American Idol season 8
The eighth season of American Idol premiered on Tuesday, January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned as judges, while Ryan Seacrest returned as host. This season introduced Kara DioGuardi as a permanent fourth judge. This season was also Paula Abdul's last season as a judge. Kris Allen was announced the winner of the competition on May 20, 2009, defeating runner-up Adam Lambert after nearly 100 million votes were cast.
The eighth season saw numerous changes to the format of the show. There were 36 semifinalists instead of 24, and thirteen finalists instead of twelve: nine contestants chosen by the public and four by the judges in a Wild Card round. Another addition was the "judges' save," which allowed the judges to veto one elimination during the competition, and was used to veto Matt Giraud's elimination.
Multiple contestants from this season were signed to record deals including Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai, and Michael Sarver.
Changes from previous seasons
Several changes were planned for the eighth season. Fox Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said that Idol would feature fewer "William Hung-like" contestants and "funny auditions," and would quickly move its focus to the potential singers during the earlier stages of the competition, thus moving the season at a faster pace. Mike Darnell, president of Fox's alternative programming, said the contestants would be more emotional and that viewers would learn more about them and their pasts than they had in the previous season. Songwriter and record producer Kara DioGuardi was added as a permanent fourth judge. She had previously collaborated with Celine Dion, Hilary Duff, Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Leona Lewis and Christina Aguilera, and produced several Top 40 hits. As a songwriter, she had already worked with several American Idol alumni and winners including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, David Archuleta, and David Cook. Meanwhile, Ken Warwick became the new executive producer, as Nigel Lythgoe had left the show to focus on So You Think You Can Dance and his new show with Simon Fuller, Superstars of Dance. Idol Gives Back was canceled for the eighth season, as the Great Recession left Idol officials uncomfortable about asking financially struggling viewers to donate. The semifinals had the biggest change as the Wild Card round returned for the first time since the third season. After voters picked three finalists from each of three groups of 12 semifinalists, the judges selected eight of the previously eliminated 27 semifinalists to return and perform on the March 5 show. They were judged by the panel, instead of a vote by the viewers, with four advancing to the finals. Although the finals had been billed from the beginning of the season as a set of 12 contestants, the judges announced at the last minute that they would be advancing a fourth Wild Card contestant, resulting in 13 singers advancing to the finals.Judges' save
Another change to the Idol format was the judges' save, an element previously used in France's Nouvelle Star. The judges were given the power to veto one elimination in the finals for that particular week. The veto could only be used until the top 5. The next week, two contestants would be eliminated if the judges' save were used. The save could only be used once per season and must be a unanimous decision. The new format change was revealed on March 11, 2009. The first recipient of the judges' save was Matt Giraud.Regional auditions
Auditions began July 17, 2008, and were held in the following cities:Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 15, 2008, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible included former contestants who had previously reached the semifinals of the first through third seasons, or the last phase of the Hollywood round of the fourth through seventh seasons, those holding recording or management contracts, or those who were not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Hollywood week
The Hollywood round moved from the Orpheum Theatre to the Kodak Theatre, which had previously been used for the finales in the first and third through sixth seasons.In the first round, the 147 contestants each sang a short solo a cappella performance of any song. The next round had the remaining 107 contestants performing in groups of three or four. The 72 contestants who survived that round performed one more solo song, this time accompanied by a band, before being narrowed down to 54. The final 54 then went to the "judges' mansion" in Los Angeles for the final results, and the top 36 were announced. Some contestants had a sing-off to determine who would enter the top 36.
