American Idol (season 9)

The ninth season of American Idol premiered on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, and concluded on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, on Fox.^[1] Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Kara DioGuardi returned to the judging panel. Ellen DeGeneres joined the panel as a replacement for Paula Abdul after guest judges filled in during the auditions. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was held on April 21, 2010, during the top seven results show.^[2] The top 24 semi-finals format used in the fourth through seventh seasons also returned this season.^[3] Cowell, DioGuardi and DeGeneres all left the show after this season ended, although only Cowell's departure was announced in advance.^[4][5][6] This was the second season where neither of the final 2 contestants had been in the bottom 2 or 3 prior to the finale, with the first being the seventh season. This was also the third consecutive season a male contestant had won, the longest streak for either gender. It was the first season since the sixth season where a female made it to the finale and was also the first time since the seventh season that both the finalists released a different song as a debut single.

American Idol
Season 9
Hosted by	Ryan Seacrest
Judges	Simon Cowell Ellen DeGeneres Kara DioGuardi Randy Jackson
Winner	Lee DeWyze
Runner-up	Crystal Bowersox
Finals venue	Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	January 12 (2010-01-12) – May 26, 2010 (2010-05-26)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 8 Next → Season 10
List of episodes

Lee DeWyze, a folk rocker from Mount Prospect, Illinois won the competition, beating the runner-up Crystal Bowersox.

Multiple contestants from this season were signed to record deals, including winner Lee DeWyze, runner-up Crystal Bowersox, finalists Casey James, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, and semi-finalist John Park.

Judges

After the season began, Paula Abdul did not return to the judging panel, having announced in the beginning of August 2009 that she was leaving the show due to unresolved contract negotiations.^[7] Victoria Beckham, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain, Katy Perry (who would go on to be a regular judge on Idol starting in the sixteenth season), Avril Lavigne, Joe Jonas, Neil Patrick Harris and Kristin Chenoweth were brought in to star as guest judges during the auditions phase.^{[8][9][10][11]} There was no guest judge on day two of the Orlando auditions because day one guest judge Chenoweth was called back to New York City. Therefore, Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson appeared with only three judges on the audition panel similar to the main panel from the first to the seventh season.

After making the decision to utilize guest judges in Abdul's absence, Fox chairman Peter Rice stated that they would find a permanent fourth judge before the season premiere in January 2010,^[12] leading the confirmation on September 9, 2009, by Ellen DeGeneres that she would be joining the show as the new permanent fourth judge for the rounds held at CBS Television City for Hollywood Week and thereafter, onto the live shows.^[13]

In addition, Simon Cowell announced shortly before the ninth season began that it would be his last season on American Idol. Cowell left the show to begin preparations for an American version of his singing competition The X-Factor.^[14] Also, DeGeneres announced on July 29, 2010, that she would not return to the judging panel because it was not the right fit for her. DioGuardi would also not return as a judge for the tenth season as announced on September 3, 2010. After her departure, DioGuardi helped and nominated Steven Tyler for a role as a judge on season ten to the show's producers.

Regional auditions

Auditions had begun on June 14 of the previous year, less than a month after previous season's finale. Auditions were held in the following cities:^[15]

During this stage guest judges filled in the fourth judging seat.^[16] Beckham was the first guest judge, appearing for the Denver and Boston auditions. Blige served as a guest judge for the Atlanta auditions. Jonas filled the guest judging role on the first day of the Dallas auditions and Harris took over the role the following day. Chenoweth served as a guest judge on the first day of the Orlando auditions and Twain judged in Chicago. Lavigne judged on the first day of the Los Angeles auditions and was replaced by Perry the following day.

Episode Air Date	Audition City	First Audition Date	Audition Venue	Callback Date	Callback Venue	Guest Judge	Golden Tickets
January 12, 2010	Boston, Massachusetts	June 14, 2009	Gillette Stadium^[17]	August 13 & 14, 2009	60 State Street^[18]	Victoria Beckham	32
January 13, 2010	Atlanta, Georgia	June 18, 2009	Georgia Dome	August 16 & 17, 2009	W Hotel Atlanta Midtown^[19]	Mary J. Blige	25
January 19, 2010	Chicago, Illinois	June 22, 2009	United Center	August 31 & September 1, 2009	Hyatt Regency Chicago^[20]	Shania Twain	13
January 20, 2010	Orlando, Florida	July 9, 2009	Amway Arena	August 28 & 29, 2009	Rosen Shingle Creek Resort^[21]	Kristin Chenoweth	31
January 26, 2010	Los Angeles, California^[22]	June 30, 2009	Rose Bowl Stadium	September 4, 2009	Marina del Rey Marriott^[23]	Avril Lavigne	23
				September 3, 2009		Katy Perry
January 27, 2010	Dallas, Texas^[24]	June 26, 2009	Cowboys Stadium	August 25, 2009^[25]	W Hotel Dallas Victory^[26]	Neil Patrick Harris	31
				August 24, 2009^[26]		Joe Jonas
February 2, 2010	Denver, Colorado	July 14, 2009	Invesco Field	August 7 & 8, 2009	Grand Hyatt^[27]	Victoria Beckham	26
Total Tickets to Hollywood							181

"Pants on the Ground"

During the Atlanta auditions, 62-year-old activist Larry Platt appeared and performed his original song "Pants on the Ground". The song's lyrics criticize people wearing the hip-hop style of clothing including pants that sag. Well over the age limit of 28, Platt was ineligible to continue. His performance has since become a viral hit, and several celebrities performed the song in the days that followed the original airing of his audition in Atlanta.

