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The best 'American Idol' contestants of all time, ranked — according to your votes

It's been 20 years since the beginning of American Idol.

Since the show debuted in 2002, judges and formats have come and gone. After a hiatus, it moved from Fox to ABC in 2018, where it has been mostly ignored ever since. (On May 22, the show, now judged by Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan — along with all the people who still vote — crowned Noah Thompson, a country singer from Kentucky, as its 20th winner.)

But there was a time when you couldn't get away from it — and it made people stars.

NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast asked listeners to vote for the top American Idol contestants ever. Here are the top 15.

15. Elliott Yamin

3rd place, Season 5, 2006

Elliott Yamin performs during the <em>American Idol</em> Season 5 finale on May 24, 2006.
Vince Bucci / Getty Images
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Elliott Yamin performs during the American Idol Season 5 finale on May 24, 2006.

Yamin was not somebody who slid into an easy category the way a country singer or a pop diva might. His strong vocals were beautiful and heartfelt, a little bit retro, a little bit soulful. It wasn't obvious exactly what kind of star he might be. But he remains a guy whose Idol performances are a pleasure to watch again. If you could only watch one of the many moments when bloated Idol finales united singers with people they admired to perform duets, you could do a lot worse than Elliott's appearance with Mary J. Blige, which he quite understandably treated as the most exciting thing happening in the world at that moment.

14. Kris Allen

Winner, Season 8, 2009

Kris Allen speaks to a crowd of fans while performing in Little Rock, Ark., while he was an <em>American Idol</em> finalist in 2009.
Mike Wintroath / AP
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AP
Kris Allen speaks to a crowd of fans while performing in Little Rock, Ark., while he was an American Idol finalist in 2009.

You know the feeling you have when you go into a coffee shop, and it's familiar, and you know you're not going to get anything particularly exciting, but you're probably going to get what you want and it will probably be solid and you'll feel a little bit better and then you'll leave and in 15 minutes you'll forget the name of the coffee place even though you'll feel willing to recommend it to somebody who asks if there's a coffee place nearby? Kris Allen is that feeling, but a person.

13. Melinda Doolittle

Third place, Season 6, 2007

Melinda Doolittle performs during the season finale of <em>American Idol</em> in May 2007.
Matt Sayles / AP Images for FOX
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AP Images for FOX
Melinda Doolittle performs during the season finale of American Idol in May 2007.

One of the wonderful things about Idol fandom is that there are people who have remained in the hearts of a lot of their original voters, even if their time in the sun hasn't been as consistent or as lasting as, say, Carrie Underwood's. Melinda Doolittle is, and always was, a very talented vocalist who came in third in the sixth season behind Jordin Sparks and the "beatboxing"(-ish) Blake Lewis. She's kept working, and although she didn't go on to have a string of hits like some, she's got a beautiful voice that has every reason to be remembered years later.

12. Jordin Sparks

Winner, Season 6, 2007

Jordin Sparks performs moments after she is named the American Idol in 2007.
Matt Sayles / AP Images for FOX
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AP Images for FOX
Jordin Sparks performs moments after she is named the American Idol in 2007.

After winning Idol, Jordin Sparks has had some big successes, including the single "No Air," which she performed with Chris Brown. (Sigh.) She's also done some acting, both on Broadway and in films including Sparkle. A great talent and just 17 when she took the crown, Sparks was Idol's youngest winner ever. It's a credit to her and the people around her that she's done so well having gotten into such a pressure cooker so young. She returned to Idol recently to duet with Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard to perform "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)," and you know what? They were terrific.

11. Katharine McPhee

Runner-up, Season 5, 2006

<em>American Idol</em> finalist Katharine McPhee and host Ryan Seacrest during the Season 5 final performances in 2006.
Vince Bucci / Getty Images
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Getty Images
American Idol finalist Katharine McPhee and host Ryan Seacrest during the Season 5 final performances in 2006.

McPhee was the runner-up in Season 5, losing to dad-rocker Taylor Hicks. She flourished nonetheless, acting in The Bunny House before co-starring in the TV cult hit Smash, in which she played an up-and-coming Broadway star. In real life, she also ended up on Broadway for a while, in Waitress. Now married to super-producer David Foster, it's safe to say Kat has done pretty well, win or no win.

10. David Archuleta

Runner-up, Season 7, 2008

<em>American Idol</em> 2008 runner-up David Archuleta during MTV's <em>TRL</em> in May 2008.
Bryan Bedder / Getty Images
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American Idol 2008 runner-up David Archuleta during MTV's TRL in May 2008.

Archuleta was a pretty powerful singer who lost to David Cook in the finals after spending most of the season being marketed to viewers as a very sweet little bunny rabbit. He went on to have a recording career including the single "Crush," and he's part of the honorable society of people who came in second in their seasons and made that supposed loss into a decent career nonetheless.

9. Haley Reinhart

Third place, Season 10, 2011

Haley Reinhart performs during the homecoming for <em>American Idol </em>Season 10 in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Daniel Boczarski / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Haley Reinhart performs during the homecoming for American Idol Season 10 in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Here's an interesting statistic: Haley, who comes from Season 10, is the most recent contestant to make our top 15. And once you've heard her slightly gravelly voice, you don't have to know that she actually sang "Rolling in the Deep" to guess that she was hot on Idol around the same time Adele was gaining prominence and becoming a star. Her bluesy rasp didn't quite get her to the top, but she continues to appear on lists of people's favorite Idol performers and performances.

8. Chris Daughtry

Fourth place, Season 5, 2006

Chris Daughtry performs during the <em>American Idol</em> Season 5 finale in 2006.
Vince Bucci / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Chris Daughtry performs during the American Idol Season 5 finale in 2006.

