District 97
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The sixth season of '' American Idol'' premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell,
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...
, and
Randy Jackson Randall Darius Jackson (born June 23, 1956) is an American record executive and television presenter, perhaps best known as a judge on ''American Idol'' from 2002 to 2013. Jackson began his career in the 1980s as a session musician playing bas ...
returned to judge once again, and
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
returned as host. A new record of 74 million votes were cast in the finale round, and a new record of 609 million votes were cast in the entire season (the seasonal total record was surpassed by the tenth season and the finale vote record was broken by the eleventh season). Jordin Sparks won the competition with Blake Lewis as the first runner-up and Melinda Doolittle finishing third. Jordin Sparks is also the youngest winner of the competition, winning at age 17, as well as the first winner from outside the Southern United States. Sparks remained the last female winner until the twelfth season.


Regional auditions

The Auditions were held in the following cities: Auditioning contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on August 6, 2006 (born between August 7, 1977 and August 6, 1990). Guest judges were used for audition this season. Guest judges – Jewel – Minneapolis audition Carole Bayer Sager – New York audition Olivia Newton-John – Los Angeles audition Many of the people who auditioned had trouble with the double doors, with many often going towards the wrong door on their way out; this was spoofed by ''Idol'' later in the season with "audition footage" featuring Tony Bennett. This did not seem to be a problem for the seventh season as both doors were accessible. An elderly man named Sherman Pore auditioned in Los Angeles this year after a successful petition drive to convince the producers to waive the age-limit rule so he can audition. He explained that he did it to ease the pain and suffering of his female companion who was dying of cancer, but had died shortly before he can audition before the judges. He later released an album for the benefit of cancer research. Another contestant that year was
Melissa Sgambelluri Melissa Sgambelluri (born 1983 in New York) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, most famous for her appearances on ''American Idol'' Season 6 as the "fountain girl". She was raised in the Capital District and now lives in New York City ...
, also known as "Fountain girl" for her appearance in the promo and opening sequence celebrating in a fountain after winning her golden ticket. Jordin Sparks, the eventual winner this season, failed to pass through her audition in Los Angeles, but later won an audition in Seattle as a reward for winning a local Fox-affiliate-sponsored contest called Arizona Idol.


Hollywood week

The
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
rounds of the audition process were held over four days in November 2006 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The first round consisted of each contestant singing one song a capella of their own choosing in front of the judges and all the other contestants of the same gender. Contestants were then told whether they were moving on or going home, in groups of six. This extended over the first two days, first females, then males. The second round took place on the second and third day, and consisted of groups of three or four contestants choosing, rehearsing, and then performing one of nine pre-selected songs. Groups were reviewed and contestants were then judged individually as to whether they were moving on or going home. The third round took place on the fourth day, and consisted of individual contestants performing a song from a pre-selected list, accompanied by a piano and backup singers. Contestants were again informed of whether they had made the cut or not.


Green mile

The final pre-audience voting cut down took place at the
Pasadena Civic Center The Pasadena Civic Center District is the civic center of and a historic district in Pasadena, California. The district is roughly bounded by Walnut and Green Streets and Raymond and Euclid Avenues. History Construction on the buildings in the ...
on January 14 or 15, 2007, just before the regional audition shows began airing. Without any further auditioning, but possibly with some audience research having taken place, the 40 remaining contestants were reduced to 24. In a process taking a whole day, contestants waited in a sitting room until one by one, they went up an elevator and took a long walk to the other end of the Center's Gold Room. Then the three judges told them whether they have made it onto the stage show or are cut. Those cut at this phase included the "fountain girl" in the opening credits,
Melissa Sgambelluri Melissa Sgambelluri (born 1983 in New York) is an American actress, dancer, and singer, most famous for her appearances on ''American Idol'' Season 6 as the "fountain girl". She was raised in the Capital District and now lives in New York City ...
. The 24 semifinalists were announced February 14, 2007.


Semifinals

The semifinals began on February 20. There were three shows each week for the three weeks of the semifinals. The February 20 through May 16 shows originated from
CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is an American television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. Designed by architect William Pereira and Ch ...
in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
. The live show portion of the semifinals began on February 20, 2007, with the names announced on February 14, 2007. Starting with 12 women and 12 men, the women and men perform on weekly separate shows and on the result shows, and the bottom two contestants each night are eliminated from the competition. The semifinals 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.


