TOP 10: “American Idol” Contestants Who Didn’t Win
American Idol returns Sunday, March 9, 8pm on ABC (where it moved in 2018, after 15 seasons on Fox). While the show is nowhere near the ratings juggernaut that it was in its heyday — from 2006 to 2010 it was the most-watched series on American televisions — the show still has cultural cachet, and its cattle calls of performing hopefuls have generated bona fide megastars.
Many of those big names won the show, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood (who joins the judging panel for the new season, 20 years after she won Season 4), Jordin Sparks, and Phillip Phillips. But Idol also made stars out of many contestants who did not take the win. Read on for our list of the Top 10 non-winning Idol finalists.
You Might Also Like…
Honorable Mention: Adore Delano/Dani Noriega (Season 7, Top 16)
The artist now known as Adore Delano didn't make it to the finals when she competed on American Idol Season 7 under her deadname; she was eliminated at the Top 16. But Adore made a big name for herself, sparring with the judges — especially Simon Cowell — and her flamboyant performances that more or less telegraphed to viewers that she was openly queer. That was a big deal for Idol in 2009. Adore found greater success under her drag persona, joining the cast of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 6 and making it all the way to the finale. Adore had a successful music career after Idol, releasing three pop albums, touring the world, and scoring hits on the Billboard Dance/Electronic and Independent charts. She has more than 2 million followers on Instagram. In 2023, Adore publicly came out as transgender.
10. Mandisa (Season 5, 9th Place)
Mandisa was beloved during her time on Idol, and her elimination was something of a surprise — she had never been in the bottom before the night she went home. She also made headlines for standing up to judge Simon Cowell's body-shaming comments about her weight. After her Idol elimination, Mandisa focused on Christian music, releasing six albums. Her 2013 album Overcomer won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, making her the fifth Idol alum to win a Grammy. Tragically, Mandisa died in 2024 at the age of 47.
9. Kellie Pickler (Season 5, 6th Place)
Following in the boots of Idol's first country breakout, Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler had a huge fan following after her run on Idol's fifth season. In addition to her Tanya Tucker-style vocals, she also had a lovable, daffy personality. After Idol, Pickler went on to significant success in the country music scene, releasing four albums, scoring several hits ("Best Days Of Your Life" is a total banger), being nominated for multiple industry awards, and touring extensively with other major country stars. Among them was a young woman named Taylor Swift, who became a close friend of Pickler's, and even wrote and sang back-up on some of her songs. She went on to win the 16th season of Dancing with the Stars with partner Derek Hough.
8. Constantine Maroulis (Season 4, 6th Place)
Maroulis was one of Idol's first heart throbs, and one of the first contestants to skew more toward rock than pop or ballads. While Maroulis released music after Idol, his greatest success came by way of Broadway, where he played the lead character in the 80s jukebox musical Rock of Ages. In 2009 he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for the role. After a successful run on Rock of Ages (he even has a cameo in the flop film version starring Tom Cruise), he went on to play the lead role in a Broadway revival of Jekyll & Hyde opposite r'n'b and dance-music queen Deborah Cox; he was nominated for a Drama Desk award for that performance. He continues to perform regularly in theatrical productions in New York and beyond.
7. David Archuleta (Season 7, Runner-Up)
Many viewers were furious when the Season 7 finale — the Battle of the Davids — ended up with the OTHER David (alt-rocker David Cook) taking the title. Archuleta was seen by many as the fan favorite since he was introduced, with his fresh-faced, teen-idol looks being matched by a squeaky-clean image and solid pop-star vocals; years earlier he had won Junior Vocal Champion on Season 2 of Star Search, which was Idol before Idol ever thought to Idol. How popular was Archuleta (lovingly referred to as "Archie" by many fans?)? Several of the songs he covered on Idol ended up on the actual Billboard charts. His first post-show single, "Crush," was a massive hit. He won the Teen Choice Award for "Most Fanatic Fans." He has gone on to have continued success musically — he has released eight albums — and in other endeavors; in 2023 he again finished second on The Masked Singer. His personal life gets tricky. A devout Mormon during his time on Idol, Archuleta publicly identified himself as queer in 2022, formally split with the Church of Latter-Day Saints in 2023, and in 2024 publicly stated that he is gay.
6. Lauren Alaina (Season 10, Runner-Up)
Season 10 was notable for giving us our first all-country Final 2, with Alaina up against eventual winner Scotty McCreery. Alaina's journey on Idol was fascinating, as it became clear during the live shows that the bubbly blonde struggled intensely with stage fright. Since Idol, Alaina has gone on to a spectacularly successful country-music career, actually experiencing more success with her subsequent albums (she has released three thus far). She has become an in-demand duet artist in country music, scoring a major hit with Kane Brown on "What Ifs." She has won two CMT Music Awards, one Academy of Country Music Award, and as of 2022, was inducted in the Grand Ole Opry, making her the youngest current member of the revered country institution.
