American Idol season 15
The fifteenth season of American Idol, also branded as American Idol: The Farewell Season, premiered on the Fox television network on January 6, 2016. Ryan Seacrest continued as the host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Scott Borchetta also returned as the in-house mentor. On April 7, 2016, Trent Harmon was announced as this season's winner and La'Porsha Renae was the runner-up.
It was the series' final season to air on Fox. Despite the announcement that the series would be ending, ABC announced in May 2017 that they would revive American Idol.
Changes from previous seasons
For the first time, performances by the top 24 were judged solely by the show's judges and producers, who determined which contestants were eliminated. From each group of twelve, seven were advanced and five were eliminated, resulting in a top 14 for the third week of the semifinals.The voting limit for this season was set at ten votes per contestant per voting method, half of what it had been the previous season.
Regional auditions
The American Idol "Audition Bus Tour" visited the following cities: Seattle; Providence, Rhode Island; Baltimore, Maryland; San Diego, California; Pittsburgh; Tucson, Arizona; Indianapolis, Indiana; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Athens, Georgia; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oxford, Mississippi; and Wilmington, North Carolina. American Idol partnered with two technology companies to allow people to audition using video recording kiosks and mobile apps in Culver City, California, and Nashville.Auditions took place in:
Semifinals
The top 24 semifinalists were split into two groups of twelve, and their performances were filmed at The Vibiana in Los Angeles. Each round consisted of back-to-back performances: each contestant sang one solo in the episode which aired on Wednesday, and one duet with an American Idol alumnus in the episode that aired on Thursday.Color key:
Top 24 (Group 1)
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Order | Solo song | Order | Duet song | Result |
| Stephany Negrete | 1 | "Mamma Knows Best" | 3 | "Superstar" ' | Eliminated |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 2 | "Say Something (A [Great Big World song)|Say Something]" | 7 | "I Hope You Dance" ' | Wild Card |
| Jeneve Rose Mitchell | 3 | "Angel" | 11 | "Gone" ' | Wild Card |
| Jenna Renae | 4 | "My Church" | 5 | "See You Tonight" ' | Eliminated |
| James VIII | 5 | "Love Lockdown" | 10 | "Gimme Shelter" ' | Eliminated |
| Sonika Vaid | 6 | "Safe & Sound" | 4 | "Skyfall" ' | Wild Card |
| Gianna Isabella | 7 | "I Put a Spell on You" | 8 | "Beautiful Life" ' | Wild Card |
| Emily Brooke | 8 | "I Am Invincible" | 1 | "Flat on the Floor" ' | Eliminated |
| Avalon Young | 9 | "Love Yourself" | 9 | "Flying Without Wings" ' | Wild Card |
| Jordan Sasser | 10 | "All by Myself" | 12 | "I Believe" ' | Eliminated |
| Thomas Stringfellow | 11 | "Creep" | 2 | "Man in the Mirror" ' | Wild Card |
| La'Porsha Renae | 12 | "Proud Mary" | 6 | "Summertime" ' | Advanced |
Top 24 (Group 2)
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Order | Solo song | Order | Duet song | Result |
| Shelbie Z | 1 | "Work Hard, Play Harder" | 12 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" ' | Eliminated |
| Manny Torres | 2 | "Adventure of a Lifetime" | 5 | "No Air" ' | Wild Card |
| Kory Wheeler | 3 | "Let It Go" | 2 | "Bennie and the Jets" ' | Eliminated |
| Amelia Eisenhauer | 4 | "Wake Me Up" | 1 | "Suds in the Bucket" ' | Eliminated |
| Jenn Blosil | 5 | "Sorry" | 6 | "My Funny Valentine" ' | Wild Card |
| C. J. Johnson | 6 | "I'll Be" | 4 | "The World I Know" ' | Eliminated |
| Lee Jean | 7 | "Runaway" | 3 | "Home" ' | Wild Card |
| Trent Harmon | 8 | "What Are You Listening To" | 11 | "Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]" ' | Advanced |
| Tristan McIntosh | 9 | "Good Girl" | 7 | "Best Days of Your Life" ' | Wild Card |
| Adam Lasher | 10 | "Black and Gold" | 9 | "Falling in Love">Falling (Trent Harmon song)">Falling in Love" ' | Eliminated |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 11 | "Rebel Yell" | 10 | "Higher Ground" ' | Advanced |
| Olivia Rox | 12 | "Confident" | 8 | "Light On" ' | Advanced |
Wild Card round
Following the judges' selection of four contestants to advance to the Finals, the remaining ten semifinalists competed for the viewers' votes. Six of them advanced to complete the final group of ten. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Manny Torres | "Master Blaster (Jammin')" | Eliminated |
| Gianna Isabella | "I Put a Spell on You" | Advanced |
| Thomas Stringfellow | "Story of My Life" | Eliminated |
| Tristan McIntosh | "What Hurts the Most" | Advanced |
| Avalon Young | "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" | Advanced |
| Jenn Blosil | "True Colors" | Eliminated |
| Lee Jean | "Make It Rain" | Advanced |
| Sonika Vaid | "I Surrender" | Advanced |
| Jeneve Rose Mitchell | "Ring of Fire" | Eliminated |
| MacKenzie Bourg | "Roses" | Advanced |
Top 10 finalists
- Trent Harmon was from Amory, Mississippi. He auditioned in Little Rock, singing "Unaware" by Allen Stone. When Harmon suffered mononucleosis during Hollywood Week, he continued by singing Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" as his first solo. In the group round, he was not able to perform with the other contestants due to his illness, and the producers allowed him to perform a solo to advance. He earned a spot in the top 24 during Showcase Week after performing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer."