Semifinalists

Females *Sabrina Sloan (born October 31, 1979) is originally from
Mission Viejo, California Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...
but now calls Studio City, California her home. Sloan toured the United States as part of the Broadway musical '' Hairspray'' under her maiden name, Sabrina Scherff. She earned her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in Musical Theatre and Communication Studies. She was later signed to a recording contract with Universal Music Group, as part of a duet with Sundance Head. She was also part of the First National Tour cast with another Broadway musical, '' In The Heights''. * Antonella Barba (born November 26, 1986) auditioned with her best friend Amanda Coluccio and made it to Hollywood. An undergraduate at The Catholic University of America, she is originally from Point Pleasant, New Jersey. She made it to Round 3 with Coluccio and both passed the group round (although their third member, Baylie Brown, did not). Coluccio was eliminated in the cut for the top 40. While Barba appeared on the show, racy photographs of her emerged, including photographs of Barba topless along with other women on a beach. A full segment concerning the controversy on multiple episodes of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann (as recent as March 2007). Photos of Barba posing in a wet T-shirt in the fountain of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. also surfaced; however, Barba's friend Coluccio has stated that the sexually explicit photos were fake. Barba is currently a non-partisan spokesperson for ElectionMall's Voter Space. *Leslie Hunt (born March 23, 1982) is from Chicago, who was featured in an ''American Idol'' commercial before Season 6 started. She is a self-described indie rocker. She suffers from the autoimmune disease
lupus Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Comm ...
. She is currently the lead singer for progressive rock band District 97. *Alaina Alexander (born July 21, 1982) auditioned in Los Angeles. She is from West Hollywood, California. Before her ''American Idol 6'' audition, Alexander revealed that after struggling for six years to make it in the music business in Los Angeles she had decided she was not going to sing anymore and had decided to go to college instead. She considered ''American Idol'' to be her last chance to pursue a singing career. For her Los Angeles audition, Alexander sang "Feeling Good" by Michael Bublé. *Nicole Tranquillo (born August 13, 1985) is from Wernersville, Pennsylvania. She gained a vocal major at the University of the Arts. She auditioned in Memphis. *Amy Krebs (born May 2, 1984) is from Federal Way, Washington. She is fluent in German. She auditioned in Seattle. Males * Jason "Sundance" Head (born July 9, 1978) auditioned in Memphis and lives in Porter, Texas. He is the son of Roy Head, who had a number-two single with "Treat Her Right" in 1965; the song was second on the charts to The Beatles, which Jason said made his dad dislike them. He sang the classic hit " Stormy Monday". He later became a contestant on NBC's eleventh season of '' The Voice'' and won the competition as a member of Team Blake. *
Jared Cotter Jared Lincoln Cotter (born June 17, 1981) is an American pop/ R&B singer, songwriter and model. He has hosted a number of TV shows, and he co-wrote the number 1 song " Down" by Jay Sean.
(born June 17, 1981) is from Kew Gardens, New York (listed as
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
on the show) and attended Newfield High School. He auditioned in New York City. Cotter played basketball in college, but quit to start his music career. His rendition of "Let's Get It On" dedicated to his parents was named one of VH1's most memorable reality moments. Cotter also worked with singer-songwriter Jay Sean, featuring in the album '' My Own Way'' and co-writing the Billboard number one song "
Down Down most often refers to: * Down, the relative direction opposed to up * Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place * Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing * Downland, a ty ...
". *Adrian Joseph "A.J." Tabaldo (born January 3, 1986) auditioned in Los Angeles and is from Santa Maria, California. Tabaldo is half-Filipino and half-Portuguese, and auditioned for ''American Idol'' five times. *Nicholas "Nick" Pedro (born July 9, 1981) auditioned in New York and is from Taunton, Massachusetts. Pedro dropped out of the competition the previous season after forgetting the lyrics of "Buttercup" in Hollywood. This audition, he gave a soulful rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" which earned him a second chance to fulfill his ''Idol'' aspirations. Nick's feat seemed especially noteworthy as, unlike all other contestants making it this far, Nick received no experience ever onstage prior to Idol. *Rudy Cardenas (born April 3, 1978) auditioned in Seattle and is from North Hollywood, California. Originally from Venezuela, he is part of a Los Angeles-based band called M-Pact. In his audition, he sang Journey rock classic "Open Arms". Although Simon was unimpressed with his singing, Rudy made it to Hollywood with the support of the other two judges. In Hollywood, he sang "
How Deep Is Your Love How Deep Is Your Love or How Deep Is Your Love? may refer to: * How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees song), "How Deep Is Your Love" (Bee Gees song), 1977, covered by Take That * "How Deep Is Your Love" (Keith Sweat song), 1987 * How Deep Is Your Love ( ...
" together with Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, and Tom Lowe in group round. The judges were impressed by their vocals. *Paul Kim (born March 26, 1981) auditioned in Los Angeles. He is from Saratoga, California, and attended Monta Vista High School. Kim, being
Korean-American Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian Americans ...
, his motivation for auditioning was to alter the stereotypical Asian image that William Hung gave during the previous seasons. His performance received unanimous praise from the judges as Randy mentioned that Kim has one of the best male vocals he has heard this season. In contrast to their early praise, the judges mentioned when they put him through that Paul made it to the top 24 by "a split decision". He sang barefoot during all of his performances. He is also known as P. Keys.


