# American Idol season 4

The fourth season of American Idol premiered on January 18, 2005, and continued until May 25, 2005. It was hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell also returned as judges. Carrie Underwood won the season with approximately 500 million votes cast in the season and 37 million for the finale, while Bo Bice was the runner-up. Underwood has since gone on to become an eight-time Grammy-winning country megastar. It was also the first season of the series to be aired in high definition.

## Changes from previous seasons

This was the first season where guest judges were invited to participate in the auditions.
* Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Washington, D.C. auditions
* Gene Simmons of Kiss, New Orleans auditions
* Kenny Loggins, Las Vegas auditions
* LL Cool J, Cleveland auditions
* Brandy, San Francisco auditions
Where there were four judges present, three "yes" votes were required for the audition to proceed to Hollywood.
This was also the first season where the age limit was raised to 28. Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis, Bo Bice, Scott Savol, and Nadia Turner.

## Regional auditions

Auditions for the fourth season began on August 4, 2004, in Cleveland, Ohio. An audition was originally planned for Anchorage, Alaska, but that was cancelled due to a possible schedule conflict as a result of hurricanes affecting the Orlando auditions.
American Idol (season 4) – regional auditions :
| City | Preliminary date | Preliminary venue | Filming date(s) | Filming venue | Golden tickets |
| Cleveland, Ohio | August 4, 2004 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | August 14–15, 2004 | Intercontinental Cleveland | 32 |
| St. Louis, Missouri | August 8, 2004 | Edward Jones Dome | August 2004 | Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark | 32 |
| Washington, D.C. | August 18, 2004 | Washington Convention Center | August 20–21, 2004 | Renaissance Hotel Ninth St. | 42 |
| Orlando, Florida | August 26, 2004 | Orange County Convention Center | September 14, 2004 | MGM Grand Las Vegas | 16 |
| New Orleans, Louisiana | August 31, 2004 | Louisiana Superdome | September 4–5, 2004 | The Roosevelt (Fairmont) | 16 |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | September 12, 2004 | Orleans Arena | September 15–16, 2004 | MGM Grand Conference Center | 24 |
| San Francisco, California | October 5, 2004 | Cow Palace | October 7–8, 2004 | The Regency Center | 32 |
| Total number of tickets to Hollywood | Total number of tickets to Hollywood | Total number of tickets to Hollywood | Total number of tickets to Hollywood | Total number of tickets to Hollywood | 194 |
* ↑ The contestants from the Orlando audition were moved to Las Vegas for the final round of the audition due to the impending Hurricane Ivan. It was originally scheduled for September 6–7, 2004, but rescheduled to September 14, 2004, to coincide with the Las Vegas audition.

## Hollywood week

There were 193 contestants in the Hollywood rounds. They were split into two groups and performed on separate days at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The contestants first chose from a list of twelve songs selected by the producers. They were separated into groups of males and females, but they performed solo with piano accompaniment and back-up singers. 95 contestants were eliminated after this round. The remaining 97 contestants competed in the second round which featured group performances. The songs for the groups were Four Tops's "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," The Temptations' "Get Ready," Barry Manilow's "Jump Shout Boogie," The Marvelettes's "Please Mr. Postman," and The Supremes' "Where Did Our Love Go." 75 remained after this round.
In the last round, they performed a cappella. After their performances, the contestants were divided into four groups in separate rooms. Two groups were eliminated and the number of contestants was cut to 44. After further deliberation by the judges, 24 semifinalists – 12 men and 12 women – were then selected. At the Pasadena Civic Center, each contestant took the elevator from their holding room to the floor above to see the judges, who then revealed their fate.

