# List of American Idol finalists

American Idol is an American talent reality television series that first aired in 2002. As of May 2024, there have been twenty-two seasons. Each season, the final round of competition features ten to fourteen singers. A total of 178 contestants have reached the finals of their season.
The show's age requirements have varied year-to-year. Of the finalists, 55 of them were under the age of 20, including three winners and five runners-up. First season-winner Kelly Clarkson currently holds the record for the highest-selling album sales worldwide, with more than 25 million copies, while fourth season-winner Carrie Underwood currently holds the record for the highest-selling album sales in the United States, with more than 13 million copies.
As of 2025, seven finalists have died: Michael Johns (d. 2014), Rickey Smith (d. 2016), Leah LaBelle (d. 2018), Nikki McKibbin (d. 2020), Willie Spence (d. 2022), C. J. Harris (d. 2023), and Mandisa (d. 2024). In addition, two semifinalists have also died: season 7's Joanne Borgella (d. 2014) and season 3's Marque Lynche (d. 2015; brother of Michael Lynche).
Table key :
| † | Indicates an alumnus who is now deceased |

## Contestants

| Name | Age | Hometown | Season | Place finish |
| EJay Day | 20 | Lawrenceville, Georgia | 1 | 9th–10th |
| Jim Verraros | 19 | Chicago, Illinois | 1 | 9th–10th |
| AJ Gil | 17 | San Diego, California | 1 | 8th |
| Ryan Starr | 19 | Sunland, California | 1 | 7th |
| Christina Christian | 21 | Brooklyn, New York | 1 | 6th |
| R. J. Helton | 21 | Cumming, Georgia | 1 | 5th |
| Tamyra Gray | 23 | Takoma Park, Maryland | 1 | 4th |
| Nikki McKibbin † | 23 | Grand Prairie, Texas | 1 | 3rd |
| Justin Guarini | 23 | Doylestown, Pennsylvania | 1 | Runner-up |
| Kelly Clarkson | 20 | Burleson, Texas | 1 | Winner |
| Vanessa Olivarez | 22 | Atlanta, Georgia | 2 | 12th |
| Charles Grigsby | 24 | Oberlin, Ohio | 2 | 11th |
| Julia DeMato | 24 | Brookfield, Connecticut | 2 | 10th |
| Corey Clark | 22 | Nashville, Tennessee | 2 | 9th |
| Rickey Smith † | 23 | Keene, Texas | 2 | 8th |
| Kimberly Caldwell | 21 | Katy, Texas | 2 | 7th |
| Carmen Rasmusen | 18 | Bountiful, Utah | 2 | 6th |
| Trenyce | 23 | Memphis, Tennessee | 2 | 5th |
| Josh Gracin | 22 | Oceanside, California | 2 | 4th |
| Kimberley Locke | 25 | Nashville, Tennessee | 2 | 3rd |
| Clay Aiken | 24 | Raleigh, North Carolina | 2 | Runner-up |
| Ruben Studdard | 24 | Birmingham, Alabama | 2 | Winner |
| Leah LaBelle † | 17 | Seattle, Washington | 3 | 12th |
| Matthew Rogers | 25 | Rancho Cucamonga, California | 3 | 11th |
| Amy Adams | 24 | Bakersfield, California | 3 | 10th |
| Camile Velasco | 18 | Haiku, Hawaii | 3 | 9th |
| Jon Peter Lewis | 24 | Rexburg, Idaho | 3 | 8th |
| Jennifer Hudson | 22 | Chicago, Illinois | 3 | 7th |
| John Stevens | 16 | East Amherst, New York | 3 | 6th |
| George Huff | 22 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 3 | 5th |
| LaToya London | 25 | Oakland, California | 3 | 4th |
| Jasmine Trias | 17 | Mililani, Hawaii | 3 | 3rd |
| Diana DeGarmo | 16 | Snellville, Georgia | 3 | Runner-up |
| Fantasia Barrino | 19 | High Point, North Carolina | 3 | Winner |
| Lindsey Cardinale | 20 | Ponchatoula, Louisiana | 4 | 12th |
| Mikalah Gordon | 17 | Las Vegas, Nevada | 4 | 11th |
| Jessica Sierra | 19 | Tampa Bay, Florida | 4 | 10th |
