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Season 17 of American Idol premiered on ABC on Sunday March 3, 2019 and ended on May 19, 2019. It is the show's second season to air on ABC.

Ryan Seacrest returned as the host, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Luke Bryan returned as judges, and Bobby Bones returned as the in house-mentor. Bones even subbed for Ryan Seacrest as host for one episode.

This season was won by 18-year-old Louisiana singer Laine Hardy. Laine became the first Asian contestant to win.

Auditions[]

Main article: Season 17 Auditions

Twenty cities were visited by the Idol bus beginning with Orlando, Florida and San Diego, California on August 25, 2018. Auditions could also be submitted via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Musical.ly.

Auditions aired from March 3rd 2019 to March 18th 2019.

Audition Cities[]

The following cities held auditions for Season 17, dates of the auditions are also shown.

Regional Auditions[]

During the live broadcast of the 2018 Country Music Awards, three contestants didn't enter the competition and didnโ€™t audition initially, were given a chance to enter the competition. The contestants were Cameron Lenz, Natalee Spiroff, and Meghan Woods. The winner of that vote was revealed to be Meghan Woods on Good Morning America on November 16, 2018. However, Meghan Woods wasn't shown in any episode.

A murky contestant by the moniker "Lady MaPo" bewildered the judgesโ€”at first. Underneath her disguise was the previous season's winner, Maddie Poppe, helping producers play a prank on the judges.

Hollywood Week[]

During Hollywood Week, the contestants must perform in front of the judges in hopes of advancing to the next round. These rounds consist of numerous cuts while the contestants perform in solos and in groups. Only the best contestants will advance.

Hollywood Week aired on March 24 and 25, 2019. Like years prior, the first round consisted of the contestants lining up into groups of ten and each singing one at a time followed by a cut. The contestants who survived the cut would then participate in a group round where three to five contestants must choreograph a performance overnight followed by another cut. Then the remaining contestants perform one last time in front of the judges. At the end of the day, the contestants are placed into three deliberation rooms, two of the room advanced, and one was eliminated.

Forty contestants remained, and won the privilege to travel to Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii and perform in front of a crowd. Following this showcase round, the judges announce which twenty contestants would advance to the semifinals.

Judgement Round[]

The first judgement round of Hollywood was known as "Lines of Ten". Numerous groups of contestants lined up in sets of ten to perform a song individually. After a line performed, the judges chose the best to advance on while others were cut from the competition. Those who advanced moved on to the group rounds.

Group Rounds[]

The group rounds are the ultimate test of the stability and harmony of an artist within a group. Like previous seasons, contestants were required to assemble into gender neutral groups of three or more. Those who failed to assemble a group of three or more, were instantly disqualified due to the three person rule. Groups who gave a quality performance advanced on to the next round. However, groups or certain group members that didn't perform to a good enough extent were cut from the competition.

Solo Round[]

Those who advanced passed the Group Rounds had to perform a solo in front of the judges. After the performances, 40 contestants were chosen to perform in front of a live audience for their Final Judgement.

Showcase Week[]

After the Top 40 performed in front of their first full audience, they met with the judges for their Final Judgement. Only 20 were able to advance to the next round while the rest were unfortunately cut from the season.

Top 20[]

After the Final Judgement, 20 contestants were chosen to move on to the semifinals.

Males:

Females:

Semifinals[]

During the Semifinals of Season 17, the Top 20 performed in solos and in duets with Idol Alumni. The Top 20 was split into two groups, one group performing one week and the other the following week. After the combination of solos and duets were performed within a group, the judges handpicked only seven out of the twenty to continue to the next round of competition. The remaining three contestants were cut from the season. By the end of the the Top 20's performances, the Top 14 were revealed.

Celebrity Duets[]

Instead of Idol alumni since Season 16, Celebrity singers were chosen as duet partners for the Top 20 contestants. Jason Mraz, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Brett Young, Shaggy, and Elle King for the first group while Julia Michaels, Lukas Graham, lovelytheband, Cynthia Erivo, Chris Isaak, and Ben Harper were assigned for the second group.