- La'Porsha Renae was from McComb, Mississippi. She had previously auditioned during the eighth season. She auditioned in Little Rock with Radiohead's "Creep." In Hollywood, she performed Katy Perry's "Roar" as her first solo. She advanced to the top 24 after she sang "The House of the Rising Sun" during Showcase Week.
- Dalton Rapattoni was from Sunnyvale, Texas. He auditioned in Little Rock, with "The [Phantom of the Opera (song)|The Phantom of the Opera]." As his first solo in Hollywood, he sang "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas. He sang Olivia Newton-John's "Hopelessly Devoted to You" as his final solo. He advanced to the Top 24 after he sang "It's Gonna Be Me" by NSYNC during Showcase Week.
- MacKenzie Bourg was from Lafayette, Louisiana. He auditioned at Atlanta by performing a medley of songs by the judges. He sang his original song, "Roses," as his final solo to advance to the Showcase round. He advanced to the top 24 after he performed "Can't Help Falling in Love".
- Sonika Vaid was originally from Weston, Massachusetts, but moved to Martha's Vineyard. She sang "Look at Me" by Carrie Underwood at her audition in Denver, and received high praise from the judges. She then progressed to the first round in Hollywood, where she sang "Almost Is Never Enough." As her final solo in Hollywood, she performed "One Last Time" by Ariana Grande. In the Showcase round, she performed "I Surrender" by Celine Dion and advanced to the Top 24.
- Tristan McIntosh was from Nashville, Tennessee. She auditioned in Little Rock, performing "Why Baby Why" by Mickey Guyton. In Hollywood, she sang "Something in the Water" by Carrie Underwood as her first solo. She advanced to the Showcase round after performing her final solo, "What Hurts the Most." She advanced to the top 24 after singing "Stronger" by Faith Hill.
- Lee Jean was from Bluffton, South Carolina. He auditioned in Atlanta, where he sang Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire." He sang "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes as his final solo. During Showcase week, he sang "Make It Rain" and earned a spot in the top 24.
- Avalon Young was from San Diego, California. She auditioned in San Francisco by performing an acoustic version of "XO" by Beyoncé. During the final round in Hollywood, she sang Ariana Grande's "One Last Time" and advanced in the Showcase Round. She sang "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" by Chris Brown and advanced to the top 24 semifinals.
- Gianna Isabella was from Jackson, New Jersey. She auditioned in Philadelphia, where she sang "The House of the Rising Sun." She sang "One Night Only" as her first solo in Hollywood. She sang her mother's hit single. "I Still Believe," during Showcase Week and advanced to the top 24.
- Olivia Rox was from Agoura Hills, California. She auditioned in San Francisco, where she performed "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars. She advanced in the first round in Hollywood by performing "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera. She sang one of her original songs and advanced to Showcase Week. She advanced to the top 24 after she sang Maroon 5's "Love Somebody."
