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Top 20 'Idol' Contestants of All Time - 10: Tamyra Gray

January

Season 1 of “American Idol” wound up belonging to Kelly Clarkson, but the show’s history might have had to be rewritten had Nikki McKibbin not inexplicably outlasted the polished and camera-friendly Tamyra Gray along the way. (What’s a new reality TV show without a little controversy?)

Although her J Records album “The Dreamer”—which Gray wrote herself—didn’t fare so well, she has thrived in other facets of the entertainment industry. Other than Clarkson, who duetted with Gray on Clarkson’s album “Thankful,” Gray arguably has fared better than any Season 1 alum.

She’s had five years of steady acting work. On Broadway, she’s been cast in “Bombay Dreams” and “Rent”; on the silver screen, she’s appeared in “The Gospel” and landed a role in the upcoming Anne Hathaway film “Dancing With Shiva”; and on TV, she impressed music and TV critics alike with her recurring role on Fox’s “Boston Public.” The wife of Color Me Badd singer Sam Watters still has a hand in the music business, too, with songwriting credits for Fantasia Barrino’s “I Believe” and multiple tracks that appear on Jessica Simpson’s album “A Public Affair.”

One more reason why Gray earned a rank as high as No. 10: She was the first to prove that winning “American Idol” wasn’t a prerequisite to achieve lasting Hollywood success.

Also see:

– Top 20 ‘Idol’ Contestants of All Time – Epilogue
-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. 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
-Top 20 intro and criteria/Honorable Mentions (Nos. 21-31)
(Photo: BuddyTV.)

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 1:00 pm by Chris Serico.
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