| Nikko Smith | 22 | Town & Country, Missouri | 4 | 9th |
| Nadia Turner | 28 | Miami, Florida | 4 | 8th |
| Anwar Robinson | 25 | East Orange, New Jersey | 4 | 7th |
| Constantine Maroulis | 29 | New York, New York | 4 | 6th |
| Scott Savol | 28 | Shaker Heights, Ohio | 4 | 5th |
| Anthony Fedorov | 19 | Trevose, Pennsylvania | 4 | 4th |
| Vonzell Solomon | 21 | Fort Myers, Florida | 4 | 3rd |
| Bo Bice | 29 | Helena, Alabama | 4 | Runner-up |
| Carrie Underwood | 21 | Checotah, Oklahoma | 4 | Winner |
| Melissa McGhee | 21 | Tampa, Florida | 5 | 12th |
| Kevin Covais | 16 | Levittown, New York | 5 | 11th |
| Lisa Tucker | 16 | Anaheim, California | 5 | 10th |
| Mandisa † | 29 | Antioch, Tennessee | 5 | 9th |
| Bucky Covington | 28 | Rockingham, North Carolina | 5 | 8th |
| Ace Young | 25 | Denver, Colorado | 5 | 7th |
| Kellie Pickler | 19 | Albemarle, North Carolina | 5 | 6th |
| Paris Bennett | 17 | Fayetteville, Georgia | 5 | 5th |
| Chris Daughtry | 26 | McLeansville, North Carolina | 5 | 4th |
| Elliott Yamin | 27 | Richmond, Virginia | 5 | 3rd |
| Katharine McPhee | 21 | Los Angeles, California | 5 | Runner-up |
| Taylor Hicks | 29 | Birmingham, Alabama | 5 | Winner |
| Brandon Rogers | 28 | North Hollywood, California | 6 | 12th |
| Stephanie Edwards | 19 | Savannah, Georgia | 6 | 11th |
| Chris Sligh | 28 | Greenville, South Carolina | 6 | 10th |
| Gina Glocksen | 22 | Naperville, Illinois | 6 | 9th |
| Haley Scarnato | 24 | San Antonio, Texas | 6 | 8th |
| Sanjaya Malakar | 17 | Federal Way, Washington | 6 | 7th |
| Chris Richardson | 22 | Chesapeake, Virginia | 6 | 5th–6th |
| Phil Stacey | 29 | Jacksonville, Florida | 6 | 5th–6th |
| LaKisha Jones | 27 | Fort Meade, Maryland | 6 | 4th |
| Melinda Doolittle | 29 | Brentwood, Tennessee | 6 | 3rd |
| Blake Lewis | 25 | Bothell, Washington | 6 | Runner-up |
| Jordin Sparks | 17 | Glendale, Arizona | 6 | Winner |
| David Hernandez | 24 | Glendale, Arizona | 7 | 12th |
| Amanda Overmyer | 23 | Mulberry, Indiana | 7 | 11th |
| Chikezie | 22 | Inglewood, California | 7 | 10th |
| Ramiele Malubay | 20 | Miramar, Florida | 7 | 9th |
| Michael Johns † | 29 | Buckhead, Georgia | 7 | 8th |
| Kristy Lee Cook | 24 | Selma, Oregon | 7 | 7th |
| Carly Smithson | 24 | San Diego, California | 7 | 6th |
| Brooke White | 24 | Mesa, Arizona | 7 | 5th |
| Jason Castro | 20 | Rockwall, Texas | 7 | 4th |
| Syesha Mercado | 21 | Sarasota, Florida | 7 | 3rd |
| David Archuleta | 17 | Murray, Utah | 7 | Runner-up |
| David Cook | 25 | Blue Springs, Missouri | 7 | Winner |
| Jasmine Murray | 16 | Starkville, Mississippi | 8 | 12th–13th |
| Jorge Núñez | 21 | Carolina, Puerto Rico | 8 | 12th–13th |
| Alexis Grace | 21 | Memphis, Tennessee | 8 | 11th |
| Michael Sarver | 27 | Jasper, Texas | 8 | 10th |
| Megan Joy | 22 | Sandy, Utah | 8 | 9th |
| Scott MacIntyre | 23 | Scottsdale, Arizona | 8 | 8th |
| Anoop Desai | 21 | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | 8 | 6th–7th |
| Lil Rounds | 23 | Memphis, Tennessee | 8 | 6th–7th |
| Matt Giraud | 23 | Kalamazoo, Michigan | 8 | 5th |
| Allison Iraheta | 16 | Los Angeles, California | 8 | 4th |
| Danny Gokey | 28 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 8 | 3rd |
| Adam Lambert | 27 | San Diego, California | 8 | Runner-up |
| Kris Allen | 23 | Conway, Arkansas | 8 | Winner |
| Lacey Brown | 24 | Amarillo, Texas | 9 | 12th |