Finals
There were seven weeks of finals with ten contestants competing. For the first three weeks, the judges had the ability to save one contestant amongst the bottom three or two, that resulted from America's votes based upon the previous week's performances. As of the Top 5, the results reverted back entirely to America's vote.Color key:
Top 10 – Songs from 2002–present
served as a guest judge this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Olivia Rox | "Unconditionally" | Eliminated |
| Gianna Isabella | "Listen" | Eliminated |
| Lee Jean | "Skinny Love" | Safe |
| Avalon Young | "Stitches" | Saved by the judges |
| Dalton Rapattoni | "Hey There Delilah" | Safe |
| Tristan McIntosh | "Nothin' Like You" | Safe |
| MacKenzie Bourg | "I See Fire" | Safe |
| La'Porsha Renae | "Diamonds" | Safe |
| Sonika Vaid | "Bring Me to Life" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | "Like I Can" | Safe |
Top 8 – Grammy">Grammy Awards">Grammy hits
Avalon Young, Olivia Rox, and Gianna Isabella were in the Bottom 3 based on America's votes from the previous week's episode. Rox performed "Trouble" while Isabella performed "If I Ain't Got You". However, Young's performance of "Earned It" earned the judges' save amongst the three, and consequently, the other two were eliminated. Young's performance was nevertheless up for America's vote along with the other seven. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Dalton Rapattoni | "Radioactive" | Safe |
| Lee Jean | "Use Somebody" | Eliminated |
| Sonika Vaid | "Since U Been Gone" | Saved by the judges |
| MacKenzie Bourg | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" | Safe |
| La'Porsha Renae | "Halo" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | "When a Man Loves a Woman" | Safe |
| Tristan McIntosh | "Go Rest High on That Mountain" | Safe |
| Avalon Young | "Earned It" | Eliminated |
Top 6 – Popular songs of all time
Contestants performed two songs each: one duet with a fellow contestant, and one solo. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.Avalon Young, Lee Jean, and Sonika Vaid were in the Bottom 3 based on America's votes from the previous week's episode. Duets were done before revealing the results from the previous week. Young performed "P.Y.T." while Jean performed "Let It Be". However, Vaid's performance of "I Have Nothing" earned the judges' save amongst the three, and consequently, the other two were eliminated. Vaid's performance was nevertheless up for America's vote along with the other five. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Trent Harmon & La'Porsha Renae | 1 | "See You Again" | |
| Sonika Vaid & Avalon Young | 2 | "Rise Up" | |
| MacKenzie Bourg & Dalton Rapattoni | 3 | "I Want It That Way" | |
| Lee Jean & Tristan McIntosh | 4 | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | |
| La'Porsha Renae | 5 | "Come Together" | Safe |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 6 | "You Are So Beautiful" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | 7 | "Stand by Me" | Safe |
| Tristan McIntosh | 8 | "A Broken Wing" | Eliminated |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 9 | "Eleanor Rigby" | Safe |
| Sonika Vaid | 10 | "I Have Nothing" | Saved by the judges |
Top 5 – America's song choice
Contestants performed two songs each, one of which was chosen by the voters on Twitter. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.Tristan McIntosh and Sonika Vaid were in the Bottom 2 based on America's votes from the previous week's episode. McIntosh performed "Independence Day". However, Vaid's performance of "Let It Go" earned the judges' final opportunity to rescue a contestant, and consequently, McIntosh was eliminated midway through the show, prior to singing a second song. Vaid's performances were nevertheless up for America's vote along with the other four.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Trent Harmon | 1 | "Counting Stars" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | 8 | "Simple Man" | Safe |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 2 | "Numb" | Bottom two |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 6 | "The Sound of Silence" | Bottom two |
| La'Porsha Renae | 3 | "Ready for Love" | Safe |
| La'Porsha Renae | 10 | "No More Drama" | Safe |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 4 | "Wild World" | Safe |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 7 | "Billie Jean" | Safe |
| Sonika Vaid | 5 | "Let It Go" | Eliminated |
| Sonika Vaid | 9 | "Clarity" | Eliminated |
Top 4 – Classic rock & Sia
and Stevie Van Zandt served as guest mentors this week. Contestants performed two songs: a classic rock song and a song from Sia's discography. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.In a deviation from other weeks, Sonika Vaid did not perform before she was eliminated, based on the previous week's votes.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| La'Porsha Renae | 1 | "Wanted Dead or Alive" | Bottom two |
| La'Porsha Renae | 5 | "Elastic Heart" | Bottom two |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 2 | "I Want You to Want Me" | Eliminated |
| MacKenzie Bourg | 6 | "Titanium" | Eliminated |
| Trent Harmon | 3 | "Sharp Dressed Man" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | 7 | "Chandelier" | Safe |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 4 | "God Only Knows" | Safe |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 8 | "Bird Set Free" | Safe |
Top 3
Each contestant performed three songs: one dedicated to the finalists' hometowns, one chosen by mentor Scott Borchetta, and one chosen by the judges. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.MacKenzie Bourg performed "Hallelujah," but was eliminated based on the previous week's votes.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 1 | "Calling You" | Eliminated |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 4 | "Dancing in the Dark" | Eliminated |
| Dalton Rapattoni | 7 | "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" | Eliminated |
| Trent Harmon | 2 | "Tennessee Whiskey" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | 6 | "Drink You Away" | Safe |
| Trent Harmon | 9 | "Waiting Game" | Safe |
| La'Porsha Renae | 3 | "Glory" | Safe |
| La'Porsha Renae | 5 | "Stay with Me" | Safe |
| La'Porsha Renae | 8 | "Hello" | Safe |
Top 2 – Finale
Each contestant performed three songs, one of which was chosen by producer Simon Fuller, and are listed in the order they performed.This episode is notable for the return of Brian Dunkleman for one more episode.
