michael Johns (born as Michael Lee on October 20, 1978 in Perth, Western Australia, aged 29 on the show, died August 1, 2014) auditioned in San Diego with Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long. He was Australian; he moved to the United States from Australia in 1998 and lived in Buckhead for six years, performing at local venues solo and with local band Film. Afterwards, he lived in Los Angeles, California. After recording a demo and traveling to Los Angeles to showcase for a number of labels in 2001, he signed with Maverick Records and formed a rock band called The Rising. Before focusing on his singing career, he was a sportsman, winning a tennis scholarship and playing Australian rules football for the USAFL club Atlanta Kookaburras. During the Hollywood round, he performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" but it was his performance of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody that was one of the highlights of that week. He was eliminated on April 10, 2008 and finished in eighth place. He released an album independently Hold Back My Heart in 2009. Johns died on August 1, 2014, making him the first American Idol finalist to die.

Ramiele Malubay Ramiele Malubay (born September 6, 1987 in Saudi Arabia, 20 at the time of that show) Filipino-American from Miramar, Florida auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's Natural Woman. Prior to auditioning on Idol, she was a nursing student at Broward Community College and worked part-time at a sushi restaurant. She started Polynesian Dancing when she was in the first grade and started singing at the age of twelve. Since the age of 12, Ramiele has sung at various Filipino-American events. She performed Aretha Franklin's Until You Come Back to Me and The Kiki Dee Band's "I've Got The Music In Me" at the Hollywood rounds. She was eliminated as a ninth-place finisher.

Chikezie Chikezie (born Chikezie Eze on September 11, 1985 in Inglewood, California, 22 at the time of that show) is a Nigerian American from Inglewood, California who auditioned in San Diego with Luther Vandross's version of "All the Woman I Need". During the competition, he dropped using his last name because it was so frequently mispronounced ('eh-zee' and not 'EE-zee'). He previously auditioned for the show's sixth season, and made it into the Hollywood Round, where he was cut before the top 44. Before auditioning for Idol, he worked as a TSA officer at Los Angeles International Airport.

Amanda Overmyer Amanda Overmyer (born October 26, 1984, 23 at the time of that show) Harley-riding nurse is from Mulberry, Indiana who auditioned in Atlanta with Janis Joplin's Turtle Blues and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band". She received a nursing degree from Ivy Tech Community College and deals predominantly in respiratory issues. She has been the lead singer of several local hard rock bands, including Steeleto and Ruinaces. A week before the Hollywood week, she was injured in a serious car accident. She performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" at the Hollywood rounds. After the season ended she married her fiancé Casey Taylor. Since her elimination, she has played at The Whisky a Go Go bar in West Hollywood and various venues. Since appearing on the show, Amanda has released a rock album entitled "Solidify". The album is only available on the official Amanda Overmyer website as of January 3, 2009.

David Hernandez David Hernandez (born May 31, 1983 in Glendale, Arizona, 24 at the time of that show) is from Glendale, Arizona and auditioned with The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg". He was a student at Arizona State University with a major in Broadcast Journalism. He gave up his apartment to move to Hollywood. Until September 30, 2007, Hernandez worked as a male stripper named "Caden" at Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix, Arizona, performing fully nude and giving lap dances to male patrons. This did not prevent him from being on the show. He performed Stephen Stills's Love the One You're With on Hollywood week. He was voted off in twelfth place soon after his stripper past was publicized by Vote for the Worst.

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 (original artist)	Year	Result
1	Ramiele Malubay	"Alone" (i-TEN)	1987	Safe
2	Jason Castro	"Fragile" (Sting)	1987	Bottom 3
3	Syesha Mercado	"If I Were Your Woman" (Gladys Knight & the Pips)	1987	Bottom 2
4	Chikezie	"If Only for One Night" (Luther Vandross)	1985	Eliminated
5	Brooke White	"Every Breath You Take" (The Police)	1983	Safe
6	Michael Johns	"We Will Rock You" / "We Are the Champions" medley (Queen)	1978	Safe
7	Carly Smithson	"Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Bonnie Tyler)	1983	Safe
8	David Archuleta	"You're the Voice" (John Farnham)	1990	Safe
9	Kristy Lee Cook	"God Bless the USA" (Lee Greenwood)	1984	Safe
10	David Cook	"Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson)	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	"Smoky Mountain Memories"	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 (original artist)	Result
1	Michael Johns	"Dream On" (Aerosmith)	Eliminated
2	Syesha Mercado	"I Believe" (Fantasia)	Bottom 3
3	Jason Castro	"Over the Rainbow" (Judy Garland)	Safe
4	Kristy Lee Cook	"Anyway" (Martina McBride)	Safe
5	David Cook	"Innocent" (Our Lady Peace)	Safe
6	Carly Smithson	"The Show Must Go On" (Queen)	Bottom 3
7	David Archuleta	"Angels" (Robbie Williams)	Safe
8	Brooke White	"You've Got a Friend" (Carole King)	Safe