## Semifinals

The rules for this season's semifinal round were changed so as to result in an equal number of male and female finalists. Twelve men and twelve women competed separately on consecutive nights, with two from each group being voted off each week until twelve finalists were left: six men and six women.
Color key:

### Top 24 (February 21 & 22)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 24 (male contestants) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Nikko Smith | "Part-Time Lover" | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "You Are My Lady" | Safe |
| Anthony Fedorov | "Hold On to the Nights" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "Drift Away" | Safe |
| Travis Tucker | "My Cherie Amour" | Safe |
| Constantine Maroulis | "Kiss from a Rose" | Safe |
| David Brown | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Safe |
| Jared Yates | "How Could I" | Eliminated |
| Anwar Robinson | "Moon River" | Safe |
| Judd Harris | "Travelin' Band" | Eliminated |
| Joseph Murena | "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" | Safe |
| Mario Vazquez | "Do I Do" | Safe |
Top 24 (female contestants) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Vonzell Solomon | "Heat Wave" | Safe |
| Amanda Avila | "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" | Safe |
| Janay Castine | "I Wanna Love You Forever" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | "Could've Been" | Safe |
| Sarah Mather | "Get Ready" | Eliminated |
| Melinda Lira | "The Power of Love" | Eliminated |
| Nadia Turner | "The Power of Love" | Safe |
| Celena Rae | "I Will Love Again" | Safe |
| Mikalah Gordon | "Young Hearts Run Free" | Safe |
| Lindsey Cardinale | "Standing Right Next to Me" | Safe |
| Jessica Sierra | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" | Safe |
| Aloha Mischeaux | "Work It Out" | Safe |

### Top 20 (February 28 & March 1)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 20 (male contestants) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Mario Vazquez | "I Love Music" | Safe |
| Anwar Robinson | "What's Going On" | Safe |
| Joseph Murena | "Let's Stay Together" | Eliminated |
| David Brown | "All in Love Is Fair" | Eliminated |
| Constantine Maroulis | "Hard to Handle" | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "Never Too Much" | Safe |
| Travis Tucker | "All Night Long (All Night)" | Safe |
| Nikko Smith | "Let's Get It On" | Safe |
| Anthony Fedorov | "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "Whipping Post" | Safe |
Top 20 (female contestants) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Aloha Mischeaux | "You Don't Know My Name" | Eliminated |
| Lindsey Cardinale | "I Try to Think About Elvis" | Safe |
| Jessica Sierra | "A Broken Wing" | Safe |
| Mikalah Gordon | "God Bless the Child" | Safe |
| Celena Rae | "When the Lights Go Down" | Eliminated |
| Nadia Turner | "My Love" | Safe |
| Amanda Avila | "Turn the Beat Around" | Safe |
| Janay Castine | "Hit 'Em Up Style (Oops!)" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | "Piece of My Heart" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "If I Ain't Got You" | Safe |

### Top 16 (March 7 & 8)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 16 (male contestants) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Scott Savol | "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "I'll Be" | Safe |
| Anthony Fedorov | "I've Got You" | Safe |
| Nikko Smith | "Georgia on My Mind" | Eliminated |
| Travis Tucker | "Every Little Step" | Eliminated |
| Mario Vazquez | "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" | Safe |
| Constantine Maroulis | "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | Safe |
| Anwar Robinson | "What a Wonderful World" | Safe |
Top 16 (female contestants) :
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Amanda Avila | "River Deep – Mountain High" | Eliminated |
| Janay Castine | "Dreaming of You" | Eliminated |
| Carrie Underwood | "Because You Love Me" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "Respect" | Safe |
| Nadia Turner | "Try a Little Tenderness" | Safe |
| Lindsey Cardinale | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Safe |
| Mikalah Gordon | "Somewhere" | Safe |
| Jessica Sierra | "The Boys Are Back in Town" | Safe |
* ↑ Nikko Smith was originally eliminated during the results show. However, when Mario Vazquez withdrew from the competition, Nikko was brought back as his replacement in the top 12.
* ↑ Mario Vazquez withdrew from the competition prior to the next episode.