Dalton Rapattoni performed "Strike A Match," but was eliminated based on the previous week's votes.
| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Trent Harmon | 1 | "Falling" | Winner |
| Trent Harmon | 3 | "If [You Don't Know Me by Now]" | Winner |
| Trent Harmon | 5 | "Chandelier" | Winner |
| La'Porsha Renae | 2 | "Battles" | Runner-up |
| La'Porsha Renae | 4 | "A [House Is Not a Home (song)|A House Is Not a Home]" | Runner-up |
| La'Porsha Renae | 6 | "Diamonds" | Runner-up |
Elimination chart
'''Color key:'''Reception
U.S. Nielsen ratings
Live + same day ratingsThe fifteenth season premiered to 10.96 million viewers, the second lowest since the series premiere. It received an all-time-low 3.0/9 18–49 rating, down 9% from last season. The season finale however had 13.30 million viewers, 5 million more than the fourteenth season finale.
Live + 7 day ratings
| No. | Episode | Air date | Timeslot | DVR 18–49 | DVR viewers | Total 18–49 | Total viewers | Ref. |
| 1 | "Denver & Atlanta Auditions" | January 6, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 2.28 | 3.7 | 13.25 | |
| 2 | "Little Rock & San Francisco Auditions" | January 7, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.8 | 2.24 | 3.5 | 12.45 | |
| 3 | "Philadelphia Auditions" | January 13, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 1.84 | 3.2 | 11.61 | |
| 4 | "Denver & Little Rock Auditions" | January 14, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 2.05 | 2.9 | 10.77 | |
| 5 | "Auditions No. 5" | January 20, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 1.51 | 3.1 | 10.73 | |
| 6 | "Auditions No. 6" | January 21, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 2.05 | 3.1 | 11.42 | |
| 7 | "Hollywood Week: Lines of Ten" | January 27, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.6 | 1.88 | 3.1 | 11.50 | |
| 8 | "Hollywood Week: Group Rounds" | January 28, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 2.23 | 3.0 | 11.01 | |
| 9 | "Hollywood Week: Solo Round" | February 3, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 2.04 | 3.0 | 11.21 | |
| 10 | "Final Judgement" | February 4, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.7 | 2.04 | 2.9 | 10.98 | |
| 11 | "Semi-Final #1: 1st 12 Performances" | February 10, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 1.55 | 2.7 | 10.71 | |
| 12 | "Semi-Final #2: Judge's Vote" | February 11, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 1.48 | 2.5 | 10.44 | |
| 13 | "Semi-Final #3: 2nd 12 Performances" | February 17, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 1.47 | 2.5 | 9.76 | |
| 14 | "Semi-Final #4: Judge's Vote" | February 18, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 1.57 | 2.4 | 9.76 | |
| 15 | "Top 10 Wild Card Round" | February 24, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 1.30 | 2.6 | 10.22 | |
| 16 | "Top 10 Perform" | February 25, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 1.73 | 2.6 | 10.45 | |
| 17 | "Top 8 Perform: Grammy Hits" | March 3, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 1.63 | 2.4 | 10.37 | |
| 18 | "Top 6 Perform: American Idol Songbook" | March 10, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 2.02 | 2.3 | 10.08 | |
| 19 | "Top 5 Perform: America's Choice" | March 17, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 1.66 | 2.2 | 9.89 | |
| 20 | "Top 4 Perform: Sia & classic rock songs" | March 24, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 1.24 | 2.1 | 9.26 | |
| 21 | "Top 3 Perform: Hometown Dedication" | March 31, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 1.50 | 2.5 | 10.61 | |
| 22 | "American Dream" | April 5, 2016 | Tuesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | — | 1.8 | — | |
| 23 | "Top 2 Perform" | April 6, 2016 | Wednesday 8:00 p.m. | 0.4 | 1.53 | 2.6 | 11.23 | |
| 24 | "Series Finale" | April 7, 2016 | Thursday 8:00 p.m. | 0.5 | 1.57 | 3.5 | 14.87 |