Top 14[]

The following contestants advanced on to the Top 14:

Males

Females

Semifinal Voting Rounds[]

On April 8, the Fourteen semifinals compete for America's vote for their places in the Top 10. During tomorrow's live results, the seven contestants who received the highest amount of votes Vandenburg, Burroughs, Lloyd Harmon, Cota, Kaye Booth, Hardy, and Aranda who advanced in the Finals while the seven remaining singers who received the least amount of votes had to sing for three remaining spots to advance. Afterwards, the judges selected Uche, Graham, and Raghu to complete the Top 10.

Top 10[]

The following contestants were Season 17's Top 10:

Finals[]

Top 10 Perform[]


During this season's live shows, each performance offered real-time voting before the end of the show until the Finale on March 21. In the first round of the Finals, the contestants performed songs from the Disney films. The first two finalists will be eliminated after the performances.

Eliminated Contestants[]

Dimitrius Graham was one of the two finalists to be eliminated on April 21, 2019 bringing the total down to 8 remaining contestants.

Uchรฉ was one of the two finalists to be eliminated on April 21, 2019, bringing the total down to 8 remaining contestants.

Top 8[]

The following contestants advanced on to the Top 8:

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

  • Uchรฉ - "I 2 I" by Tevin Campbell and Rosie Gaines (from A Goofy Movie)
  • Laci Kaye Booth - "I See the Light" by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi (from Tangled)
  • Alejandro Aranda - "Remember Me" by Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcรญa Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, and Ana Ofelia Murguรญa (from Coco)
  • Alyssa Raghu - "Colors of the Wind" by Judy Kuhn (from Pocahontas)
  • Wade Cota - "You've Got a Friend in Me" by Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett (from Toy Story)
  • Dimitrius Graham - "You'll Be in My Heart" by Phil Collins (from Tarzan)
  • Walker Burroughs - "When She Loved Me" by Sarah McLachlan (from Toy Story 2)
  • Madison Vandenburg - "How Far I'll Go" by Auli'i Cravalho (from Moana)
  • Laine Hardy - "Oo-De-Lally" by Roger Miller (from Robin Hood)
  • Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon - "Candle on the Water" by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn (from Pete's Dragon)

Group Performance:

  • Group performance: "Part of Your World" with Lea Michele

Top 8 perform[]


The eight finalists who survived the first live show participated for the Idol Tour 2019. During this round of the Finals, the contestants performed songs written by Queen and also pair up as duets for singing songs from a movie or movie soundtrack. Afterwards, two contestants were eliminated at the end of the program.

Eliminated Contestants[]

Walker Burroughs was one of the two finalists to be eliminated on April 28, 2019 bringing the total down to 6 remaining contestants.

Alyssa Raghu was one of the two finalists to be eliminated on April 28, 2019, bringing the total down to 6 remaining contestants.

Top 6[]

The following contestants advanced on to the Top 6:

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Queen Night

Duets

Group Performance:

  • Group performance: "We Will Rock You" - Top 8

Top 6 Perform[]


Eliminated Contestant[]

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon was a finalist to be eliminated on May 5, 2019. The judges were torn and under the pressure of time, to decide whether to save Jeremiah or Laci from the bottom two. Ultimately, they spared Laci and thus eliminated Jeremiahโ€”bringing the total down to 5 remaining contestants.

Top 5[]

The following contestants advanced to the Top 5:

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Woodstock

Showstoppers

Top 5 Perform[]


Eliminated Contestants[]

Wade Cota was one of the two finalists to be eliminated on May 12, 2019 bringing the total down to 3 remaining contestants.

Laci Kaye Booth was one of the two finalists to be eliminated on May 12, 2019 bringing the total down to 3 remaining contestants.

Top 3[]

The following contestants advanced on to the Top 3:

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Bobby Bones' Choice

Elton John Songs

Hero Dedication Songs

Top 3 Perform[]

Main article: Season 17 Finale

In the Finale, the final three contestants performed their winner's single, a reprise of their favorite performance and a dedication to their respective hometowns. During the final results, the contestant who finished in third place will be revealed midway of the program followed by the announcement of the winner at the end of the show.

Third place[]

Madison Vandenburg finished in third place on May 19, 2019.

Runner-Up[]

Alejandro Aranda

Alejandro Aranda was announced as the Runner-Up on May 19, 2019.

Performances[]

The contestants performed in the following order:

Winner[]

Laine Hardy was declared the winner of second revival season of American Idol on May 19, 2019.