## Top 12 finalists

* Carrie Underwood (born March 10, 1983, in Muskogee, Oklahoma; 21 years old at the time of the show) was from Checotah, Oklahoma, and she auditioned in St. Louis with Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me." She performed Candi Staton's "Young Hearts Run Free" in Hollywood.
* Bo Bice (born November 1, 1975, in Huntsville, Alabama; 29 years old at the time of the show) was from Helena, Alabama, and auditioned in Orlando with The Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post." He performed The Box Tops's "The Letter" and The Temptations' "Get Ready" in Hollywood.
* Vonzell Solomon (born March 18, 1984, in Baxley, Georgia; 20 years old at the time of the show) was from Fort Myers, Florida, and auditioned in Orlando with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools." She performed Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" in Hollywood.
* Anthony Fedorov (born May 4, 1985, in Yalta, Ukraine; 19 years old at the time of the show) was from Trevose, Pennsylvania, and auditioned in Cleveland with Jon Secada's "Angel." He performed Diana Ross' "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" and "Angel" again in Hollywood.
* Scott Savol (born April 30, 1976, in Cleveland, Ohio; 28 years old at the time of the show) was from Shaker Heights, Ohio and auditioned in Cleveland with The Carpenters' "Superstar." He performed the Four Tops's "I Can't Help Myself" in Hollywood.
* Constantine Maroulis (born September 17, 1975, in Brooklyn, New York; 29 years old at the time of the show) was from New York City and auditioned in Washington with Aerosmith's "Cryin'." In Hollywood, he performed The Box Tops's "The Letter" and the Four Tops's "I Can't Help Myself."
* Anwar Robinson (born April 21, 1979, in Newark, New Jersey; 25 years old at the time of the show) was from East Orange, New Jersey, and auditioned in Washington. He performed the Four Tops's "I Can't Help Myself" in Hollywood.
* Nadia Turner (born January 11, 1977, in Miami, Florida; 28 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in San Francisco with Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)."
* Nikko Smith (born April 28, 1982, in San Diego, California; 22 years old at the time of the show) was from St. Louis, Missouri, and auditioned there with Stevie Wonder's "All I Do." In Hollywood, he performed The Temptations' "Get Ready."
* Jessica Sierra (born November 11, 1985, in Tampa, Florida; 19 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in Orlando with Etta James' "At Last." In Hollywood, she performed Diana Ross' "When You Tell Me That You Love Me."
* Mikalah Gordon (born January 14, 1988, in Las Vegas, Nevada; 17 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in Las Vegas with Ella Fitzgerald's "Lullaby of Broadway" and Lauryn Hill's "Killing Me Softly with His Song." She performed Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" in Hollywood.
* Lindsey Cardinale (born February 5, 1985, in Hammond, Louisiana; 19 years old at the time of the show) was from Ponchatoula, Louisiana, and auditioned in New Orleans with Karla Bonoff's "Standing Right Next to Me." She performed The Supremes' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in Hollywood.

## Finals

Color key:

### Top 12 – Music from the 1960s (March 15)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Jessica Sierra | "Shop Around" | Bottom three |
| Anwar Robinson | "A House is Not a Home" | Safe |
| Mikalah Gordon | "Son of a Preacher Man" | Bottom two |
| Constantine Maroulis | "You've Made Me So Very Happy" | Safe |
| Lindsey Cardinale | "Knock on Wood" | Eliminated |
| Anthony Fedorov | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Safe |
| Nadia Turner | "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "Spinning Wheel" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | "When Will I Be Loved" | Safe |
| Nikko Smith | "I Want You Back" | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 12 | "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" |

### Top 11 – Billboard number ones (March 22)

Contestants performed one song from the list of Billboard number one hits and are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Anthony Fedorov | "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" | Bottom three |
| Carrie Underwood | "Alone" | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "Time in a Bottle" | Safe |
| Nikko Smith | "Incomplete" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "Best of My Love" | Safe |
| Constantine Maroulis | "I Think I Love You" | Safe |
| Nadia Turner | "Time After Time" | Bottom two |
| Mikalah Gordon | "Love Will Lead You Back" | Eliminated |
| Anwar Robinson | "Ain't Nobody" | Safe |
| Jessica Sierra | "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 11 | "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" |