Hollywood week

Held at the Kodak Theatre for the second straight year, the first day of Hollywood Week featured the 181 contestants from the auditions round (although only 172 contestants were listed on the American Idol website^[28]) singing solo with the option of playing an instrument.^[29] Ninety-six contestants advanced. The next round required the contestants to split up into groups and perform. Seventy-one advanced to the final round of Hollywood requiring a solo performance. Forty-six made it to the final round where the judges take contestants one by one and tell them if they made the final twenty-four.^[30]

Ellen DeGeneres made her first appearance as a judge (replacing Paula Abdul) at this time.

Semi-finals

Semi-finalists

The first seven were revealed on February 16, 2010 (during the second hour on the episode), and the rest were revealed on the following night's episode.^[31]

Females Contestant Date of Birth Age Hometown Audition Location Voted Off Lilly Scott May 16, 1989 20 Littleton, Colorado Denver, Colorado March 11 Katelyn Epperly March 21, 1990 20 West Des Moines, Iowa Chicago, Illinois Haeley Vaughn June 5, 1993 16 Fort Collins, Colorado Denver, Colorado March 4 Michelle Delamor December 31, 1987 22 Miami, Florida Orlando, Florida Ashley Rodriguez November 4, 1987 22 Boston, Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts February 25 Janell Wheeler May 8, 1985 24 Orlando, Florida Orlando, Florida

Males Contestant Date of Birth Age Hometown Audition Location Voted Off Alex Lambert December 10, 1990 19 North Richland Hills, Texas Dallas, Texas March 11 Todrick Hall April 4, 1985 25 Arlington, Texas Dallas, Texas Jermaine Sellers February 9, 1983 27 Joliet, Illinois Atlanta, Georgia March 4 John Park September 13, 1988 21 Northbrook, Illinois Chicago, Illinois Tyler Grady October 26, 1989 20 Nazareth, Pennsylvania Boston, Massachusetts February 25 Joe Muñoz August 23, 1989 20 Huntington Park, California Los Angeles, California

The semi-final format used through the fourth through seventh seasons was revived for this season. Starting with 12 women and 12 men, the women and men perform on weekly separate shows and on the result shows, each performing a Billboard Hot 100 Hit song, and the bottom two contestants each night are eliminated from the competition. The semi-finals took place over three weeks, meaning that six from each gender will be eliminated over the course of the competition, leaving the other six to form the top 12. The females performed on the first night, followed by the males thereafter (the exception was the Top 20, as the Males performed first instead due to a hospitalization of one contestant, Crystal Bowersox, due to complications from diabetes.^[32][33]

From this point on in the show, this season's exit song, "Leave Right Now" by Will Young, was played over eliminations.^[34]

Color key:

Contestant was chosen by the public vote and moved on to the live shows

Contestant was chosen by the public vote and moved on to the next round

Contestant was eliminated

Top 24

Kris Allen's rendition of "Let It Be" was made available on iTunes for download, with all proceeds going to Haiti charities.

Order	Females (24 February)				Males (25 February)
	Contestant	Song	Result		Contestant	Song	Result
1	Paige Miles	"All Right Now"	Safe		Todrick Hall	"Since U Been Gone"	Safe
2	Ashley Rodriguez	"Happy"	Eliminated		Aaron Kelly	"Here Comes Goodbye"	Safe
3	Janell Wheeler	"What About Love"	Eliminated		Jermaine Sellers	"Get Here"	Safe
4	Lilly Scott	"Fixing a Hole"	Safe		Tim Urban	"Apologize"	Safe
5	Katelyn Epperly	"Oh! Darling"	Safe		Joe Muñoz	"You and I Both"	Eliminated
6	Haeley Vaughn	"I Want to Hold Your Hand"	Safe		Tyler Grady	"American Woman"	Eliminated
7	Lacey Brown	"Landslide"	Safe		Lee DeWyze	"Chasing Cars"	Safe
8	Michelle Delamor	"Fallin'"	Safe		John Park	"God Bless the Child"	Safe
9	Didi Benami	"The Way I Am"	Safe		Michael Lynche	"This Love"	Safe
10	Siobhan Magnus	"Wicked Game"	Safe		Alex Lambert	"Wonderful World"	Safe
11	Crystal Bowersox	"Hand in My Pocket"	Safe		Casey James	"Heaven"	Safe
12	Katie Stevens	"Feeling Good"	Safe		Andrew Garcia	"Sugar, We're Goin Down"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
1.1	Top 24	"American Boy"
1.2	Allison Iraheta	"Scars"
1.3	Kris Allen	"Let It Be"

Top 20

Order	Males (2 March)				Females (3 March)
	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result		Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Michael Lynche	"It's a Man's Man's Man's World"	Safe		Crystal Bowersox	"Long As I Can See the Light"	Safe
2	John Park	"Gravity"	Eliminated		Haeley Vaughn	"The Climb"	Eliminated
3	Casey James	"I Don't Want to Be"	Safe		Lacey Brown	"Kiss Me"	Safe
4	Alex Lambert	"Everybody Knows"	Safe		Katie Stevens	"Put Your Records On"	Safe
5	Todrick Hall	"What's Love Got to Do with It"	Safe		Didi Benami	"Lean on Me"	Safe
6	Jermaine Sellers	"What's Going On"	Eliminated		Michelle Delamor	"With Arms Wide Open"	Eliminated
7	Andrew Garcia	"You Give Me Something"	Safe		Lilly Scott	"A Change Is Gonna Come"	Safe
8	Aaron Kelly	"My Girl"	Safe		Katelyn Epperly	"The Scientist"	Safe
9	Tim Urban	"Come On Get Higher"	Safe		Paige Miles	"Walk Away"	Safe
10	Lee DeWyze	"Lips of an Angel"	Safe		Siobhan Magnus	"Think"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
2.1	Top 20	"I Gotta Feeling"
2.2	Danny Gokey	"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me"