Group Performances[]

  • Lionel Richie with the Top 10 - "Dancing on the Ceiling"
  • Kool & the Gang with the Top 10 - "Hollywood Swinging", "Ladies Night", and "Celebration"

Guest Performances[]

Results[]

Females Males Top 20 Top 14 Wild Card Third place Runner-up Winner
Did Not Perform Public vote Judges' save Eliminated
Results per week
Stage: Top 20 Top 14 Top 10 Live shows
Date: 4/7 4/8 4/14 4/15 4/21 4/28 5/5 5/12 5/19
Place Contestant Result
1 Laine Hardy Safe Top 10 Winner
2 Alejandro Aranda Safe Top 10 2nd place
3 Madison Vandenburg Safe Top 10 3rd place
4-5 Laci Kaye Booth Safe Top 10 Saved Elim
Wade Cota Safe Top 10
6 Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon Safe Top 10 Elim
7-8 Walker Burroughs Safe Top 10 Elim
Alyssa Raghu Safe Not Chosen Saved
9-10 Dimitrius Graham Safe Not Chosen Saved Elim
Uchรฉ Safe Not Chosen Saved
11-14 Evelyn Cormier Safe Not Chosen Elim
Ashley Hess Safe Not Chosen
Eddie Island Safe Not Chosen
Riley Thompson Safe Not Chosen
15-20 Ryan Hammond Elim
Logan Johnson
Raquel Trinidad
Kate Barnette Elim
Bumbly
Shawn Robinson

Trivia[]

  • The Final Showcase episode in which the Top 20 is revealed, as well as the Grand Finale, are the longest American Idol episodes to date, at three hours long.

Gallery[]