Idol didn't always know what to do with rock dudes. Even when they were good at it, like Daughtry was, they rarely got the kind of air under their wings with voters that accrued to country or acoustic pop artists like Kris Allen or Scotty McCreery. But it was a salable kind of music in the early aughts, this post-Creed kinda-grungy thing, and Daughtry has been quite a survivor for a guy who finished fourth. How much of a survivor? In 2019, he came in second on The Masked Singer, where he appeared as Rottweiler.

7. David Cook

Winner, Season 7, 2008

David Cook during a homecoming celebration at Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs, Mo., in 2008, before he was crowned American Idol.
Charlie Riedel / AP
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AP
David Cook during a homecoming celebration at Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs, Mo., in 2008, before he was crowned American Idol.

Cook was the first of the five consecutive "white guy with guitar" winners, but he leaned toward the rocker side rather than the folk/pop side. Gentle enough not to frighten the horses, but edgy enough to seem more interesting than some of his rivals, Cook beat out the very sweet stylings of young David Archuleta. He then went on to put out records and — as is the case with many of his fellow contestants — appear on Broadway, in his case playing the lead in Kinky Boots.

6. Clay Aiken

Runner-up, Season 2, 2003

Clay Aiken performs at the broadcast of the <em>American Idol</em> final competition in May 2003.
Vince Bucci / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Clay Aiken performs at the broadcast of the American Idol final competition in May 2003.

A skilled vocalist whose following remains devoted to this day, Aiken released a bunch of albums, including a holiday record that did very well. On top of that, since his days bickering with Simon Cowell, he's done everything from Spamalot on Broadway to The Celebrity Apprentice to politics (he ran for Congress twice!). There are a good number of Idol contestants who finished second but made fine careers for themselves, and he's one of their leaders. Ruben Studdard beat Clay in the finals, but Clay is still out there singing his heart out now and then.

5. Fantasia Barrino

Winner, Season 3, 2004

Fantasia Barrino performs onstage at the <em>American Idol</em> finale in 2004.
Frank Micelotta / Getty Images
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Fantasia Barrino performs onstage at the American Idol finale in 2004.

Undoubtedly one of Idol's most technically gifted winners, Fantasia has gone on to success on Broadway. She wrote a memoir and then starred in its screen adaptation! She may not have gotten the respect she deserved from the audience in some weeks — she was part of the shameful moment in Barry Manilow week (!!) when they revealed that America's votes created an indefensible bottom three consisting of Fantasia, LaToya London and a woman you may have heard of named Jennifer Freaking Hudson. (Hudson was eliminated.) But she's had plenty of chances to get sweet revenge on any doubters, and she's reportedly set to reprise her Broadway role of Celie in the movie adaptation of the musical The Color Purple.

4. Carrie Underwood

Winner, Season 4, 2005

Carrie Underwood reacts after winning <em>American Idol</em> during the live finale in 2005.
Kevork Djansezian / AP
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AP
Carrie Underwood reacts after winning American Idol during the live finale in 2005.

A powerhouse singer whose only drawback seemed to be that she was maybe a little too polished, Carrie Underwood won the fourth season and has since grown into a country music superstar. She now has plenty of fans who likely don't even know she came from Idol. With hits like "Before He Cheats," she's made a place for herself on top of the charts in a tough sector for women, and she's still going strong.

3. Jennifer Hudson

Seventh place, Season 3, 2004

Jennifer Hudson accepts the award for best supporting actress for her work in <em>Dreamgirls</em> during the 2007 Critics' Choice Awards.
Kevork Djansezian / AP
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AP
Jennifer Hudson accepts the award for best supporting actress for her work in Dreamgirls during the 2007 Critics' Choice Awards.

Idol can point to some successes. But it also has made some embarrassing mistakes, including the seventh-place finish of future Oscar- and Grammy- (and Daytime Emmy-) winning artist Jennifer Hudson. It's a whiff up there with the famous comment about Fred Astaire: "Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little."

Now that J.Hud has her Tony and is an EGOT, her victory over Simon Cowell and his catty comments about her appearance — and her smiting of everyone who didn't vote for her — is complete.

2. Adam Lambert

Runner-up, Season 8, 2009

Adam Lambert (left) and Paul Stanley of the band Kiss perform during the season finale of <em>American Idol</em> in 2009.
Evans Vestal Ward / AP Images for Fox
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AP Images for Fox
Adam Lambert (left) and Paul Stanley of the band Kiss perform during the season finale of American Idol in 2009.

Lambert was an acrobatic vocalist and a throwback to glam rock. After finishing second to Kris Allen — who was part of the string of winners who were so-called "white guys with guitars" — he wound up performing with Queen, a remarkable endorsement of his style from some of the guys who inspired it. Maybe he wasn't everybody's cup of tea, but he's had genuine industry success and has clearly impressed a lot of the people who mattered to him the most. What's not to like about that?

1. Kelly Clarkson

Winner, Season 1, 2002

Kelly Clarkson performs on <em>American Idol</em> in September 2002.
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
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Kelly Clarkson performs on American Idol in September 2002.

The original winner and our champ, Clarkson beat out Justin Guarini to win Idol's first season. Sure, there were bumps like the movie From Justin To Kelly, but after the show, she turned out legitimately terrific pop hits like "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes."

Now, she's a daytime talk show host with a devoted following and a place she can still sing whenever she wants. She is what Idol originally said it would find: a pop star.


Listen to Pop Culture Happy Hour on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Linda Holmes is a pop culture correspondent for NPR and the host of Pop Culture Happy Hour. She began her professional life as an attorney. In time, however, her affection for writing, popular culture, and the online universe eclipsed her legal ambitions. She shoved her law degree in the back of the closet, gave its living room space to DVD sets of The Wire, and never looked back.