Top 16

Order	Females (9 March)				Males (10 March)
	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result		Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Katie Stevens	"Breakaway"	Advanced		Lee DeWyze	"Fireflies"	Advanced
2	Siobhan Magnus	"The House of the Rising Sun"	Advanced		Alex Lambert	"Trouble"	Eliminated
3	Lacey Brown	"The Story"	Advanced		Tim Urban	"Hallelujah"	Advanced
4	Katelyn Epperly	"I Feel the Earth Move"	Eliminated		Andrew Garcia	"Genie in a Bottle"	Advanced
5	Didi Benami	"Rhiannon"	Advanced		Casey James	"You'll Think of Me"	Advanced
6	Paige Miles	"Smile"	Advanced		Aaron Kelly	"I'm Already There"	Advanced
7	Crystal Bowersox	"Give Me One Reason"	Advanced		Todrick Hall	"Somebody to Love"	Eliminated
8	Lilly Scott	"I Fall to Pieces"	Eliminated		Michael Lynche	"This Woman's Work"	Advanced

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
3.1	Top 16	"Haven't Met You Yet"
3.1	Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre	"Tell Her About It"

Finalists

 

Lee DeWyze

Lee DeWyze (born April 2, 1986, in Mount Prospect, Illinois, 23 years at the start of the show) is from Mount Prospect, Illinois and auditioned in Chicago, Illinois with Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine. He performed The Fray's "You Found Me" during Hollywood week. Prior to his appearance on American Idol, he had worked in various jobs, including as a paint salesman and a trading floor clerk at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He also appeared as an actor in a short low-budget film 'Deadscapes: Broken Road.' When he was 17, he was signed to Wuli Records and had released two CDs – So I'm Told and Slumberland. He was declared the winner on May 26. He was signed to RCA Records after the competition and released an album Live It Up on November 16, 2010.

 

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal Bowersox (born August 4, 1985, in Elliston, Ohio, 24 years at the time of the show) is from Elliston, Ohio and auditioned in Chicago, Illinois with Erma Franklin's Piece of My Heart. She auditioned for Idol to try to make a better life for her son. Her Hollywood performance of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" impressed the judges and fellow contestants alike. She had performed as a singer from the age of 10 and moved to Chicago aged 17, frequently working as a busker at train stations there. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was six, and while on the show, she suffered diabetic complication and was hospitalized which resulted in the Top 20 performance nights for the male and female contestants being switched. She became the runner-up and was signed to Jive Records. Her debut album Farmer's Daughter was released on December 14, 2010.

 

Casey James

Casey James (born May 31, 1982, in Princeton, Texas, 27 years at the time of the show) is from Fort Worth, Texas and auditioned in Denver, Colorado with John Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room". He performed professionally after finishing school, but suffered a serious motorcycle accident when he was 21. He took his shirt off during audition after prompting from Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson, and Kara's interest in him became a recurring joke in the season. He is an accomplished guitarist and demonstrated his skill with his Hollywood round performance of Ray Charles's "I Don't Need No Doctor" and Top 20 performance of Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be." He had never previously watched the show before he auditioned. He was eliminated as a third-place finisher on May 19. He was signed to Sony Music Nashville after the show.

 

Michael Lynche

Michael Lynche (born May 31, 1983, 26 years at the time of the show) is from St. Petersburg, Florida auditioned in Orlando, Florida with Todd Duncan' "Unchained Melody". He worked as personal trainer prior to Idol. His is married and his daughter was born during Hollywood round, and the unfolding drama of his wife's labor was heavily featured during the Hollywood round where he performed John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". He was saved by the judges when he became the lowest vote-getter on April 7, 2010, but finally he was eliminated at fourth place on May 12.

 

Aaron Kelly

Aaron Kelly (born April 2, 1993, in Davenport, Florida, 16 years old at the start of the show) is from Sonestown, Pennsylvania and auditioned in Orlando, Florida as a winner from American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios. His audition song was Miley Cyrus's "The Climb", and performed Sarah McLachlan's "Angel" during the Hollywood rounds but forgot his words. He was adopted by his aunt and uncle at age 5. He had performed from a young age, and was a finalist on PAX-TV's America's Most Talented Kid at the age of 11. He was in 2010 the youngest American Idol contestant to reach Top 12. He was eliminated at fifth place on May 5.

 

Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan Magnus (born March 15, 1990, in Barnstable, Massachusetts, 19 years at the start of the show) is from Cape Cod, Massachusetts^[35] and auditioned in Boston, Massachusetts with Queen's "Love of My Life". Before Idol she performed as the lead vocalist of her band, Lunar Valve, and she worked as a glassblower in Hyannis, Massachusetts. She performed Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" in the Hollywood rounds. She was noted in the show for her ability to sustain a long high-pitched note. She was eliminated as sixth-placed finisher on April 28.

 

Tim Urban

Tim Urban (born May 1, 1989, in Tacoma, Washington, 20 years at the time of the show) is from Duncanville, Texas and auditioned in Dallas, Texas with Matt Nathanson's Bulletproof Week. He performed David Cook's Come Back To Me during the Hollywood round. He did not qualify initially for the semi-finals but was chosen as a replacement for Chris Golightly who was disqualified for having a prior record deal. He finished at seventh place on April 21.

 

Katie Stevens

Katie Stevens (born December 8, 1992, in Southbury, Connecticut, 17 years at the time of the show) is from Middlebury, Connecticut auditioned in Boston, Massachusetts with Glenn Miller's At Last. She looked after her Portuguese grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, and she is fluent in Portuguese. She performed Jean DuShon's "For Once in My Life" in the Hollywood rounds where Kara DioGuardi considered her a possible season's winner. She finished eighth place on April 14 in a double elimination, due to judges' save being used the previous week.