Top 7 – Mariah Carey

Mentor: Mariah Carey

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist when applicable)	Result
1	David Archuleta	"When You Believe" (Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston)	Safe
2	Carly Smithson	"Without You " (Badfinger)	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 (production)	Result
1	Syesha Mercado	"One Rock & Roll Too Many" (from Starlight Express)	Bottom 2
2	Jason Castro	"Memory" (from Cats)	Safe
3	Brooke White	"You Must Love Me" (from Evita)	Safe
4	David Archuleta	"Think of Me" (from The Phantom of the Opera)	Safe
5	Carly Smithson	"Superstar" (from Jesus Christ Superstar)	Eliminated
6	David Cook	"The Music of the Night" (from The Phantom of the Opera)	Safe

Top 5 – Neil Diamond

Mentor: Neil Diamond

Each contestant sang two songs.

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist when applicable)	Result
1	Jason Castro	"Forever in Blue Jeans"	Safe
2	David Cook	"I'm Alive"	Safe
3	Brooke White	"I'm a Believer" (The Monkees)	Eliminated
4	David Archuleta	"Sweet Caroline"	Safe
5	Syesha Mercado	"Hello Again"	Safe
6	Jason Castro	"September Morn"	Safe
7	David Cook	"All I Really Need Is You"	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 (original artist)	Result
1	David Cook	"Hungry Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran)	Safe
2	Syesha Mercado	"Proud Mary" (Creedence Clearwater Revival)	Safe
3	Jason Castro	"I Shot the Sheriff" (Bob Marley)	Eliminated
4	David Archuleta	"Stand by Me" (Ben E. King)	Safe
5	David Cook	"Baba O'Riley" (The Who)	Safe
6	Syesha Mercado	"A Change Is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke)	Safe
7	Jason Castro	"Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan)	Eliminated
8	David Archuleta	"Love Me Tender" (Elvis Presley)	Safe

Top 3 – Judges' choice, Contestant's choice & Producer's Choice

Each contestant sang three songs.

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist) — Judge	Result
1	David Archuleta	"And So It Goes" (Billy Joel) — Paula Abdul	Safe
2	Syesha Mercado	"If I Ain't Got You" (Alicia Keys) — Randy Jackson	Eliminated
3	David Cook	"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Peggy Seeger) — Simon Cowell	Safe
4	David Archuleta	"With You" (Chris Brown)	Safe
5	Syesha Mercado	"Fever" (Little Willie John)	Eliminated
6	David Cook	"Dare You to Move" (Switchfoot)	Safe
7	David Archuleta	"Longer" (Dan Fogelberg)	Safe
8	Syesha Mercado	"Hit Me Up" (Gia Farrell)	Eliminated
9	David Cook	"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" (Aerosmith)	Safe

Finale – Clive Davis' choice, New Song & Contestant's Choice

Each contestant sang three songs.

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	David Cook	"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2)	Winner
2	David Archuleta	"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (Elton John)	Runner-Up
3	David Cook	"Dream Big"	Winner
4	David Archuleta	"In This Moment"	Runner-Up
5	David Cook	"The World I Know" (Collective Soul)	Winner
6	David Archuleta	"Imagine" (John Lennon)	Runner-Up

Elimination chart

Legend

Female

Male

Top 24

Top 12

Winner

Safe

Safe First

Safe Last

Eliminated

Stage:		Semi Finals			Finals
Week:		2/21	2/28	3/6	3/12	3/19	3/26	4/2	4/101	4/16	4/23	4/30	5/7	5/14	5/21
Place	Contestant	Result
1	David Cook														Winner
2	David Archuleta														Runner-Up
3	Syesha Mercado				Bottom 3		Bottom 2		Bottom 3	Bottom 3	Bottom 2			Elim
4	Jason Castro						Bottom 3						Elim
5	Brooke White							Bottom 3		Bottom 2		Elim
6	Carly Smithson					Bottom 3			Bottom 3		Elim
7	Kristy Lee Cook				Bottom 2	Bottom 2		Bottom 2		Elim
8	Michael Johns								Elim
9	Ramiele Malubay							Elim
10	Chikezie						Elim
11	Amanda Overmyer					Elim
12	David Hernandez				Elim
13-16	Danny Noriega			Elim
	Asia'h Epperson
	Luke Menard
	Kady Malloy		Bottom 3
17-20	Robbie Carrico		Elim
	Alaina Whitaker
	Alexandréa Lushington
	Jason Yeager
21-24	Colton Berry	Elim
	Joanne Borgella
	Amy Davis
	Garrett Haley

^Note 1 Due to the Idol Gives Back special airing on the show's regular Wednesday results night, which was April 9. The results show was moved to Thursday, April 10.