Performances

Color key:


Top 24


Top 20


Top 16


Finalists

The 12 finalists were announced on March 8, 2007. As in past years, the top 12 will appear on the annual compilation album while the top 10 will be the participants in the ''American Idol'' summer concert tour. Also as in past years, one finalist was eliminated every week, with the exception of the April 25 show, when all contestants were declared safe. As a result, two of the participants were eliminated on the May 2, 2007 results program. The following is first in reverse chronological order by elimination date, then in alphabetical order by family name, where applicable.


Finals

There are 11 weeks of finals and 12 contestants compete and one finalist eliminated per week based on the American public's votes. The exception was on the Top 6 week, where the first week being non-elimination and the following week was a double-elimination. Color key:


Top 12 – Diana Ross

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
served as the guest mentor this week.


Top 11 – British Invasion

British singers Peter Noone and Lulu served as the guest mentors this week.


Top 10 – No Doubt/Songs That Inspired Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...
served as the guest mentor this week.


Top 9 – American Classics

Tony Bennett served as the guest mentor this week


Top 8 – Latin

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, who would go on to become a future judge of the show, served as the guest mentor this week.


Top 7 – Country

Martina McBride served as the guest mentor this week.


Top 6 (first week) – Inspirational Songs (Idol Gives Back)

Owning to a special theme week, ''Idol'' Gives Back, Seacrest announced that the week was a non-elimination, and that the votes cast for this week will be rolled over to the following week's performances.


Top 6 (second week) – Bon Jovi

With the previous week's being non-elimination, votes were accumulative on both last week and this week shows and the two contestants receiving the two fewest count of votes at the end of this round were eliminated.
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
and David Bryan served as guest mentors this week.


Top 4 – Barry Gibb

For the first time this season, contestants performed two songs. Barry Gibb served as the guest mentor this week.


Top 3 – Judge's Choice, Producer's choice, Contestant's Choice

The contestants sang three songs determined by the judges, the producers, and themselves.


Top 2 – Contestant's Choice, Previous Song, Winner's single


Grand Finale

The Grand Finale of season 6 aired on May 23, 2007, live from the
Kodak Theatre The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
in Los Angeles. Jordin Sparks was announced as the winner at 10:05pm EDT (the show ran over its allotted time), with Blake Lewis as the runner-up. Guest performers included
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
, BeBe & CeCe Winans, Gladys Knight and Tony Bennett. Every past winner of ''Idol'' also performed, except for Fantasia Barrino who was appearing in '' The Color Purple'' in New York City. After
Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
performed " I'll Stand by You",
Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...
gave a speech extolling the state of "the ''American Idol'' album franchise", then presented Underwood with a special award for achieving 6 million U.S. album sales for her album '' Some Hearts''.