5. Clay Aiken (Season 2, Runner-Up)
Today's children will never understand the intense grip in which Clay Aiken held the middle-aged women of America during and for several years after his 2003 run on American Idol. The man's fans had their own nickname: Claymates. Aiken losing to Ruben Studdard in the Season 2 finale — many people don't even remember that he lost! — was one of the first great shocks in Idol history, but it was only the beginning for Aiken, whose appeal can be summed up as "Manilow-esque." In the mid-2000s, Aiken was a major music star. His first solo album, Measure of Man, debuted on top of the Billboard record chart, selling 600,000+ copies in ONE WEEK; it would go on to sell more than 2 million. A big part of that was the single "Invisible," the lyrics of which may be creepy, but man, is it great. He went on to become a best-selling author via his memoir Learning to Sing, a Broadway star with his 2008 role in Spamalot!, a reality-TV star by finishing in second (again!) on Celebrity Apprentice (to Arsenio Hall), and even a politician, running for Congressional seats in North Carolina.
4. Katharine McPhee (Season 5, Runner-Up)
McPhee has been a polarizing figure since her time on Idol, where she was portrayed uncharitably, and was the target of negatitivy from the "Soul Patron" fanbase of that season's inevitable winner, Taylor Hicks (ugh). One thing that was never debated: her vocal talent, as McPhee was a powerhouse balladeer with a theatrical sensibility. After Idol, she released several albums of original pop music and scored adult-contemporary hits with "Over It" and "Had It All," and put out one of my favorite holiday albums of all time, Christmas Is the Time to Say I Love You . McPhee's biggest successes have come in acting, as she was one of the twin leads in the Steven Spielberg-produced Broadway musical drama Smash, which aired on NBC for two seasons. The show was a great showcase for McPhee's singing and acting chops, and after it ended, she was a main cast member on CBS' Scorpion for its four-season run. She has since appeared on Broadway as the lead character in Waitress. She has made headlines several times for her controversial personal life, most recently for her 2019 marriage to music producer David Foster, who is 35 years her senior.
3. Adam Lambert (Season 8, Runner-Up)
In the history of American Idol, there are a few truly shocking results. The Season 8 finale is one them. If you took social media into consideration, Lambert came into the last episode as the hands-down favorite; his opponent, Kris Allen, was well liked and certainly talented, but Lambert had been emanating star power pretty much since his initial audition. His rock-opera vocals and extravagant style earned him throngs of fans, especially middle-aged women who perhaps saw him as a kind of second coming of Elvia Presley or David Bowie. But when a video of Lambert kissing a man at Burning Man surfaced during the live-voting portion of the competition, the conservative media machine went into high gear, smearing him. When the final votes were counted, Lambert lost to Allen. Even Allen himself publicly stated that Lambert should have won. But don't cry for Lambert! (Especially if, like him, you're wearing copious amounts of mascara.) He has gone on to a spectacularly successful career, with three solo albums, the second of which — 2012's Trespassing — debuted on top of the Billboard charts, making him the first openly gay artist to do so. In addition to his own solo success, he has also become the new frontman for legendary rock band Queen, taking over vocals for the late, great Freddie Mercury when the British icons take the stage. In 2024 he made his Broadway lead debut, replacing Eddie Redmayne in the revival of Cabaret.
2. Chris Daughtry (Season 5, 4th Place)
Given that Daughtry is the fourth Season 5 alum on this list, you can infer that the season was absolutely stacked with breakout talent. It is ironic, then, that it produced one of the least-successful winners of the "classic" Idol era in blue-eyed-soul singer Taylor Hicks, who — last I checked — was appearing in touring productions of Grease. Daughtry's elimination in fourth place was one of the great face-crack moments in Idol history, as pretty much everyone pegged him as at least a Top 2 finisher, if not the eventual winner. While other Idol performers had started to bring rock into the show, Daughtry is the one who mastered it, blowing away audiences with his full-throated, attention-grabbing vocals and raw masculine energy. After the show, he launched his own eponymous rock band, which experienced instant megastardom — Daughtry's self-titled debut album became the No. 1 selling album of 2007. Daughtry is currently the third-best-selling Idol alum in history, placing behind winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood. The band was nominated for a Grammy for its smash hit "It's Not Over."
1. Jennifer Hudson (Season 3, 7th Place)
I distinctly remember the uproar in 2004 when Hudson was eliminated so early in the finals of Season 3; many voices — including Elton John himself! — decried the result as an indication of obvious racism on the part of the audience (all three contestants up for elimination that week were African-American women). That shock elimination was probably the best thing that ever happened to Hudson, as it freed her up to be cast as Effie in the bigscreen adaptation of the musical Dreamgirls, in which she starred opposite Beyonce...and promptly stole the whole picture, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007. But that's not the only award she has won! Hudson is one of the rarified performers to secure an EGOT — Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony — and is in fact the youngest woman to ever do so. She's had major success on Broadway in The Color Purple reboot, portrayed Aretha Franklin in the biopic Respect, released multiple r'n'b albums, and since 2022 she has hosted her own syndicated daytime talk show. From 7th Place on Idol to EGOT winner in less than 20 years; now THAT is an American idol.
Who are YOUR favorite American Idol non-winners? Leave a comment below!