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" (The Temptations).
• Top 2 – "Hero" (Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott)
• The top 2 meet Guru Pitka (Mike Myers)
• 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" (The Box Tops)
• 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 (with Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey, Jr. as the Pips) – "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

Guest artists may perform songs to promote their work or the show itself, or for charitable purpose. Most performed on the result shows, except for Ruben Studdard at the end of the Top 2 performance show and those on the Idol Gives Back special. Included is a list of those songs with the impact of performance on the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Digital Songs chart for the week. See Idol Gives Back for the list of performances in that special episode.

Week	Performer(s)	Title	Hot 100 Reaction (chart position)	Hot Digital Songs Reaction (chart position, sales for week)
Top 24	Paula Abdul Randy Jackson	"Dance Like There's No Tomorrow" (video premiere)	62 (+18 - new peak)	36 - 32,215 (+559%)
Top 20	No guest performer
Top 16	Blake Lewis	"How Many Words"	—	128 - 10,182 (+999%)
Top 12	Katharine McPhee David Foster (piano)	"Something"	No legal digital release
Top 11	Kellie Pickler	"Red High Heels"	Ineligible to re-enter	—
Top 10	Kimberley Locke	"Fall"	—	—
Top 9	The Clark Brothers	"This Little Light of Mine"	—	—
	Dolly Parton	"Jesus and Gravity"	—	—
Top 8	Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown	"No Air"	3 (+4 - new peak)	4 - 153,648 (+34%)
Top 7	Elliott Yamin	"Free"	—	—
	Mariah Carey	"Bye Bye"	23 (debut)	11 - 60,037 (+999%)
Top 6	Leona Lewis	"Bleeding Love"	1 (4th week as number 1)	1 - 235,880 (+30%)
Top 5	Natasha Bedingfield	"Pocketful of Sunshine"	8 (+11 - new peak)	4 - 134,830 (+110%)
	Neil Diamond	"Pretty Amazing Grace"	—	—
Top 4	Maroon 5	"If I Never See Your Face Again"	57 (debut)	21 - 42,983 (+999%)
	Bo Bice	"Witness"	—	—
Top 3	Fantasia	"Bore Me (Yawn)"	No legal digital release
Top 2	Ruben Studdard	"Celebrate Me Home"	—	—*
"—" denotes songs that did not chart

*"Celebrate Me Home" was removed from iTunes the day after it was performed. It reached the top 60 before it was removed.

Idol Gives Back

Main article: 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 (and two were eliminated in the following week), 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 (David Cook released an independent solo album and had finished recording a follow-up prior to his audition for the show, but he was never involved with a record label or contract). 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 April 29 show, 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 (Green Day, Kid Rock) 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 (Kristy Lee Cook)
• David Archuleta (David Archuleta)
• David Cook (David Cook)
• Solidify (Amanda Overmyer)
• Hold Back My Heart (Michael Johns)
• High Hopes & Heartbreak (Brooke White)
• Christmas from the Heart (David Archuleta)
• Jason Castro (Jason Castro)
• Tear the World Down (Carly Smithson)
• The Other Side of Down (David Archuleta)
• Who I Am (Jason Castro)
• This Loud Morning (David Cook)
• Begin (David Archuleta)
• Till Death Do Us Party (Danny Noriega)
• Digital Vein (David Cook)

Singles

David Cook

• "The Time of My Life"
• "Light On"
• "Come Back to Me"
• "Bar-ba-sol"
• "Permanent"
• "Jumpin' Jack Flash"
• "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
• "The Last Goodbye"
• "Fade into Me"
• "The Last Song I'll Write for You"
• "Laying Me Low"
• "Wait For Me"
• "Criminals"

David Archuleta

• "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"

Kristy Lee Cook

• "15 Minutes of Shame"

Brooke White

• "Hold Up My Heart"
• "Radio Radio"
• "Double Trouble"
• "Night After Night"

Jason Castro

• "Let's Just Fall In Love Again"

U.S. Nielsen ratings

Season 7 of American Idol overall was the most watched primetime program in the United States for the fourth consecutive year, during the conclusion of the 2007-2008 television season. The Tuesday episode viewership averaged 27.665 million while the Wednesday episode averaged 26.843 million, taking the top 2 spots for the season. The show helped Fox become the most watched overall television network in the U.S. for the first time in its history (as well as a record first for a non-Big Three major network in American television history), and lead the 18-49 demographic ratings with still-standing largest ever margin since the introduction of the people meter technology in the Nielsen nationwide television tallies during the 1985-1986 television season.