Performances

* Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks sang " I Saw Her Standing There". *
Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...
sang "
4 in the Morning "4 in the Morning" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani from her second studio album ''The Sweet Escape'' (2006). It was written by Stefani and co-written and produced by Tony Kanal, with additional production by Mark "Spike" Stent. Inte ...
" via satellite. * Kelly Clarkson sang "
Never Again "Never again" is a phrase or slogan which is associated with the lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. The phrase may originate from a 1927 poem by Yitzhak Lamdan which stated "Never again shall Masada fall!" In the context of genocide ...
". *Top 6 male finalists sing " Ooo Baby Baby", then are joined by
Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...
for a medley of " Being with You" and " The Tears of a Clown". *Blake Lewis beatboxed with Doug E. Fresh, performing variations upon "The Show". *Top 6 female finalists sing " I Heard It Through the Grapevine", then are joined by Gladys Knight to sing a medley of "
I Feel a Song (In My Heart) "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)" is a song written by Tony Camillo and Mary Sawyer. The song was originally recorded by Sandra Richardson in 1971 Gladys Knight & the Pips recording In 1974, the song was recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips and was f ...
" and "
Midnight Train to Georgia "Midnight Train to Georgia" is a song by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records. Written by Jim Weatherly, and included on the Pips' 1973 LP ''Imagination'', "Midnight Train to Georgia" be ...
". * Tony Bennett sang " For Once in My Life". * Melinda Doolittle sang "Hold Up the Light" with BeBe and CeCe Winans, with whom she used to sing backup. *The 12 finalists sang " Time After Time" in a Ford music video which featured outtakes of the previous music videos. *
Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...
sang her charity single " I'll Stand by You". *The
African Children's Choir The African Children's Choir is a large choir made up of children ages 7 to 12 from several African nations. Since its inception, the choir has included children from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana. Many of the chil ...
performed. *
Sanjaya Malakar Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (born September 10, 1989) is an American singer, who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite bei ...
performed " You Really Got Me" with Joe Perry of
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
as well as an appearance by "The Crying Girl", Ashley Ferl. *
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
performed their charity single " Working Class Hero". * Taylor Hicks sang " Heaven Knows". * Ruben Studdard, with Jordin Sparks, sang " You're All I Need to Get By". *
Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...
sang " Wind Beneath My Wings". *An ensemble tribute to ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
'' with the past ''Idol'' winners as well as the top 12. Included were portions of "
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Released on 26May 1967, ''Sgt. Pepper'' is regarded by musicologists as an early concept album that advanced the roles of sound composi ...
" featuring Kelly Clarkson and Joe Perry, " A Day in the Life" featuring Taylor Hicks, " She's Leaving Home" featuring Carrie Underwood, " Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" featuring Ruben Studdard, and " With a Little Help from My Friends" from the top 12. *Jordin Sparks performed the songwriter contest winning single "
This Is My Now "This Is My Now" is a song written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne. It is Jordin Sparks's first single. The top two finalists of the season 6 finale of American Idol, (Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks), sang it during the May 22 and May 23, 2007 f ...
" after the announcement of her victory.


Elimination chart

Color key:


''American Idol'' songwriter contest

On the April 3, 2007 show,
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
announced the first American Idol Songwriter: a songwriting contest. Following an open online submission process where over 25,000 submissions were received, twenty songs were selected for competition by Simon Fuller and A&R representatives of his
19 Entertainment 19 Entertainment is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced ''Pop Idol'' in the United Kingdom with Thames Television in 2001. The ''Idol serie ...
. Beginning May 2, 2007 and ending May 8, 2007, with "one online vote per fan", the American public were able to listen to snippets from each song and rated them on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) on the American Idol Songwriter website. On the May 22, 2007 show, the two finalists performed the winning song, "
This Is My Now "This Is My Now" is a song written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne. It is Jordin Sparks's first single. The top two finalists of the season 6 finale of American Idol, (Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks), sang it during the May 22 and May 23, 2007 f ...
". The song was released as a single by Jordin Sparks, the winner of American Idol Season 6. The titles of the twenty songs are: *"Close to Me" – Michael Doane and AnneMarie Milazzo *"Forever Starts Today" – Erin Boheme and CJ Vanston *"If You Ask Me To" – Jennifer Hamady and Shedrick Mitchell *"I'm Going to Be Me" – Lane Lenhart *"In Your Eyes" – Colin Armstrong *"I Saw Stars" – Reed Waddle *"Lost (Without You)" – Cal Harris, Jr. *"Love Me till the Lonely's Gone" – Michael Patzig and Tracey Naples *"The Next Big Thing" – Ray Grant and Sam Sims *"One Night" – Kelley Hill *"Right Here with Me" – Kelli Trontell and Don Gatlin *"Secrets and Lies" – Drew Yowell and Byron Zanos *"Send Me on My Way" – Matthew Rogers and Scott Young *"Someday" – Nelson Kole *"This Is My Now" – Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne – Contest Winner *"Tonight" – Kelly Corsino *"Waking in a Dream" – R. J. Martinez and Stacy Hogan *"When You Need a Moment" – Christie Leigh *"With All the Love Your Heart Can Hold" – Robin Randall and Diana De Witt *"You Never Gave Up on Me" – Billy Aerts and Burton Collins