### Top 10 – Music from the 1990s (March 29)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Bo Bice | "Remedy" | Safe |
| Jessica Sierra | "On the Side of Angels" | Eliminated |
| Anwar Robinson | "I Believe I Can Fly" | Bottom two |
| Nadia Turner | "I'm the Only One" | Bottom three |
| Constantine Maroulis | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Safe |
| Nikko Smith | "Can We Talk" | Safe |
| Anthony Fedorov | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | "Independence Day" | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "One Last Cry" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "I Have Nothing" | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 10 | "Everything Is Beautiful" |

### Top 9 – Classic Broadway (April 5)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Broadway song | Musical | Result |
| Scott Savol | "The Impossible Dream (The Quest)" | Man of La Mancha | Bottom two |
| Constantine Maroulis | "My Funny Valentine" | Babes in Arms | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | "Hello, Young Lovers" | The King and I | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "People" | Funny Girl | Bottom three |
| Anthony Fedorov | "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" | The Sound of Music | Safe |
| Nikko Smith | "One Hand, One Heart" | West Side Story | Eliminated |
| Anwar Robinson | "If Ever I Would Leave You" | Camelot | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "Corner of the Sky" | Pippin | Safe |
| Nadia Turner | "As Long as He Needs Me" | Oliver! | Safe |

### Top 8 – Contestants' birth year (April 12)

Contestants performed one song from the year they were born and are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Year | Result |
| Nadia Turner | "When I Dream" | 1977 | Eliminated |
| Bo Bice | "Free Bird" | 1975 | Bottom two |
| Anwar Robinson | "I'll Never Love This Way Again" | 1979 | Safe |
| Anthony Fedorov | "Everytime You Go Away" | 1985 | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "Let's Hear It for the Boy" | 1984 | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "She's Gone" | 1976 | Bottom three |
| Carrie Underwood | "Love Is a Battlefield" | 1983 | Safe |
| Constantine Maroulis | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | 1975 | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 8 | "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" |

### Top 7 – 1970s dance music (April 19)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Constantine Maroulis | "Nights on Broadway" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | "MacArthur Park" | Safe |
| Scott Savol | "Everlasting Love" | Bottom three |
| Anthony Fedorov | "Don't Take Away the Music" | Bottom three |
| Vonzell Solomon | "I'm Every Woman" | Safe |
| Anwar Robinson | "September" | Eliminated |
| Bo Bice | "Vehicle" | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 7 | "You Can Shine" |
* 1 2 Both Scott Savol and Anthony Fedorov were in the bottom three with Anwar Robinson, but it was never revealed which one was in the bottom two.

### Top 6 – Music from the 21st century (April 26)

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Carrie Underwood | "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | "I Don't Want to Be" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | "I Turn to You" | Bottom three |
| Anthony Fedorov | "I Surrender" | Bottom two |
| Constantine Maroulis | "How You Remind Me" | Eliminated |
| Scott Savol | "Dance with My Father" | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 6 | "Emotion" |

### Top 5 – Leiber and Stoller & Billboard current chart (May 3)

Each contestant performed two songs: one written by songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and one from the Billboard current chart. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Anthony Fedorov | 1 | "Poison Ivy" | Bottom two |
| Anthony Fedorov | 6 | "Incomplete" | Bottom two |
| Scott Savol | 2 | "On Broadway" | Eliminated |
| Scott Savol | 7 | "Everytime You Go Away" | Eliminated |
| Vonzell Solomon | 3 | "Treat Me Nice" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | 8 | "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | 4 | "Stand by Me" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | 9 | "Heaven" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | 5 | "Trouble" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | 10 | "Bless the Broken Road" | Safe |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 5 | "Bridge over Troubled Water" |