| Paige Miles | 24 | Naples, Florida | 9 | 11th |
| Didi Benami | 23 | Hollywood, California | 9 | 10th |
| Andrew Garcia | 24 | Moreno Valley, California | 9 | 8th–9th |
| Katie Stevens | 17 | Middlebury, Connecticut | 9 | 8th–9th |
| Tim Urban | 20 | Duncanville, Texas | 9 | 7th |
| Siobhan Magnus | 19 | Cape Cod, Massachusetts | 9 | 6th |
| Aaron Kelly | 16 | Sonestown, Pennsylvania | 9 | 5th |
| Mike Lynche | 26 | St. Petersburg, Florida | 9 | 4th |
| Casey James | 27 | Fort Worth, Texas | 9 | 3rd |
| Crystal Bowersox | 23 | Elliston, Ohio | 9 | Runner-up |
| Lee DeWyze | 23 | Mount Prospect, Illinois | 9 | Winner |
| Ashthon Jones | 24 | Goodlettsville, Tennessee | 10 | 13th |
| Karen Rodriguez | 21 | New York, New York | 10 | 12th |
| Naima Adedapo | 26 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 10 | 10th–11th |
| Thia Megia | 16 | Mountain House, Alameda County, California | 10 | 10th–11th |
| Pia Toscano | 22 | Howard Beach, New York | 10 | 9th |
| Paul McDonald | 26 | Nashville, Tennessee | 10 | 8th |
| Stefano Langone | 21 | Kent, Washington | 10 | 7th |
| Casey Abrams | 20 | Idyllwild, California | 10 | 6th |
| Jacob Lusk | 23 | Compton, California | 10 | 5th |
| James Durbin | 22 | Santa Cruz, California | 10 | 4th |
| Haley Reinhart | 20 | Wheeling, Illinois | 10 | 3rd |
| Lauren Alaina | 16 | Rossville, Georgia | 10 | Runner-up |
| Scotty McCreery | 17 | Garner, North Carolina | 10 | Winner |
| Jeremy Rosado | 19 | Valrico, Florida | 11 | 13th |
| Jermaine Jones | 25 | Pine Hill, New Jersey | 11 | 12th |
| Shannon Magrane | 16 | Tampa, Florida | 11 | 11th |
| Erika Van Pelt | 26 | South Kingstown, Rhode Island | 11 | 10th |
| Heejun Han | 22 | Flushing, New York | 11 | 9th |
| DeAndre Brackensick | 17 | San Jose, California | 11 | 8th |
| Colton Dixon | 20 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee | 11 | 7th |
| Elise Testone | 28 | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | 11 | 6th |
| Skylar Laine | 18 | Brandon, Mississippi | 11 | 5th |
| Hollie Cavanagh | 18 | McKinney, Texas | 11 | 4th |
| Joshua Ledet | 19 | Westlake, Louisiana | 11 | 3rd |
| Jessica Sanchez | 16 | San Diego, California | 11 | Runner-up |
| Phillip Phillips | 21 | Leesburg, Georgia | 11 | Winner |
| Curtis Finch, Jr. | 24 | St. Louis, Missouri | 12 | 10th |
| Paul Jolley | 23 | Palmersville, Tennessee | 12 | 9th |
| Devin Velez | 18 | Chicago, Illinois | 12 | 8th |
| Burnell Taylor | 19 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 12 | 7th |
| Lazaro Arbos | 22 | Naples, Florida | 12 | 6th |
| Janelle Arthur | 23 | Oliver Springs, Tennessee | 12 | 5th |
| Amber Holcomb | 19 | Houston, Texas | 12 | 4th |
| Angie Miller | 19 | Beverly, Massachusetts | 12 | 3rd |
| Kree Harrison | 22 | Woodville, Texas | 12 | Runner-up |
| Candice Glover | 23 | St. Helena Island, South Carolina | 12 | Winner |
| Kristen O'Connor | 24 | Sebastian, Florida | 13 | 13th |
| Emily Piriz | 18 | Orlando, Florida | 13 | 12th |
| Ben Briley | 24 | Gallatin, Tennessee | 13 | 11th |
| MK Nobilette | 20 | San Francisco, California | 13 | 10th |
| Majesty Rose | 21 | Goldsboro, North Carolina | 13 | 9th |
| Malaya Watson | 16 | Southfield, Michigan | 13 | 8th |
| Dexter Roberts | 22 | Fayette, Alabama | 13 | 7th |
| C.J. Harris † | 23 | Jasper, Alabama | 13 | 6th |
| Sam Woolf | 17 | Bradenton, Florida | 13 | 5th |
| Jess Meuse | 23 | Slapout, Alabama | 13 | 4th |