Controversies

*There was controversy surrounding the judges' comments over the audition of a Special Olympics participant named Jonathan Jayne. American Idol producer Ken Warwick responded saying that "It's not a conscious decision, It's just that the further we go in the series, there are less and less good singers, so the numbers are made up by more bad ones." Warwick said that he thinks everyone has the right to audition, and added that in some instances when there are singers with certain disabilities who just want to meet the judges, the producers will "turn the cameras off and bring them in. We give them a good experience." *A series of provocative photos surfaced on the Internet of Season 6 Top 24 Contestant Antonella Barba. *Teenager
Sanjaya Malakar Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (born September 10, 1989) is an American singer, who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite bei ...
was seen as the season's most polarizing and talked about American Idol contestant, as he continued to survive elimination for several weeks. The weblog
Vote for the Worst VoteForTheWorst.com (VFTW) was a website devoted to voting for the worst, most entertaining, most hated or quirkiest contestants on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Network television series ''American Idol'' as well as the NBC, NBC Network telev ...
and satellite radio personality Howard Stern both encouraged fans to vote for Sanjaya. However, on April 18, after over 38 million votes, Sanjaya was voted off. *On Tuesday, April 17, 2007, the day after the Virginia Tech massacre, in which a student named Seung-Hui Cho used guns to kill 32 students and professors before committing suicide, while contestant Chris Richardson and
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
were discussing the shooting after Chris's critique, Simon Cowell apparently appeared to be rolling his eyes at the incident, when he was actually speaking to
Paula Abdul Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreograph ...
and did not hear what Chris had said. On the results show the next day, Cowell stated: "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never, ever, ever, disrespect those families or those victims, and I felt it was important to set the record straight." To clear Cowell's name, a video was shown on the result show which showed Cowell and Abdul talking with an inset of Chris and Seacrest discussing the shooting. Also, Seacrest began the performance show by acknowledging what had happened the day before. * Fans and critics alike were stunned at Melinda Doolittle's departure. Simon Cowell admitted that the sixth season's crown should have rightfully gone to Melinda. Executive producer Nigel Lythgoe responded, noting that " 'Idol'' producerswere so engrossed with the mentors and didn't really focus on the Melinda Doolittles of the show." *During the finale, the show went over its scheduled 2-hour time limit and ended at 10:09 PM EST; the previous two seasons' finales also ran over time. As a result, many users who recorded the program on DVRs reported that as recordings of the broadcast concluded at the program's scheduled end time of 10:00PM, they missed the announcement of the winner. Fox executives issued an apology, and a TiVo spokesperson advised users to "pad" recordings of live broadcasts by adding several minutes of extra recording time "as insurance".


Reception


U.S. Nielsen ratings

Live + same day ratings ''American Idol'' ended the season as the top show of the 2006–2007 TV season. Its Wednesday episodes ranked first with an average of 30.02 million viewers, followed by the Tuesday episodes which averaged 29.54 million. The premiere episode became the series' highest rated debut episode, viewed by 37.44 million viewers and receiving a 15.8/36 Nielsen rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic. Live + 7 day (DVR) ratings