### Top 4 – Country & Gamble and Huff (May 10)

Each contestant performed two songs and are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Order | Country song | Result |
| Carrie Underwood | 1 | "Sin Wagon" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | 5 | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | 2 | "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | 6 | "For the Love of Money" | Safe |
| Vonzell Solomon | 3 | "How Do I Live" | Bottom two |
| Vonzell Solomon | 7 | "Don't Leave Me This Way" | Bottom two |
| Anthony Fedorov | 4 | "I'm Already There" | Eliminated |
| Anthony Fedorov | 8 | "If You Don't Know Me by Now" | Eliminated |
Non-competition performance :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 4 | "Islands in the Stream" |

### Top 3 (May 17)

Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by Clive Davis, one chosen by one of the judges, and one chosen by themselves. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Simon Cowell believed that Bo Bice would have won had he able to save his a cappella rendering of "In a Dream" for his final performance.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Vonzell Solomon | 1 | "I'll Never Love This Way Again" | Eliminated |
| Vonzell Solomon | 4 | "Chain of Fools" | Eliminated |
| Vonzell Solomon | 7 | "On the Radio" | Eliminated |
| Bo Bice | 2 | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | 5 | "In a Dream" | Safe |
| Bo Bice | 8 | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | 3 | "Crying" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | 6 | "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" | Safe |
| Carrie Underwood | 9 | "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" | Safe |
* 1 2 3 Song chosen by Clive Davis
* ↑ Song chosen by Simon Cowell
* ↑ Song chosen by Paula Abdul
* ↑ Song chosen by Randy Jackson

### Top 2 – Finale (May 24)

Each contestant performed three songs and are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Bo Bice | 1 | "Long, Long Road" | Runner-up |
| Bo Bice | 3 | "Vehicle" | Runner-up |
| Bo Bice | 5 | "Inside Your Heaven" | Runner-up |
| Carrie Underwood | 2 | "Inside Your Heaven" | Winner |
| Carrie Underwood | 4 | "Independence Day" | Winner |
| Carrie Underwood | 6 | "Angels Brought Me Here" | Winner |
Non-competition performances :
| Performers | Song |
| Top 12 | "Fun, Fun, Fun" "Barbara Ann" "In My Room" "Surfer Girl" "I Get Around" "Good Vibrations" |
| Bo Bice | "Vehicle" |
| Carrie Underwood | "Angels Brought Me Here" |
| Carrie Underwood & Bo Bice | "Up Where We Belong" |
| Carrie Underwood with Rascal Flatts | "Bless the Broken Road" |
| Anthony Fedorov & Anwar Robinson with Kenny G | "I Believe I Can Fly" |
| Constantine Maroulis, Jessica Sierra & Nadia Turner with Kenny Wayne Shepherd | "Walk This Way" |
| Scott Savol & Nikko Smith with George Benson | "On Broadway" |
| Vonzell Solomon with Billy Preston | "With You I'm Born Again" |
| Lindsey Cardinale & Mikalah Gordon with Babyface | "Every Time I Close My Eyes" |
| Bo Bice with Lynyrd Skynyrd | "Sweet Home Alabama" |
| Carrie Underwood | "Inside Your Heaven" |
* ↑ Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice were not a part of this group performance.