| Alex Preston | 20 | Mont Vernon, New Hampshire | 13 | 3rd |
| Jena Irene | 17 | Farmington Hills, Michigan | 13 | Runner-up |
| Caleb Johnson | 23 | Asheville, North Carolina | 13 | Winner |
| Sarina-Joi Crowe | 19 | Columbia, Tennessee | 14 | 12th |
| Adanna Duru | 18 | Diamond Bar, California | 14 | 10th–11th |
| Maddie Walker | 17 | Ankeny, Iowa | 14 | 10th–11th |
| Daniel Seavey | 15 | Portland, Oregon | 14 | 9th |
| Qaasim Middleton | 19 | Brooklyn, New York | 14 | 8th |
| Joey Cook | 23 | Woodbridge, Virginia | 14 | 7th |
| Quentin Alexander | 20 | New Orleans, Louisiana | 14 | 6th |
| Tyanna Jones | 16 | Jacksonville, Florida | 14 | 5th |
| Rayvon Owen | 23 | Richmond, Virginia | 14 | 4th |
| JAX | 19 | East Brunswick, New Jersey | 14 | 3rd |
| Clark Beckham | 22 | White House, Tennessee | 14 | Runner-up |
| Nick Fradiani | 29 | Guilford, Connecticut | 14 | Winner |
| Gianna Isabella | 15 | Jackson, New Jersey | 15 | 9th–10th |
| Olivia Rox | 17 | Agoura Hills, California | 15 | 9th–10th |
| Avalon Young | 21 | San Diego, California | 15 | 7th–8th |
| Lee Jean | 16 | Bluffton, South Carolina | 15 | 7th–8th |
| Tristan McIntosh | 15 | Nashville, Tennessee | 15 | 6th |
| Sonika Vaid | 20 | Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts | 15 | 5th |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 23 | Lafayette, Louisiana | 15 | 4th |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 20 | Dallas, Texas | 15 | 3rd |
| La'Porsha Renae | 22 | McComb, Mississippi | 15 | Runner-up |
| Trent Harmon | 26 | Amory, Mississippi | 15 | Winner |
| Ada Vox | 24 | San Antonio, Texas | 16 | 8th-10th |
| Dennis Lorenzo | 26 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 16 | 8th-10th |
| Michelle Sussett | 22 | Miami, Florida | 16 | 8th-10th |
| Catie Turner | 17 | Langhorne, Pennsylvania | 16 | 6th-7th |
| Jurnee | 18 | Denver, Colorado | 16 | 6th-7th |
| Cade Foehner | 21 | Shelbyville, Texas | 16 | 4th-5th |
| Michael J. Woodard | 20 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 16 | 4th-5th |
| Gabby Barrett | 17 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 16 | 3rd |
| Caleb Lee Hutchinson | 19 | Dallas, Georgia | 16 | Runner-Up |
| Maddie Poppe | 20 | Clarksville, Iowa | 16 | Winner |
| Dimitrius Graham | 27 | Baltimore, Maryland | 17 | 9th-10th |
| Uché | 24 | Sugarland, Texas | 17 | 9th-10th |
| Alyssa Raghu | 17 | Orlando, Florida | 17 | 7th-8th |
| Walker Burroughs | 20 | Birmingham, Alabama | 17 | 7th-8th |
| Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon | 26 | Catonsville, Maryland | 17 | 6th |
| Laci Kaye Booth | 23 | Livingston, Texas | 17 | 4th-5th |
| Wade Cota | 27 | Phoenix, Arizona | 17 | 4th-5th |
| Madison VanDenburg | 17 | Cohoes, New York | 17 | 3rd |
| Alejandro Aranda | 24 | Pomona, California | 17 | Runner-Up |
| Laine Hardy | 18 | Livingston, Louisiana | 17 | Winner |
| Grace Leer | 28 | Danville, California | 18 | 8th-11th |
| Jovin Webb | 29 | Gonzales, Louisiana | 18 | 8th-11th |
| Makayla Phillips | 17 | Temecula, California | 18 | 8th-11th |
| Sophia James | 20 | Long Beach, California | 18 | 8th-11th |
| Julia Gargano | 22 | Staten Island, New York | 18 | 6th-7th |
| Louis Knight | 19 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 18 | 6th-7th |
| Dillon James | 27 | Bakersfield, California | 18 | 3rd-5th |
| Francisco Martin | 19 | San Francisco, California | 18 | 3rd-5th |