Critical response


Awards and nominations


Related programming

American Idol Extra (season 2) ''
American Idol Extra ''American Idol Extra'' is a television show that was shown on the Fox Reality Channel and Star! and billed as "the show that picks up right where ''American Idol'' leaves off". The program featured the first full-length interview with the most ...
'', a behind-the-scenes show, also returned for a second season, corresponding with the start of the finals in March. It aired Thursdays on Fox Reality.
Idol Gives Back 2007 ''Idol Gives Back'' was the name of a charitable campaign that spanned two episodes of ''American Idol'' during its sixth season. A second ''Idol Gives Back'' concert and fundraiser occurred on April 9, 2008, during the seventh season of the ...
On the March 8, 2007 results show,
Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...
announced an initiative to give back to people in poverty in both Africa and the United States (including those affected by
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
). The event took place over two episodes of the series. For every vote cast immediately following the April 24, 2007 broadcast, many sponsors donated funds to the
Charity Projects Entertainment Fund Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) is a North American charity committed to fighting extreme poverty in the United States and Africa. It was founded in 2007 by Richard Curtis, Kevin Cahill and Simon Fuller. In April 2007 the fund teamed u ...
. The fund will distribute the money raised to many charities in the US as well as in Africa. News Corporation pledged to donate 10 cents for every vote made to the show for the first 50 million calls, that is, up to $5 million. MySpace created a special profile page for the event in order to spread the word. Donations from viewers were accepted by phone and website during the April 25, 2007 results show, in a manner similar to a telethon. Near the end of the broadcast, Seacrest announced the show raised 30 million US dollars, with the final tally coming on May 1, 2007. As of May 1, 2007, over $70 million has been raised as a result of Idol Gives Back. Between contestant performances, video vignettes showing the judges and Seacrest visiting and observing squalid conditions in Africa and the United States were aired. Similar vignettes were aired during the results show. For this special, the voting period was doubled to four hours following the show, rather than the usual two. In response to the anticipated call volume, each contestant was assigned two toll free numbers. Over 70 million votes were cast. The results show was broadcast from two locations—the regular American Idol stage and
Walt Disney Concert Hall The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, California, is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center and was designed by Frank Gehry. It was opened on October 24, 2003. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Ave ...
—and included many celebrity actors and personalities. The show also included numerous performers; for a full list of performances, see the main article. Ellen DeGeneres co-hosted the event from the Disney Hall stage. Proceeds from ticket sales benefited the fund. Videos of the results show's performances are available for purchase on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
, with proceeds going to charity. Due to the "charity" theme of the show, no contestant was eliminated on the April 25 results show. This was a surprise both to viewers, to whom Seacrest promised the "most shocking elimination ever", and to the contestants. When Ryan Seacrest was about to eliminate Jordin Sparks he said since it was a charity night none of the contestants were voted off, and the votes from that week were added to the votes from the following week to eliminate two singers. Both weeks saw a two-hour extension of the regular two-hour voting window, and in the end, the two-week combined voting totaled 135 million votes. Idol Chat (season 3) TV Guide Channel aired its third season of ''Idol Chat''. Idol Tonight (season 2) TV Guide Channel brought back a second season of ''Idol Tonight'', the live pre-show to ''American Idol'', which aired on Wednesdays starting in March. The show features former Idol runner-up Justin Guarini as a correspondent along with Kimberly Caldwell and
Rosanna Tavarez Rosanna Tavarez (born February 10, 1977) is an American singer, television host, dancer, and teacher. She rose to prominence in 2001 as a contestant on the American version of the reality television franchise ''Popstars''. As one of the show's fiv ...
.


International broadcasts

UK edition For the UK back-to-back repeat of the performance and results shows on the following Friday night on
ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...
, Cat Deeley presents additional sections preceding and following each commercial break, and follows the end of the show with a short interview with that week's eliminated contestant.