## Elimination chart

Color key:
American Idol (season 4) - Eliminations :
| Contestant | Pl. | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Top 12 | Top 11 | Top 10 | Top 9 | Top 8 | Top 7 | Top 6 | Top 5 | Top 4 | Top 3 | Finale |
| Contestant | Pl. | 2/23 | 3/2 | 3/9 | 3/16 | 3/24 | 3/30 | 4/6 | 4/13 | 4/20 | 4/27 | 5/4 | 5/11 | 5/18 | 5/25 |
| Carrie Underwood | 1 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner |
| Bo Bice | 2 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up |
| Vonzell Solomon | 3 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | Bottom two | Eliminated | |
| Anthony Fedorov | 4 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Bottom two | Bottom two | Eliminated | | |
| Scott Savol | 5 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Bottom three | Bottom three | Safe | Eliminated | | | |
| Constantine Maroulis | 6 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | |
| Anwar Robinson | 7 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | |
| Nadia Turner | 8 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Bottom three | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | |
| Nikko Smith | 9 | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | |
| Jessica Sierra | 10 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom three | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | |
| Mikalah Gordon | 11 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Bottom two | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | |
| Lindsey Cardinale | 12 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mario Vazquez | | Safe | Safe | Safe | Withdrew | | | | | | | | | | |
| Amanda Avila | | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Janay Castine | | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Travis Tucker | | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | |
| David Brown | | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Aloha Mischeaux | | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Joseph Murena | | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Celina Rae | | Safe | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Judd Harris | | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Melinda Lira | | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Sarah Mather | | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Jared Yates | | Eliminated | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* ↑ Owing to a mix-up during the March 22 performance show, American Idol did not eliminate a contestant on the Wednesday results show, and instead conducted a full revote. Mikalah Gordon was eliminated on Thursday, March 24.
* ↑ Nikko Smith was originally eliminated in the semifinal round, but was brought back after Mario Vasquez withdrew from the competition.
* ↑ Mario Vazquez withdrew from the competition for personal reasons.

## Controversies

During the season, Corey Clark, a second season contestant who was disqualified for having an undisclosed arrest record, alleged in an interview on ABC's Primetime Live that he had had an affair with Paula Abdul while on the show.
During the top 11 competition show, three of the contestants had their voting telephone numbers improperly displayed. The Wednesday night show, which was supposed to have been the elimination night, allowed viewers to vote again as the numbers were fixed, and the elimination took place on Thursday.
Bo Bice was revealed to have been arrested on a felony cocaine possession charge in June 2001 in Madison County, Alabama, and was also arrested two years later for marijuana possession, public intoxication, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Scott Savol was also revealed to have been convicted of a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct for domestic violence. However, no action was taken against either contestant by the show producers because they had revealed their misdemeanors to them in advance.