Main article: Season 17/Gallery


Season 17
Finalists
 ยทLaine Hardy ยทAlejandro Aranda ยทMadison VanDenburg ยทLaci Kaye Booth ยทWade Cota ยทJeremiah Lloyd Harmon ยทWalker Burroughs ยทAlyssa Raghu ยทDimitrius Graham ยทUchรฉ
Semifinalists
 ยทEvelyn Cormier ยทAshley Hess ยทEddie Island ยทRiley Thompson
 ยทKate Barnette ยทBumbly ยทRyan Hammond ยทLogan Johnson ยทShawn Robinson ยทRaquel Trinidad
American Idol
Seasons
(FOX) ยท1 ยท2 ยท3 ยท4 ยท5 ยท6 ยท7 ยท8 ยท9 ยท10 ยท11 ยท12 ยท13 ยท14 ยท15 โ€” (ABC) ยท16 ยท17 ยท18 ยท19 ยท20 ยท21 ยท22
Judges
 ยทSimon Cowell (Seasons 1-9) ยทPaula Abdul (Seasons 1-8) ยทRandy Jackson (Seasons 1-12)
 ยทKara DioGuardi (Seasons 8-9) ยทEllen DeGeneres (Season 9) ยทJennifer Lopez (Seasons 10-11|13-15)
 ยทSteven Tyler (Seasons 10-11) ยทNicki Minaj (Season 12) ยทMariah Carey (Season 12) ยทKeith Urban (Seasons 12-15)
 ยทHarry Connick, Jr. (Seasons 13-15) ยทKaty Perry (Seasons 16-22) ยทLionel Richie (Seasons 16+) ยทLuke Bryan (Seasons 16+)
Personnel
 ยทRyan Seacrest (Seasons 1+) ยทBrian Dunkleman (Season 1) ยทSimon Fuller (Seasons 1-15) ยทNigel Lythgoe (Seasons 1-7/10-12) ยทMegan Wolflick (Seasons 14+) ยทJimmy Iovine (Seasons 10-12) ยทScott Borchetta (Seasons 14-15) ยทBobby Bones (Seasons 16-19) ยทRickey Minor (Seasons 4-9/13-15) ยทRay Chew (Seasons 10-12) ยทKristopher Pooley (Seasons 16+) ยทMichael Orland (Seasons 1-17) ยทDebra Byrd (Seasons 1-10|โ€ ) ยทPeggi Blu (Seasons 10-11) ยทPeisha McPhee (Seasons 10-13) ยทAdriana McPhee (Seasons 17+) ยทDevin Velez (S12; Seasons 22+) ยทAllison Iraheta (S8; Seasons 13-15) ยทFelicia Barton (S8; Seasons 16+)
Winners
 ยทKelly Clarkson ยทRuben Studdard ยทFantasia Barrino ยทCarrie Underwood ยทTaylor Hicks ยทJordin Sparks ยทDavid Cook
 ยทKris Allen ยทLee DeWyze ยทScotty McCreery ยทPhillip Phillips ยทCandice Glover ยทCaleb Johnson ยทNick Fradiani
 ยทTrent Harmon ยทMaddie Poppe ยทLaine Hardy ยทJust Sam ยทChayce Beckham ยทNoah Thompson ยทIam Tongi ยทAbi Carter
Runners-Up
 ยทJustin Guarini ยทClay Aiken ยทDiana DeGarmo ยทBo Bice ยทKatharine McPhee ยทBlake Lewis ยทDavid Archuleta ยทAdam Lambert ยทCrystal Bowersox ยทLauren Alaina ยทJessica Sanchez ยทKree Harrison ยทJena Irene ยทClark Beckham ยทLa'Porsha Renae ยทCaleb Lee Hutchinson ยทAlejandro Aranda ยทArthur Gunn ยทWillie Spence (โ€ ) ยทHunterGirl ยทMegan Danielle ยทWill Moseley
Notable Alumni
 ยทAlex Lambert ยทAlex Preston ยทAllegra Miles ยทAngie Miller ยทAnilee List ยทAnoop Desai ยทBeane ยทBenson Boone ยทBriston Maroney
 ยทBrooke White ยทCarly Smithson ยทCasey Abrams ยทCasey Bishop ยทCassandra Coleman ยทChris Daughtry ยทColton Dixon ยทDanny Gokey ยทDavid Brown ยทDeAndre Brackensick ยทElise Testone ยทElliott Yamin ยทFrancisco Martin ยทFritz Hager ยทGabby Barrett
 ยทGrace Kinstler ยทGraham DeFranco ยทHaley Reinhart ยทHollie Cavanagh ยทHunter Metts ยทJack Blocker ยทJacob Lusk
 ยทJames Durbin ยทJAX ยทJen Hirsh ยทJennifer Hudson ยทJeremiah Lloyd Harmon ยทJessica Meuse ยทJimmie Allen ยทJoey Cook
 ยทJosh Gracin ยทJoshua Ledet ยทJurnee ยทKaibrienne ยทKatie Stevens ยทKayla Mickelsen ยทKellie Pickler ยทLaci Kaye Booth ยทLaToya London ยทLauren Daigle ยทLauren Spencer-Smith ยทLeah Marlene ยทMandisa (โ€ ) ยทMargie Mays ยทMario Vรกzquez ยทMary Jo Young ยทMatt Giraud
 ยทMegan Joy ยทMelinda Doolittle ยทMichael J. Woodard ยทMycale Guyton ยทNadia Turner ยทNaima Adedapo ยทNikko Smith ยทParis Bennett
 ยทPaul McDonald ยทPhil Stacey ยทQuentin Alexander ยทRayvon Owen ยทRicky Braddy ยทSanjaya Malakar ยทShubha Vedula ยทSkylar Laine ยทSophia Wackerman ยทTamyra Gray ยทTim Halperin ยทTodrick Hall ยทTori Kelly ยทVonzell Solomon ยทWรฉ Ani ยทZachariah Smith
Coronation Songs
 ยท"A Moment Like This" ยท"Flying Without Wings" ยท"I Believe" ยท"Inside Your Heaven" ยท"Do I Make You Proud?"
 ยท"This Is My Now" ยท"The Time of My Life" ยท"No Boundaries" ยท"Beautiful Day" ยท"I Love You This Big" ยท"Home"
 ยท"I Am Beautiful" ยท"As Long as You Love Me" ยท"Beautiful Life" ยท"Falling" ยท"Going, Going, Gone"
 ยท"Flame" ยท"Rise Up" ยท"23" ยท"One Day Tonight" ยท"I'll Be Seeing You" ยท"This Isn't Over"
R.โ€ .P.
 ยทNikki McKibbin ยทRickey Smith ยทLeah LaBelle ยทMarque Lynche ยทMandisa ยทMichael Johns ยทJoanne Borgella ยทC.J. Harris
โ€” ยทAlexis Cohen ยทAustin Sisneros ยทJairon Jackson ยทMary Iaconelli ยทPaula Goodspeed
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