Who are the Top 20 'Idol' Contestants of All Time?
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- January
- 10
What does it take to be one of the most significant “American Idol” contestants in history?
If you’re Kelly Clarkson, it’s the guts to subject your talent to an untested medium and defy expectation by becoming a pop superstar. If you’re Chris Daughtry, it’s the tenacity of overcoming a fourth-place finish to break album sales records. Or if you’re William Hung or Sanjaya Malakar, it’s the ability to be recognized—for all the wrong reasons—by millions of people who have never seen one minute of the show.
With Tuesday’s premiere of “Idol” looming, I gave myself the unenviable task of ranking the 20 most significant (read: “Top”) contestants in series history.
Mind you, this does not necessarily or exclusively mean most musically talented. Among the criteria I used to rate candidates were not only album sales, radio play and “Idol” performances; but also notable career moments, potential for longevity, and impact on pop culture, the show itself and the music industry. And when those indicators didn’t seem to be enough, I basically just trusted my gut. My list, my rules.
The Top 20 will unfold over five consecutive days on Remote Access starting tomorrow. In the meantime, check out the Honorable Mentions (Nos. 31-21) who didn’t make the cut after the break.
1/15 /08 UPDATE: Now that the entire list has been revealed, Nos. 1-31 are after the break.
Also see:
-No. 1: Kelly Clarkson
-No. 2: Carrie Underwood
-No. 3: Chris Daughtry
-No. 4: Jennifer Hudson
-No. 5: Sanjaya Malakar
-No. 6: William Hung
-No. 7: Clay Aiken
-No. 8: Fantasia Barrino
-No. 9: Blake Lewis
-No. 10: Tamyra Gray
-No. 11: Jordin Sparks
-No. 12: Melinda Doolittle
-No. 13: Bo Bice
-No. 14: Elliott Yamin
-No. 15: Ruben Studdard
-No. 16: Katharine McPhee
-No. 17: Taylor Hicks
-No. 18: Diana DeGarmo
-No. 19: Frenchie Davis
-No. 20: Lisa Leuschner
Honorable Mentions (Top “Idol” Contestants, Nos. 31-21):
21. Justin Guarini: Before Kelly Clarkson was Kelly Clarkson, she was just the girl who happened to finish that reality show with that curly-haired dude. Oh, and together they did that movie (that bombed)! Unfortunately for Guarini, “Idol” in its first season might have been too young and unestablished to allow runner-ups to be taken seriously. Proof? He couldn’t even crack the Top 20 of this list.
22. Kimberley Locke was solid in Season 2, but couldn’t convince America to break up the final throw-down that would be Ruben vs. Clay. She finished in third place and soon thereafter released the single “8th Wonder.” Locke also appeared on Vh1’s “Celebrity Fit Club,” on which she—and seemingly everyone else on the show—clashed with Dustin Diamond. The harsh words from the man who played Screech on “Saved By The Bell” might have served as motivation to Locke, who lost 27 pounds in 100 days.
23. Antonella Barba: Scandalous photos of her led to controversy and buzz, but neither could push her into the Top 12 of Season 6.
24. Corey Clark: More famous for his off-show antics than his off-key vocals, Clark was kicked off the show for allegedly lying about his criminal record. He then claimed he slept with judge Paula Abdul and that the judge repeatedly called him to offer him advice. Abdul vehemently denied the claims and was allowed to keep her job after an internal investigation.
25 and 26. Kenneth Briggs and Jonathan Jayne: “Idol” always flaunts its most bizarre auditions, but the show in Season 6 took serious heat from fans and the media, who bristled when judge Simon Cowell likened Briggs—who has Aarskog Syndrome that can cause facial abnormalities—to a “bush baby,” and teased Jayne, a former Special Olympics athlete, for his wardrobe. In an awkward P.R. move, the show gave Briggs and Jayne tongue-in-cheek “Golden Idol” awards during the Season 6 finale, but the damage had been done.
27. Kellie Pickler: OK, she’s now on the list. Let’s move on.
28. Nikko Smith: Apparently “Idol” voters only have room in their hearts for one child of a professional athlete (Jordin Sparks, daughter of former NFL player Phillippi Sparks). The son of Hall-of-Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith had nice vocals but couldn’t connect with voters.
29. Anwar Robinson: Sentimental favorite from Season 4.
30. Ryan Starr: Attractive Season 1 contestant probably better known for her stint on “Surreal Life” than any song she sang on “Idol.”
31. Mario Vasquez: Quit the show to pursue his music career options elsewhere. Whoops.
(Logo courtesy of FOX.)
This entry was posted
on Thursday, January 10th, 2008 at 6:15 pm by Chris Serico.
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Elliott Yamin was one of the best male vocalists Idol has ever had. He'd better be in your top 5.
Elliott Yamin sounds like a goat singing through a fan. Hate his voice! Hate!
I have to agree with Matt. Although, I don't hate his voice, I just don't care to listen to it.
Kelly Clarkson is my favorite. I love everything about her from her voice, to her presence, to her great personality.
You must be kidding… why is Jennifer Hudson not on this list… an Academy Award winner…
Kelly Clarkson doesn't even know enough to move the freakin microphone away from her mouth. I cannot tolerate singers like her! Note to performers: Do NOT breathe into the microphone!!
How could you leave out Latoya London? She was the best singer in season 3, and is starring in the touring version of "The Color Purple." Look her up on YouTube singing "All By Myself," it will blow you away!!
Bravo for your selection of Melinda Doolittle in your top-20 list. It's funny how soon we forget past seasons and this year, Cook, Archuleta, Johns and the rest made forgetting past years pretty easy. However, Melinda is a talent to be reckoned with for years to come. Until season 7 of Idol, early eliminations of top-performers became all too familiar, so we were pretty stoked to see the two best finally get to the end of it all. As for Melinda, she still stands as the most shocking elimination of all time on Idol. To see people like Sanjaya survive for even a minute, let alone 6+ weeks, baffles me. Melinda was far and away the best talent of season 6. We just hope the lag time between Idol and present day isn't too long a lapse to release a full length CD. We cover this and more on our site (http://www.melindadoolittle.com) and invite you to join us there. Lastly, Kudos to "skylights" who pointed out LaToya London. Latoya was another should-be finalist who departed the Idol stage far too soon. One day the voters will get it right on a more consistent basis!
REPOST AND CORRECTION OF OUR DOMAIN (below)
Bravo for your selection of Melinda Doolittle in your top-20 list. It's funny how soon we forget past seasons and this year, Cook, Archuleta, Johns and the rest made forgetting past years pretty easy. However, Melinda is a talent to be reckoned with for years to come. Until season 7 of Idol, early eliminations of top-performers became all too familiar, so we were pretty stoked to see the two best finally get to the end of it all. As for Melinda, she still stands as the most shocking elimination of all time on Idol. To see people like Sanjaya survive for even a minute, let alone 6+ weeks, baffles me. Melinda was far and away the best talent of season 6. We just hope the lag time between Idol and present day isn't too long a lapse to release a full length CD. We cover this and more on our site (http://www.melindadoolittleclub.com) and invite you to join us there. Lastly, Kudos to "skylights" who pointed out LaToya London. Latoya was another should-be finalist who departed the Idol stage far too soon. One day the voters will get it right on a more consistent basis!