## U.S. Nielsen ratings

The fourth season of American Idol had an overall average viewership of 26.8 million and was the top show for the 2004–2005 TV season. Its Tuesday episodes averaged 27.32 million (ranked first) while the Wednesday episodes averaged 26.07 million (ranked third). It also drove Fox, for the first time ever, to become the top network in the 18-to-49 demographic for the season.
Episode list :
| Show | Episode | Air date | Week rank | 18-49 rating | Viewers (in millions) |
| 1 | "Washington, D.C. Auditions" | January 18, 2005 | 2 | 14.0 | 33.6 |
| 2 | "St. Louis Auditions" | January 19, 2005 | 3 | 11.2 | 26.7 |
| 3 | "New Orleans Auditions" | January 25, 2005 | 1 | 12.1 | 28.1 |
| 4 | "Las Vegas Auditions" | January 26, 2005 | 2 | 11.2 | 26.6 |
| 5 | "Cleveland & Orlando Auditions" | February 1, 2005 | 3 | 11.9 | 28.5 |
| 6 | "San Francisco Auditions" | February 2, 2005 | 4 | 10.9 | 26.2 |
| 7 | "Hollywood Week: Part 1" | February 8, 2005 | 1 | 12.0 | 28.8 |
| 8 | "Hollywood Week: Part 2" | February 9, 2005 | 3 | 11.4 | 26.1 |
| 9 | "Hollywood Week: Part 3" | February 15, 2005 | 2 | 11.5 | 27.1 |
| 10 | "Hollywood Week: Part 4" | February 16, 2005 | 3 | 11.5 | 26.3 |
| 11 | "Top 12 Men Perform" | February 21, 2005 | 6 | 9.9 | 23.5 |
| 12 | "Top 12 Women Perform" | February 22, 2005 | 2 | 11.5 | 28.3 |
| 13 | "Top 24 Results" | February 23, 2005 | 5 | 11.3 | 26.7 |
| 14 | "Top 10 Men Perform" | February 28, 2005 | 5 | 10.1 | 23.6 |
| 15 | "Top 10 Women Perform" | March 1, 2005 | 1 | 11.0 | 26.9 |
| 16 | "Top 20 Results" | March 2, 2005 | 4 | 10.3 | 24.3 |
| 17 | "Top 8 Men Perform" | March 7, 2005 | 4 | 10.1 | 23.9 |
| 18 | "Top 8 Women Perform" | March 8, 2005 | 2 | 11.7 | 27.7 |
| 19 | "Top 16 Results" | March 9, 2005 | 3 | 11.7 | 26.9 |
| 20 | "Top 12 Perform" | March 15, 2005 | 1 | 11.5 | 28.4 |
| 21 | "Top 12 Results" | March 16, 2005 | 2 | 10.8 | 24.7 |
| 22 | "Top 11 Perform" | March 22, 2005 | 1 | 11.6 | 27.6 |
| 23 | "Top 11 Finalists Repeat Special"$^{(1)}$ | March 23, 2005 | 3 | 9.0 | 20.9 |
| 24 | "Top 11 Results" | March 24, 2005 | 4 | 8.6 | 20.2 |
| 25 | "Top 10 Perform" | March 29, 2005 | 2 | 11.0 | 26.4 |
| 26 | "Top 10 Results" | March 30, 2005 | 3 | 10.6 | 24.9 |
| 27 | "Top 9 Perform" | April 5, 2005 | 2 | 10.0 | 24.5 |
| 28 | "Top 9 Results" | April 6, 2005 | 3 | 10.2 | 24.1 |
| 29 | "Top 8 Perform" | April 12, 2005 | 2 | 10.7 | 25.6 |
| 30 | "Top 8 Results" | April 13, 2005 | 4 | 10.8 | 25.0 |
| 31 | "Top 7 Perform" | April 19, 2005 | 2 | 9.8 | 24.1 |
| 32 | "Top 7 Results" | April 20, 2005 | 4 | 9.8 | 22.7 |
| 33 | "Top 6 Perform" | April 26, 2005 | 2 | 10.8 | 25.5 |
| 34 | "Top 6 Results" | April 27, 2005 | 4 | 10.5 | 24.4 |
| 35 | "Top 5 Perform" | May 3, 2005 | 4 | 9.9 | 24.4 |
| 36 | "Top 5 Results" | May 4, 2005 | 3 | 10.8 | 25.4 |
| 37 | "Top 4 Perform" | May 10, 2005 | 4 | 10.2 | 24.7 |
| 38 | "Top 4 Results" | May 11, 2005 | 1 | 11.5 | 26.6 |
| 39 | "Top 3 Perform" | May 17, 2005 | 5 | 10.4 | 25.0 |
| 40 | "Top 3 Results" | May 18, 2005 | 4 | 11.8 | 27.9 |
| 41 | "Special: The World's Worst Auditions" | May 19, 2005 | | 4.0 | |
| 42 | "Top 2 Perform" | May 24, 2005 | 2 | 11.6 | 28.1 |
| 43 | "American Idol Season 4 Finale" | May 25, 2005 | 1 | 12.5 | 30.3 |
Note 1: The Top 11 Wednesday night was a repeat performance night due to a mix-up in the phone numbers for the contestants. The result show was moved to Thursday.

## Music releases

The compilation album for this season was performed by the top twelve finalists.
* Information
* American Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers
* Released: May 17, 2005
* Label: RCA Records
* Chart positions: 6 (Billboard 200)
* RIAA Certification: Gold
* U.S. sales: 332,000