 

Andrew Garcia

Andrew Garcia (born October 8, 1985, in Moreno Valley, California, 24 years at the time of the show) auditioned in Los Angeles with Maroon 5's "Sunday Morning". He had a good sized following on YouTube prior to auditioning on Idol. He impressed the judges with his performance of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" during the Hollywood rounds, but failed to interest the judges in the later rounds. He was eliminated as joint eighth-place finishers together with Katie Stevens on April 14.

 

Didi Benami

Didi Benami (born October 25, 1986, in New York, 23 years at the time of the show) is from Knoxville, Tennessee and currently resides in Hollywood. She auditioned in Los Angeles, California with The Beatles' "Hey Jude". She was inspired to audition by her best friend who died in a traffic accident. She was notable during the Hollywood rounds for her performance of Kara DioGuardi-penned Katharine McPhee's song "Terrified." She finished tenth after being eliminated on March 31.

Paige Miles (born September 26, 1985, 24 years at the time of the show) is from Naples, Florida and auditioned in Dallas, Texas. She was eliminated in eleventh place on March 24, 2010. She performed Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City" in the Hollywood rounds which she considered her favorite moment prior the semi-final. Simon Cowell considered her to have the best voice among the girls.

Lacey Brown (born August 13, 1985, 24 years at the time of the show) is from Amarillo, Texas and auditioned in Orlando, Florida with Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow". She had previously made it to the Hollywood round in the eighth season of American Idol but lost out to Megan Joy at Top 50. Ryan Seacrest noted that her chilling performance of "What a Wonderful World" by Louie Armstrong had a major part in her advancing into the Top 24. She was the first finalist to be voted off on March 17.

Finals

There are 11 weeks of finals and 12 contestants compete and one finalist eliminated per week based on the American public's votes, except for one week on the Top 9 where it became a double elimination cumulating to the use of the Judges' Save which first introduced in the previous season.

Color key:

Contestant was saved by America's vote

Contestant was in the bottom three or two, but was saved by America's vote

Contestant was initially eliminated, but was saved by Judges' save

Contestant was eliminated

Contestant won the season

Contestant finished as the runner-up

Contestant finished in 3rd place

Top 12 – The Rolling Stones

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Michael Lynche	"Miss You"	Safe
2	Didi Benami	"Play with Fire"	Safe
3	Casey James	"It's All Over Now"	Safe
4	Lacey Brown	"Ruby Tuesday"	Eliminated
5	Andrew Garcia	"Gimme Shelter"	Safe
6	Katie Stevens	"Wild Horses"	Safe
7	Tim Urban	"Under My Thumb"	Bottom three
8	Siobhan Magnus	"Paint It, Black"	Safe
9	Lee DeWyze	"Beast of Burden"	Safe
10	Paige Miles	"Honky Tonk Women"	Bottom three
11	Aaron Kelly	"Angie"	Safe
12	Crystal Bowersox	"You Can't Always Get What You Want"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
1.1	David Cook	"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
1.2	Orianthi	"According to You"
1.3	Kesha feat. 3OH!3	"Blah Blah Blah"

Top 11 – Billboard Number 1 Hits

Teams performed a song which hit a number #1 song in the Billboard. Miley Cyrus served as the guest mentor this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Lee DeWyze	"The Letter"	Safe
2	Paige Miles	"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"	Eliminated
3	Tim Urban	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"	Bottom three
4	Aaron Kelly	"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"	Safe
5	Crystal Bowersox	"Me and Bobby McGee"	Safe
6	Michael Lynche	"When a Man Loves a Woman"	Safe
7	Andrew Garcia	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"	Safe
8	Katie Stevens	"Big Girls Don't Cry"	Bottom three
9	Casey James	"The Power of Love"	Safe
10	Didi Benami	"You're No Good"	Safe
11	Siobhan Magnus	"Superstition"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
2.1	Top 11	"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"
2.2	Miley Cyrus	"When I Look at You"
2.3	Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato	"Make a Wave"

Top 10 – R&B/Soul

Usher served as the guest mentor this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Siobhan Magnus	"Through the Fire"	Safe
2	Casey James	"Hold On, I'm A Comin'"	Safe
3	Michael Lynche	"Ready for Love"	Safe
4	Didi Benami	"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"	Eliminated
5	Tim Urban	"Sweet Love"	Bottom three
6	Andrew Garcia	"Forever"	Safe
7	Katie Stevens	"Chain of Fools"	Bottom three
8	Lee DeWyze	"Treat Her Like a Lady"	Safe
9	Crystal Bowersox	"Midnight Train to Georgia"	Safe
10	Aaron Kelly	"Ain't No Sunshine"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
3.1	Ruben Studdard	"Don't Make 'Em Like U No More"
3.2	Usher and will.i.am	"OMG"
3.3	Diddy-Dirty Money	"Hello Good Morning"

Top 9 (first week) – Lennon–McCartney Songbook

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Aaron Kelly	"The Long and Winding Road"	Bottom three
2	Katie Stevens	"Let It Be"	Safe
3	Andrew Garcia	"Can't Buy Me Love"	Bottom three
4	Michael Lynche	"Eleanor Rigby"	Judge's Save
5	Crystal Bowersox	"Come Together"	Safe
6	Tim Urban	"All My Loving"	Safe
7	Casey James	"Jealous Guy"	Safe
8	Siobhan Magnus	"Across the Universe"	Safe
9	Lee DeWyze	"Hey Jude"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
4.1	Top 9	Lennon–McCartney medley ("Here, There and Everywhere" / "Got to Get You into My Life" / "The Fool on the Hill" / "All You Need Is Love" / "She Loves You" / "The End")
4.2	Jason Derülo	"In My Head"
4.3	David Archuleta	"Imagine"
4.4	Rihanna with Nuno Bettencourt	"Rockstar 101"