Music releases

Music releases Unlike previous seasons the top 12 compilation album did not come out while the show was airing. The top 12 recorded studio versions of each of the songs they sang on the show. The songs were available for purchase on AmericanIdol.com as digital downloads through the night of the finale. Sparks' and Lewis' songs (except Sparks' "Livin' on a Prayer") remained available on the Idol website and iTunes Store through June 20, 2007,. Originally, a collage of the finalists' head shots from the top 24 photo shoot was used as album art on AmericanIdol.com, with the title ''American Idol 6: Greatest Moments''; at present, the covers of Sparks' and Lewis' EPs are used instead. The '' American Idol: Season 6 – "Greatest Hits" & "The Collector's Edition"'' were eventually released on June 12, 2007 on iTunes/Americanidol.com. This is the only season that the season's collection is ''not'' distributed by
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
/ RCA Records. Sparks' first non-''American Idol'' single was the top hit (peaking at number eight) " Tattoo", which received platinum certification. Her second single was the Billboard Hot 100 number three hit " No Air" with Chris Brown. The song went to number one in several countries, and also topped Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. "No Air" had been certified platinum in April but recently passed the 3 million copies mark. It stands as the best-selling single by any Idol contestant. Sparks released a third single off her album, " One Step at a Time", which peaked at number 17. "One Step at a Time" has so far sold over a million copies and is certified platinum. Sparks released her second album Battlefield in July 2009. The album's title track became Jordin's fifth top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10. This makes Jordin Sparks the only ''American Idol'' contestant to have their first five singles become Top 20 Hits. Blake Lewis's first single was " Break Anotha!", which failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. His second single, " How Many Words", also failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 25 in the Bubbling Under chart (Hot 100 equivalent = 125). Shortly afterward, Lewis confirmed that he had been dropped by Arista records. His album sales are just over 300,000. The drop also canceled his apparent plans for a third single release. "
This Is My Now "This Is My Now" is a song written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne. It is Jordin Sparks's first single. The top two finalists of the season 6 finale of American Idol, (Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks), sang it during the May 22 and May 23, 2007 f ...
" as performed by Jordin Sparks was released as a radio single. It debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 15. On May 24, 2007, the winner Jordin Sparks and runner-up Blake Lewis released five-song EPs on iTunes Store; though only iTunes calls them "EPs", they are also available as "bundles" for the same price on AmericanIdol.com through June 20, 2007. Sparks' EP contained the winner's single, "
This Is My Now "This Is My Now" is a song written by Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne. It is Jordin Sparks's first single. The top two finalists of the season 6 finale of American Idol, (Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks), sang it during the May 22 and May 23, 2007 f ...
", as well as four songs she performed on ''Idol'': " I (Who Have Nothing)", " A Broken Wing", " To Love Somebody", and " Wishing on a Star". Lewis' EP did not contain "This Is My Now"; all of the tracks were songs he performed on the show: " You Give Love a Bad Name", " Time of the Season", " I Need to Know", " Love Song", and " When the Stars Go Blue". On June 12, 2007, Apple released five song EPs for the rest of the top 12 finalists ( Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones, Chris Richardson,
Phil Stacey Joel Philip Stacey (born January 21, 1978) is an American singer who first gained national attention on season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On ...
,
Sanjaya Malakar Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (born September 10, 1989) is an American singer, who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite bei ...
, Haley Scarnato, Gina Glocksen,
Chris Sligh Charles Christopher Sligh (born April 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol'', finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, wi ...
, Stephanie Edwards and Brandon Rogers) along with the compilation album as a collector's edition of the season's songs. Each of the songs are also available for individual purchase. Phil Stacey, tied for fifth place with Chris Richardson, is now signed to Lyric Street and has released his first single "If You Didn't Love Me". Richardson recently produced his first single, "All Alone". Tenth place finalist Chris Sligh recently released a Christian album after signing with Brash Music. Jordin Sparks *'' Jordin Sparks'' *'' Battlefield'' ( Jordin Sparks)'' Blake Lewis *'' A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)'' ( Blake Lewis) *''
Heartbreak on Vinyl ''Heartbreak on Vinyl'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Blake Lewis released on October 6, 2009 by Tommy Boy Records. A double LP pressed on red vinyl with only 500 copies was released on August 13, 2010. The vinyl conta ...
'' ( Blake Lewis) Melinda Doolittle *''
Coming Back to You ''Coming Back to You'' is the title of Melinda Doolittle's first album, released on February 3, 2009. The album consists of covers such as "Dust My Broom" from the 1930s, "Wonderful", from Aretha Franklin's 2003 release '' So Damn Happy'', "Declar ...
( Melinda Doolittle)'' *''My Funny Valentine'' (Melinda Doolittle) LaKisha Jones *''
So Glad I'm Me ''So Glad I'm Me'' is the debut album by '' American Idol'' contestant LaKisha Jones, released on May 19, 2009. The first single, "So Glad I'm Me," was released to iTunes in November 2008. The album sold around 7,000 copies in 2009. It reached #4 ...
( LaKisha Jones)'' Chris Richardson *''All Alone'' Phil Stacey *''
Phil Stacey Joel Philip Stacey (born January 21, 1978) is an American singer who first gained national attention on season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On ...
'' *'' Into the Light'' Sanjaya Malakar *''Dancing to the Music in my Head'' (EP) Chris Sligh *'' Running Back To You (
Chris Sligh Charles Christopher Sligh (born April 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol'', finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, wi ...
)'' Stephanie Edwards *''On Our Way'' (single) *''Here I Am'' (single) Leslie Hunt *"From the Strange to a Stranger" *"Your Hair Is on Fire" *"Wait for It" Amanda Coluccio *''Fly Away'' (single) *''Now That I Found You'' (single) Sarah Burgess *''Didn't Matter That'' (single) *''One'' Sean Michel *''The Thrill of Hope'' Sherman Pore *''For My Lady Love'' Idolsmusic.com
Source â€


Concert tour

* American Idols LIVE! Tour 2007


References


External links


Official American Idol Contestants Website
* {{TopUSTVShows American Idol seasons 2007 American television seasons