Episode list

Show Episode Air date Week rank Rating/Share 18-49 rating/Share Viewers (millions) 1 "Philadelphia Auditions" January 15, 2008 3 17.7 / 26 13.8 / 32 33.415 2 "Dallas Auditions" January 16, 2008 4 16.7 / 25 12.6 / 30 30.437 3 "San Diego Auditions" January 22, 2008 1 16.2 / 24 11.8 / 29 29.274 4 "Charleston Auditions" January 23, 2008 2 15.1 / 23 10.9 / 28 27.091 5 "Omaha Auditions" January 29, 2008 4 15.7 / 24 11.1 / 28 28.223 6 "Miami Auditions" January 30, 2008 5 14.4 / 22 10.1 / 26 25.573 7 "Atlanta Auditions" February 5, 2008 1 15.7 / 23 11.2 / 28 27.914 8 "Best of the Rest" February 6, 2008 2 14.6 / 23 10.5 / 26 26.278 9 "Hollywood Round, Part 1" February 12, 2008 1 16.6 / 25 12.3 / 29 29.962 10 "Hollywood Round, Part 2" February 13, 2008 2 14.3 / 22 9.8 / 26 24.752 11 "Top 12 Men Perform" February 19, 2008 2 16.4 / 25 11.3 / 27 29.006 12 "Top 12 Women Perform" February 20, 2008 3 16.1 / 24 11.2 / 27 28.885 13 "Top 24 Results" February 21, 2008 4 13.4 / 21 8.5 / 22 23.374 14 "Top 10 Men Perform" February 26, 2008 1 16.0 / 24 11.1 / 27 28.592 15 "Top 10 Women Perform" February 27, 2008 2 15.7 / 24 10.5 / 27 27.553 16 "Top 20 Results" February 28, 2008 3 14.9 / 23 9.1 / 24 26.232 17 "Top 8 Men Perform" March 4, 2008 1 15.9 / 24 10.6 / 26 28.463 18 "Top 8 Women Perform" March 5, 2008 2 16.0 / 25 10.4 / 27 28.324 19 "Top 12 Revealed" March 6, 2008 3 15.0 / 23 9.4 / 24 26.502 20 "Top 12 Perform" March 11, 2008 1 16.9 / 26 11.0 / 28 29.884 21 "Top 12 Results" March 12, 2008 2 15.8 / 24 10.3 / 26 27.127 22 "Top 11 Perform" March 18, 2008 1 15.2 / 23 10.4 / 26 27.338 23 "Top 11 Results" March 19, 2008 2 15.3 / 24 9.8 / 25 26.078 24 "Top 10 Perform" March 25, 2008 2 14.0 / 21 9.7 / 25 24.758 25 "Top 10 Results" March 26, 2008 1 15.2 / 24 9.8 / 25 25.742 26 "Top 9 Perform" April 1, 2008 1 14.7 / 23 9.6 / 26 26.117 27 "Top 9 Results" April 2, 2008 2 14.8 / 22 9.4 / 23 24.839 28 "Top 8 Perform" April 8, 2008 1 14.2 / 22 9.2 / 24 24.668 29 "Idol Gives Back" April 9, 2008 6 10.4 / 16 6.8 / 18 17.751 30 "Top 8 Results" April 10, 2008 2 12.0 / 19 7.0 / 19 20.133 31 "Top 7 Perform" April 15, 2008 1 13.9 / 22 8.8 / 23 23.646 32 "Top 7 Results" April 16, 2008 2 13.4 / 21 8.8 / 22 23.339 33 Top 6 Perform" April 22, 2008 1 14.2 / 22 9.0 / 25 24.740 34 "Top 6 Results" April 23, 2008 2 13.7 / 21 8.6 / 21 23.196 35 "Top 5 Perform" April 29, 2008 1 14.5 / 23 9.0 / 24 25.094 36 "Top 5 Results" April 30, 2008 2 13.6 / 21 8.4 / 21 22.800 37 "Top 4 Perform" May 6, 2008 2 12.6 / 20 8.4 / 23 21.755 38 "Top 4 Results" May 7, 2008 1 13.9 / 21 8.2 / 21 22.867 39 "Top 3 Perform" May 13, 2008 2 14.4 / 23 9.0 / 25 24.772 40 "Top 3 Results" May 14, 2008 1 14.6 / 22 9.2 / 22 24.863 41 "Top 2 Perform" May 20, 2008 2 15.1 / 24 10.1 / 28 27.061 42 Season 7 Finale" May 21, 2008 1 17.7 / 28 11.4 / 30 31.661

Contestants who appeared in other talent shows/seasons

• 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.
• Mishavonna Henson, auditioned in season 7 and got cut during the Hollywood rounds, returned for the eighth season and made it in the top 36.
• 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.
• Chris Watson, who originally auditioned in Philadelphia, but was cut in Las Vegas, returned for the twelfth season and made it in the top 40.

See also

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2008

External links

• Official American Idol Contestants Website
• Pronunciation Guide to the American Idol Top 24 -- Season 7
• American Idol (Season 7) at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show