Top 9 (second week) – Elvis Presley

American Idol last year's runner-up Adam Lambert served as the guest mentor this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Crystal Bowersox	"Saved"	Safe
2	Andrew Garcia	"Hound Dog"	Eliminated
3	Tim Urban	"Can't Help Falling in Love"	Safe
4	Lee DeWyze	"A Little Less Conversation"	Safe
5	Aaron Kelly	"Blue Suede Shoes"	Safe
6	Siobhan Magnus	"Suspicious Minds"	Safe
7	Michael Lynche	"In the Ghetto"	Safe
8	Katie Stevens	"Baby What You Want Me to Do"	Eliminated
9	Casey James	"Lawdy Miss Clawdy"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
5.1	Top 9	Elvis Presley medley ("Teddy Bear" / "Burning Love" / "Return to Sender" / "Viva Las Vegas")
5.2	Brooke White and Justin Gaston	"If I Can Dream"
5.3	Adam Lambert	"Whataya Want from Me"

Top 7 – Inspirational Songs

Alicia Keys served as the mentor for this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Casey James	"Don't Stop"	Bottom three
2	Lee DeWyze	"The Boxer"	Safe
3	Tim Urban	"Better Days"	Eliminated
4	Aaron Kelly	"I Believe I Can Fly"	Bottom three
5	Siobhan Magnus	"When You Believe"	Safe
6	Michael Lynche	"Hero"	Safe
7	Crystal Bowersox	"People Get Ready"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
6.1	Top 7	"Keeping the Dream Alive"
6.2	Alicia Keys	"Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" / "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down"
6.3	The Black Eyed Peas	"Rock That Body"
6.24	Carrie Underwood	"Change"
6.5	Elton John	"Your Song"
6.6	Mary J. Blige (featuring Randy Jackson, Orianthi, Travis Barker, Steve Vai and others)	"Stairway to Heaven"

Top 6 – Shania Twain

Contestants performed songs paying tribute to Shania Twain, who also served as the guest mentor this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Lee DeWyze	"You're Still the One"	Safe
2	Michael Lynche	"It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing"	Bottom three
3	Casey James	"Don't!"	Bottom three
4	Crystal Bowersox	"No One Needs to Know"	Safe
5	Aaron Kelly	"You've Got a Way"	Safe
6	Siobhan Magnus	"Any Man of Mine"	Eliminated

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
7.1	Rascal Flatts	"Unstoppable"
7.2	Sons of Sylvia	"Love Left to Lose"
7.3	Lady Antebellum	"Need You Now"
7.4	Shakira and Rascal Flatts	"Gypsy"

Top 5 – Frank Sinatra

Harry Connick, Jr. served as the guest mentor this week.

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Aaron Kelly	"Fly Me to the Moon"	Eliminated
2	Casey James	"Blue Skies"	Safe
3	Crystal Bowersox	"Summer Wind"	Safe
4	Michael Lynche	"The Way You Look Tonight"	Bottom two
5	Lee DeWyze	"That's Life"	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
8.1	Top 5	Frank Sinatra medley ("The Lady Is a Tramp" / "It Was a Very Good Year" / "I've Got the World on a String" / "Night and Day")
8.2		Harry Connick, Jr. medley ("We Are in Love" / "Come by Me" / "Hear Me in the Harmony")
8.3	Lady Gaga	"Bad Romance" / "Alejandro"
8.4	Harry Connick, Jr.	"And I Love Her"

Top 4 – Songs of the Cinema

Each contestant sang one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant. Jamie Foxx served as the guest mentor this week.

Contestant	Order	Solo song	Featured film	Order	Duet partner	Duet song	Featured film	Result
Lee DeWyze	1	"Kiss from a Rose"	Batman Forever	3	Crystal Bowersox	"Falling Slowly"	Once	Safe
Michael Lynche	2	"Will You Be There"	Free Willy	6	Casey James	"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"	Don Juan DeMarco	Eliminated
Casey James	4	"Mrs. Robinson"	The Graduate	6	Michael Lynche	"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"	Don Juan DeMarco	Safe
Crystal Bowersox	5	"I'm Alright"	Caddyshack	3	Lee DeWyze	"Falling Slowly"	Once	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
9.1	Fantasia	"Bittersweet"
9.2	Daughtry	"September"
9.3	Bon Jovi	"Superman Tonight"

Top 3 – Contestant's choice & Judges' choice

Each contestant sang two songs, one chosen by the contestant and another by the judges.

Contestant	Order	Contestant's choice	Order	Judges's choice	Chosen by	Result
Casey James	1	"OK, It's Alright with Me"	4	"Daughters"	Randy Jackson & Kara DioGuardi	Third place
Crystal Bowersox	2	"Come to My Window"	5	"Maybe I'm Amazed"	Ellen DeGeneres	Safe
Lee DeWyze	3	"Simple Man"	6	"Hallelujah"	Simon Cowell	Safe

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
10.1	Travis Garland	"Believe"
10.2	Justin Bieber	"U Smile" / "Baby"

Finale – Contestant's choice, Simon Fuller's choice & winner's single

Each contestant sang three songs, a song of their choice, a song chosen by the mentor Fuller, and one winner's single.