| Jonny West | 23 | Murrieta, California | 18 | 3rd-5th |
| Arthur Gunn | 22 | Wichita, Kansas | 18 | Runner-up |
| Just Sam | 21 | Harlem, New York | 18 | Winner |
| Ava August | 15 | Laguna Niguel, California | 19 | 11th-13th |
| Beane | 23 | Brighton, Massachusetts | 19 | 11th-13th |
| Madison Watkins | 25 | Fayetteville, Arkansas | 19 | 11th-13th |
| Alyssa Wray | 19 | Perryville, Kentucky | 19 | 8th-10th |
| Cassandra Coleman | 24 | Columbia, Tennessee | 19 | 8th-10th |
| DeShawn Goncalves | 20 | Cleveland, Ohio | 19 | 8th-10th |
| Arthur Gunn | 23 | Wichita, Kansas | 19 | 6th-7th |
| Hunter Metts | 22 | Franklin, Tennessee | 19 | 6th-7th |
| Caleb Kennedy | 16 | Roebuck, South Carolina | 19 | 5th |
| Casey Bishop | 16 | Estero, Florida | 19 | 4th |
| Grace Kinstler | 20 | Lakewood, Illinois | 19 | 3rd |
| Willie Spence † | 21 | Douglas, Georgia | 19 | Runner-up |
| Chayce Beckham | 24 | Apple Valley, California | 19 | Winner |
| Allegra Miles | 18 | Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands | 20 | 12th-14th |
| Ava Maybee | 20 | Los Angeles, California | 20 | 12th-14th |
| Dan Marshall | 24 | Chesapeake, Virginia | 20 | 12th-14th |
| Tristen Gressett | 17 | Pell City, Alabama | 20 | 11th |
| Emyrson Flora | 16 | Cleveland, Ohio | 20 | 8th-10th |
| Lady K. | 25 | Tuskegee, Alabama | 20 | 8th-10th |
| Mike Parker | 27 | Warrenton, Virginia | 20 | 8th-10th |
| Christian Guardino | 21 | Patchogue, New York | 20 | 6th-7th |
| Jay | 23 | Salisbury, Maryland | 20 | 6th-7th |
| Fritz Hager | 22 | Tyler, Texas | 20 | 4th-5th |
| Nicolina | 18 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 20 | 4th-5th |
| Leah Marlene | 20 | Normal, Illinois | 20 | 3rd |
| HunterGirl | 23 | Winchester, Tennessee | 20 | Runner-up |
| Noah Thompson | 21 | Louisa, Kentucky | 20 | Winner |
| Lucy Love | 28 | Holly Grove, Arkansas | 21 | 11th-12th |
| Nutsa | 25 | Tbilisi, Europe | 21 | 11th-12th |
| Marybeth Byrd | 21 | Armorel, Arkansas | 21 | 9th-10th |
| Tyson Venegas | 17 | Vancouver, Canada | 21 | 9th-10th |
| Haven Madison | 16 | Clarksville, Tennessee | 21 | 6th-8th |
| Oliver Steele | 25 | Mount Juliet, Tennessee | 21 | 6th-8th |
| Warren Peay | 24 | Bamberg, South Carolina | 21 | 6th-8th |
| Wé Ani | 23 | Harlem, New York | 21 | 4th-5th |
| Zachariah Smith | 19 | Amory, Mississippi | 21 | 4th-5th |
| Colin Stough | 18 | Amory, Mississippi | 21 | 3rd |
| Megan Danielle | 20 | Douglasville, Georgia | 21 | Runner-up |
| Iam Tongi | 18 | Kahuku, Hawaii | 21 | Winner |
| Jordan Anthony | 19 | Perth, Australia | 22 | 13th-14th |
| Nya | 28 | Manhattan, New York | 22 | 13th-14th |
| Roman Collins | 24 | Long Beach, California | 22 | 11th-12th |
| Jayna Elise | 22 | Washington, District of Columbia | 22 | 11th-12th |
| KAYKO | 23 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida | 22 | 9th-10th |
| Mia Matthews | 19 | Centre, Alabama | 22 | 9th-10th |
| Kaibrienne | 20 | Henefer, Utah | 22 | 8th |
| Julia Gagnon | 21 | Cumberland, Maine | 22 | 6th-7th |
| McKenna Faith Breinholt | 25 | Gilbert, Arizona | 22 | 6th-7th |
| Emmy Russell | 25 | Nashville, Tennessee | 22 | 4th-5th |
| Triston Harper | 15 | McIntosh, Alabama | 22 | 4th-5th |
| Jack Blocker | 25 | Dallas, Texas | 22 | 3rd |
| Will Moseley | 23 | Hazlehurst, Georgia | 22 | Runner-up |
| Abi Carter | 21 | Indio, California | 22 | Winner |