Contestant	Order	Contestant's choice	Order	Mentor's choice	Order	Winner's song	Result
Lee DeWyze	1	"The Boxer"	3	"Everybody Hurts"	5	"Beautiful Day"	Winner
Crystal Bowersox	2	"Me and Bobby McGee"	4	"Black Velvet"	6	"Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)"	Runner-Up

Non-competition performance

Order	Performers	Song
11a.1	Will Young	"Leave Right Now"
11b.1	Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly (Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb)	"How Deep Is Your Love"
11b.2	Michael Lynche (Michael McDonald)	"Takin' It to the Streets"
11b.3	Top 6 Females (Christina Aguilera)	"Beautiful" / "Fighter"
11b.4	Top 6 Males (Daryl Hall and John Oates)	"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" / "Maneater" / "You Make My Dreams"
11b.5	Crystal Bowersox (with Alanis Morissette)	"Ironic" / "You Oughta Know"
11b.6	Casey James (with Bret Michaels)	"Every Rose Has Its Thorn"
11b.7	Lee DeWyze (with Chicago)	"Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" / "If You Leave Me Now" / "25 or 6 to 4"
11b.8	Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox (with Joe Cocker)	"With a Little Help from My Friends"
11b.9	Alice Cooper	"School's Out"
11b.10	Kris Allen	"The Truth"
11b.11	Dane Cook	"Simon Said"
11b.12	Christina Aguilera	"You Lost Me"
11b.13	Carrie Underwood	"Undo It"
11b.14	Larry Platt William Hung	"Pants on the Ground"
11b.15	American Idol alumnus (including winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Taylor Hicks, Kris Allen minus David Cook)	"Together We Are One"
11b.16	Janet Jackson (with Top 12)	"Again" / "Nothing" / "Nasty"

Elimination chart

Color key:

  Female contestant

  Male contestant

  Winner

  Runner-up

  Not chosen by the public

  Saved by the public

  Saved by Judges' Save

  Bottom three/two

  Eliminated

Results per stage

Place	Contestant		Semi-finals (Top 24)			Top 12	Top 11	Top 10	Top 9^[a]		Top 7	Top 6	Top 5	Top 4	Top 3	Finale
			2/25	3/4	3/11	3/18	3/25	4/1	4/8	4/15	4/22	4/29	5/5	5/12	5/19	5/26
1		Lee DeWyze	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Winner
2		Crystal Bowersox	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Runner-up
3		Casey James	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Bottom three	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
4		Michael Lynche	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Judges' save^[a]	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Bottom two	Eliminated
5		Aaron Kelly	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Safe	Bottom three	Safe	Eliminated
6		Siobhan Magnus	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
7		Tim Urban	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Bottom three	Bottom three	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
8–9		Andrew Garcia	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Eliminated
		Katie Stevens	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Bottom three	Safe
10		Didi Benami	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
11		Paige Miles	Safe	Safe	Safe	Bottom three	Eliminated
12		Lacey Brown	Safe	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
13–16		Katelyn Epperly	Safe	Safe	Eliminated
		Todrick Hall	Safe	Safe
		Alex Lambert	Safe	Safe
		Lilly Scott	Safe	Safe
17–20		Michelle Delamor	Safe	Eliminated
		John Park	Safe
		Jermaine Sellers	Safe
		Haeley Vaughn	Safe
21–24		Tyler Grady	Eliminated
		Ashley Rodriguez
		Joe Muñoz
		Janell Wheeler

1. Due to the judges using their one 'Judges' Save' per season, in order to save Lynche, the 'Top 9' remained intact for another week.

Results night performances

Group songs

• Top 24: "American Boy" by Estelle
• Top 20: "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas
• Top 16: "Haven't Met You Yet" by Michael Bublé
• Top 12: None
• Top 11: "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!
• Top 10: None
• Top 9 (Part 1): Lennon–McCartney medley ("Here, There and Everywhere" / "Got to Get You into My Life" / "The Fool on the Hill" / "All You Need Is Love" / "She Loves You" / "The End" by The Beatles)
• Top 9 (Part 2): Elvis Presley medley ("Teddy Bear" / "Burning Love" / "Return to Sender" / "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis Presley)
• Top 7: "Keeping the Dream Alive"^[36] (The song was performed in part of Idol Gives Back by the Top 12)
• Top 6: None
• Top 5:
  • Frank Sinatra medley ("The Lady Is a Tramp" / "It Was a Very Good Year" / "I've Got the World on a String" / "Night and Day" by Frank Sinatra)
  • Harry Connick, Jr. medley ("We Are in Love" / "Come by Me" / "Hear Me in the Harmony" by Harry Connick, Jr.)
• Top 4: None
• Top 3: None
• Finale:
  • Top 12 feat. Alice Cooper: "School's Out" by Alice Cooper
  • Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly feat. Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb: "How Deep Is Your Love" by Bee Gees
  • Michael Lynche feat. Michael McDonald: "Takin' It to the Streets" by The Doobie Brothers
  • Top 6 Girls feat. Christina Aguilera: "Beautiful" / "Fighter"
  • Top 6 Boys feat. Daryl Hall and John Oates: "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", "You Make My Dreams" by Hall & Oates
  • Crystal Bowersox feat. Alanis Morissette: "Ironic" / "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
  • Casey James feat. Bret Michaels: "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison
  • Lee DeWyze feat. Chicago: "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?", "If You Leave Me Now" and "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago
  • Top 12 feat. Janet Jackson: "Again," "Nothing," and "Nasty" by Janet Jackson
  • Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox feat. Joe Cocker: "With a Little Help from My Friends" by The Beatles

Results show performances

Week	Performer(s)	Title	Hot 100 Reaction	Hot Digital Songs Reaction	Performance Type
Top 24	Allison Iraheta	"Scars"	failed to chart	—	live
	Kris Allen	"Let It Be"^[n 1]	63 (debut)	—	live
Top 20	Danny Gokey	"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me"	82 (debut)	63 (debut)	live
Top 16	Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre	"Tell Her About It"	no release	N/A	live
Top 12	David Cook	"Jumpin' Jack Flash"	failed to chart	—	live
	Orianthi	"According to You"	19(−1)	23(+9)	live
	Kesha feat. 3OH!3	"Blah Blah Blah"	15(+1)	10(−1)	pre-recorded
Top 11	Miley Cyrus	"When I Look at You"	25(+33)	12(+19)	live
	Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato	"Make a Wave"	fell off chart	—	live
Top 10	Ruben Studdard	"Don't Make 'Em Like U No More"	failed to chart	—	live
	Usher and will.i.am	"OMG"	14 (debut)	7 (debut)	pre-recorded
	Diddy-Dirty Money	"Hello Good Morning"	34 (debut)	17 (debut)	live
Top 9 (Week 1)	Jason Derülo	"In My Head" ("Whatcha Say" intro)	5(+4)	6(+5)	live
	David Archuleta	"Imagine"	no release	N/A	live
	Rihanna with Nuno Bettencourt	"Rockstar 101"	failed to chart	failed to chart	pre-recorded
Top 9 (Week 2)	Brooke White and Justin Gaston (from If I Can Dream)	"If I Can Dream"	failed to chart	failed to chart	live
	Adam Lambert	"Whataya Want from Me"	10(+13)	8(+21)	live
Top 7	Alicia Keys	"Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)" "Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down"	58(+25)	—	live
	The Black Eyed Peas	"Rock That Body"	unreleased	—	live
	Carrie Underwood	"Change"	68(debut)	51,000 (+ 2001%)	live
	Elton John	"Your Song"	no release	—	live
	Mary J. Blige (feat. Randy Jackson, Orianthi, Travis Barker, Steve Vai and others)	"Stairway to Heaven"	no release	—	live
Top 6	Rascal Flatts	"Unstoppable"	60(+6)	—	live
	Sons of Sylvia	"Love Left to Lose"	101 (debut)	—	pre-recorded
	Lady Antebellum	"Need You Now"	5(−1)	9(−1)	pre-recorded
	Shakira & Rascal Flatts	"Gypsy"	65 (debut)	48 (debut)	live
Top 5	Lady Gaga	"Alejandro" ("Bad Romance" intro)	11(+5)	9(+4)	pre-recorded
	Harry Connick, Jr.	"And I Love Her"	no release	—	live
Top 4	Fantasia	"Bittersweet"	failed to chart	—	live
	Daughtry	"September"	failed to chart	—	live
	Bon Jovi	"Superman Tonight"	failed to chart	—	live
Top 3	Travis Garland	"Believe"	failed to chart	—	live
	Justin Bieber	"U Smile" / "Baby"	38(no change)	24(+3)	pre-recorded
Finale	Will Young	"Leave Right Now"^[n 2]	81 (debut)	50 (debut)	live
	Alice Cooper	"School's Out"	ineligible to re-enter	ineligible to re-enter	live performance
	Kris Allen	"The Truth"	failed to chart	failed to chart	live
	Dane Cook	"Simon Said"	no release	no release	live
	Christina Aguilera	"You Lost Me"	no release	no release	live
	Carrie Underwood	"Undo It"	25(+34)	18(+43)	live
	Larry Platt feat. William Hung	"Pants on the Ground"	failed to re-enter	failed to re-enter	live
	American Idols^[n 3]	"Together We Are One"	no release	no release	live
	Janet Jackson	"Again"/"Nothing" / "Nasty"	ineligible to re-enter/ no release	ineligible to re-enter/failed to chart	live
"—" denotes no figure was available.

Controversies

Ethnic voting bias

Since the seventh season, the voting results are seemingly skewed towards white contestants, and critics believe that it was white female viewers who vote only for white male contestants. During top 20 week, all four eliminated contestants were non-white. This season had the fewest non-white finalists. This led to criticism of bias in favor of white contestants.^[37]

Chris Golightly

Chris Golightly was originally selected as semi-finalist. According to reports, Golightly was disqualified on February 17, 2010, after already being told he was in the top 24, over an old contract. The contract had expired by the time the top 24 began to tape, but they disqualified him because he was under contract at the time of the tryouts, in violation of Idol rules. He was later replaced by Tim Urban at the last minute of the last part of Hollywood Week.^[38] Golightly later appears on a Korean television show called Superstar K, a singing competition similar to the American Idol. In there, he tells that he also used to write songs for Korean singers, such as Jewelry, DBSK and ZE:A.^[39]

Semi-final eliminations

The semi-final eliminations of early favorites Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly and Lilly Scott before the Top 12 stunned bloggers and viewers. Michael Slezak of Entertainment Weekly stated, "So you'd think by season 9 — during the inconsequential semifinals, no less — it would be easy to brush off the bad judgment of speed-texting tweens, to process the way-too-early exits of Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly, and Alex Lambert...and move on...(S)o why do the ritual killings of the dreams of (three) indisputably flawed semifinalists feel like they’re part of something bigger, a shifting of the tectonic plates at the core of the Idol universe?"^[40]

Ryan Seacrest's Twitter post

Lacey Brown's elimination stirred up controversy after Ryan Seacrest tweeted the results before the elimination aired on the west coast.^[41] This caused anger among the fans of the show and as a result, the elimination show may have had lower ratings than usual.^[42][43]

Criticisms of Ryan Seacrest

Seacrest has been criticized by The Wrap and MSNBC Entertainment contributors for "critiquing the judges’ comments" and becoming more aggressive.^[44][45] Ratings for this season have dropped significantly compared to the prior two seasons^[46] leading to speculation that its run as the number one show on television may be coming to a close.^[47] Reasons for the decline have ranged from the smaller role and pending departure of Simon Cowell to the more unpredictable behavior of Ryan Seacrest.^[48]

It was also claimed that Crystal Bowersox had considered Ryan Seacrest to have betrayed her.^[49] After it was reported that she had doubts about staying on in the show but Ryan Seacrest had talked her out of it,^[50] her fellow contestant Katelyn Epperly revealed that Crystal texted: "I'm fine...betrayed by Seacrest!" in a text message to her. Crystal denied that she was planning to leave, and there was no evidence that Ryan Seacrest had leaked the information himself.

U.S. Nielsen ratings

This season of American Idol was the top show for the 2009–10 season of broadcast primetime shows. Its Tuesday and Wednesday episodes occupied the top two spots of the season. Viewership for the Tuesday episodes averaged 22.974 million, while the Wednesday episodes averaged 21.951 million.^[51]

Episode list

Show Episode^[3] Air date Rating Share rating/Share 18–49 Viewers (in millions) 1 "Boston Auditions" January 12, 2010 16.4 24 11.8/29 29.936^[52] 2 "Atlanta Auditions" January 13, 2010 14.9 23 10.1/27 26.393^[52] 3 "Chicago Auditions" January 19, 2010 14.3 22 10.1/27 26.384^[53] 4 "Orlando Auditions" January 20, 2010 14.6 23 9.9/27 26.854^[53] 5 "Los Angeles Auditions" January 26, 2010 13.5 21 9.0/24 24.452^[54] 6 "Dallas Auditions" January 27, 2010 13.4 22 9.5/24 25.710^[54] 7 "Denver Auditions" February 2, 2010 13.4 20 9.0/23 24.705^[55] 8 "Best of the Rest"^[56] February 3, 2010 11.9 19 7.8/21 20.999^[55] 9 "Hollywood Round, Part 1" February 9, 2010 15.1 22 10.1/26 27.892^[57] 10 "Hollywood Round, Part 2" February 10, 2010 13.6 21 9.5/23 25.172^[57] 11 "Hollywood Round, Part 3" February 16, 2010 13.1 20 9.2/22 23.922^[58] 12 "Hollywood Round, Part 4" February 17, 2010 10.6 16 7.0/17 18.629^[58] 13 "Top 12 Female Semifinalists Perform" February 23, 2010 13.4 20 9.0/22 24.213^[59] 14 "Top 12 Male Semifinalists Perform" February 24, 2010 12.9 20 8.7/22 22.959^[59] 15 "First Results Show" February 25, 2010 10.3 16 6.5/17 18.033^[59] 16 "Top 10 Male Semifinalists Perform" March 2, 2010 13.1 20 8.6/22 23.526^[60] 17 "Top 10 Female Semifinalists Perform" March 3, 2010 13.4 21 8.5 23.560^[60] 18 "Second Results Show" March 4, 2010 11.2 18 6.5 19.424^[60] 19 "Top 8 Female Semifinalists Perform" March 9, 2010 12.8 18 8.2 22.752^[61] 20 "Top 8 Male Semifinalists Perform" March 10, 2010 11.9 18 7.5/20 20.701^[61] 21 "Third Results Show/Top 12 Revealed" March 11, 2010 11.2 18 6.3 19.339^[61] 22 "Top 12 Finalists Perform" March 16, 2010 13.0 21 8.1/23 22.913^[62] 23 "Top 12 Results Show" March 17, 2010 11.8 20 6.8/20 20.510^[63] 24 "Top 11 Finalists Perform" March 23, 2010 13.5 21 8.4/23 24.211^[64] 25 "Top 11 Results Show" March 24, 2010 12.2 20 7.2/20 21.437^[65] 26 "Top 10 Finalists Perform" March 30, 2010 12.4 20 7.7/21 21.845^[66] 27 "Top 10 Results Show" March 31, 2010 11.7 19 6.7/19 20.492^[67] 28 "Top 9 Finalists Perform" April 6, 2010 11.9 19 7.3/20 20.836^[68] 29 "Top 9 Results Show" April 7, 2010 11.6 18 6.7/18 20.168^[69] 30 "Top 9 Finalists Perform Again" April 13, 2010 11.8 19 7.3/21 20.639^[70] 31 "Double Elimination Top 9 Results Show" April 14, 2010 12.1 20 6.8/19 21.018^[71] 32 "Top 7 Finalists Perform" April 20, 2010 11.0 18 6.9/20 19.669^[72] 33 "Top 7 Results Show/Idol Gives Back" April 21, 2010 10.6 18 5.9/17 18.824^[73] 34 "Top 6 Finalists Perform" April 27, 2010 11.0 17 6.9/20 19.417^[74] 35 "Top 6 Results Show" April 28, 2010 11.5 18 6.7/18 20.057^[75] 36 "Top 5 Finalists Perform" May 4, 2010 10.1 16 6.2/18 17.498^[76] 37 "Top 5 Results Show" May 5, 2010 11.3 18 6.5/18 19.580^[77] 38 "Top 4 Finalists Perform" May 11, 2010 10.7 17 6.8/18 19.167^[78] 39 "Top 4 Results Show" May 12, 2010 11.2 18 6.6/17 19.569^[79] 40 "Top 3 Finalists Perform" May 18, 2010 10.5 17 6.7/18 18.684^[80] 41 "Top 3 Results Show" May 19, 2010 11.1 18 6.1/16 19.003^[80] 42 "Top 2 Finalists Perform" May 25, 2010 11.2 18 6.7/19 20.072^[81] 43 "Winner Revealed" May 26, 2010 13.5 23 8.2/24 24.215^[81]

See also

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010

Notes

1. Kris Allen's rendition of "Let It Be" was made available on iTunes for download, with all proceeds going to Haiti charities.
2. Will Young performed at the end of the performance show on May 25, 2010.
3. The group that sang Delta Goodrem's "Together We Are One" consisted of many previous American Idol contestants, including winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Taylor Hicks, and Kris Allen.

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External links

• Official website
• American Idol (Season 9) at IMDb