Semifinals
The 36 contestants performed in three groups of twelve and sang songs that were Billboard Hot 100 hits. In each group, three people advanced to the next round via a public vote. After nine contestants had been chosen, the judges selected eight of the remaining 27 semifinalists to compete in the Wild Card round. Following another performance by each contender, each judge selected one contestant to advance to the final group of 13.Color key:
Group 1
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Jackie Tohn | "A Little Less Conversation" | Eliminated |
| Ricky Braddy | "A Song for You" | Wild Card |
| Alexis Grace | "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" | Advanced |
| Brent Keith | "Hicktown" | Eliminated |
| Stevie Wright | "You Belong with Me" | Eliminated |
| Anoop Desai | "Angel of Mine" | Wild Card |
| Casey Carlson | "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" | Eliminated |
| Michael Sarver | "I Don't Want to Be" | Advanced |
| Ann Marie Boskovich | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" | Eliminated |
| Stephen Fowler | "Rock with You" | Eliminated |
| Tatiana Del Toro | "Saving [All My Love for You]" | Wild Card |
| Danny Gokey | "Hero" | Advanced |
Group 2
Due to President Obama's 2009 speech to a joint session of Congress that took place on Tuesday, February 24, the performance show was moved to Wednesday, February 25, and the results show to Thursday, February 26. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Jasmine Murray | "Love Song" | Wild Card |
| Matt Giraud | "Viva la Vida" | Wild Card |
| Jeanine Vailes | "This Love" | Eliminated |
| Nick Mitchell | "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" | Eliminated |
| Allison Iraheta | "Alone" | Advanced |
| Kris Allen | "Man in the Mirror" | Advanced |
| Megan Joy | "Put Your Records On" | Wild Card |
| Matt Breitzke | "If You Could Only See" | Eliminated |
| Jesse Langseth | "Bette Davis Eyes" | Wild Card |
| Kai Kalama | "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" | Eliminated |
| Mishavonna Henson | "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" | Eliminated |
| Adam Lambert | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | Advanced |
Group 3
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Von Smith | "You're All I Need to Get By" | Wild Card |
| Taylor Vaifanua | "If I Ain't Got You" | Eliminated |
| Alex Wagner-Trugman | "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" | Eliminated |
| Arianna Afsar | "The Winner Takes It All" | Eliminated |
| Ju'Not Joyner | "Hey There Delilah" | Eliminated |
| Kristen McNamara | "One Reason">One (U2 song)">One Reason" | Eliminated |
| Nathaniel Marshall | "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" | Eliminated |
| Felicia Barton | "No One" | Eliminated |
| Scott MacIntyre | "Mandolin Rain" | Advanced |
| Kendall Beard | "This One's for the Girls" | Eliminated |
| Jorge Núñez | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Advanced |
| Lil Rounds | "Be Without You" | Advanced |
Wild Card round
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Jesse Langseth | "Tell Me Something Good" | Eliminated |
| Matt Giraud | "Who's Lovin' You" | Advanced |
| Megan Joy | "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" | Advanced |
| Von Smith | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Eliminated |
| Jasmine Murray | "Reflection" | Advanced |
| Ricky Braddy | "Superstition" | Eliminated |
| Tatiana Del Toro | "Saving All My Love for You" | Eliminated |
| Anoop Desai | "My Prerogative" | Advanced |
Top 13 finalists
- Kris Allen was from Conway, Arkansas, and auditioned in Louisville with Leon Russell's "A Song for You."
- Adam Lambert was from San Diego, California, and auditioned in San Francisco with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
- Danny Gokey was from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and auditioned in Kansas City.
- Allison Iraheta was from Los Angeles, and auditioned in San Francisco.
- Matt Giraud was from Kalamazoo, Michigan, and auditioned in Louisville with Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be."
- Anoop Desai was from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and auditioned in Kansas City.
- Lil Rounds was from Memphis, Tennessee, and auditioned in Kansas City with Stevie Wonder's "All I Do." Her performance of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" in Hollywood impressed the judges.
- Scott MacIntyre was from Scottsdale, Arizona, and auditioned in Phoenix. He was the first legally blind person to audition for American Idol.
- Megan Joy was from Sandy, Utah, and auditioned in Salt Lake City with Helen Morgan's "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man."
- Michael Sarver was from Jasper, Texas, and auditioned in Phoenix with Boyz II Men's "Thank You."
- Alexis Grace was from Memphis, Tennessee, and auditioned in Louisville with Aretha Franklin's "Dr Feelgood." She performed Aretha Franklin's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" in Hollywood.
- Jorge Núñez was from Carolina, Puerto Rico, and auditioned in San Juan. For his audition, he sang "My Way" in Spanish and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in English. He performed Jon Secada's "Angel" in Hollywood.
- Jasmine Murray was from Starkville, Mississippi, and auditioned in Jacksonville.
Finals
Color key:
Top 13 – Michael Jackson
Contestants performed one song each from the Michael Jackson discography, and are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated.This episode re-aired on June 29, 2009, in a tribute to Michael Jackson after his death. Simon Cowell had hoped that Jackson would perform on the show as part of his comeback tour.
| Contestant | Michael Jackson song | Result |
| Lil Rounds | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Safe |
| Scott MacIntyre | "Keep the Faith" | Safe |
| Danny Gokey | "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" | Safe |
| Michael Sarver | "You Are Not Alone" | Safe |
| Jasmine Murray | "I'll Be There" | Eliminated |
| Kris Allen | "Remember the Time" | Safe |
| Allison Iraheta | "Give In to Me" | Safe |
| Anoop Desai | "Beat It" | Safe |
| Jorge Núñez | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Eliminated |
| Megan Joy | "Rockin' Robin" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | "Black or White" | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "Human Nature" | Safe |
| Alexis Grace | "Dirty Diana" | Safe |
Top 11 – Grand Ole Opry
Country singer Randy Travis served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants each performed one song from the Grand Ole Opry, and are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Country song | Result |
| Michael Sarver | "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" | Bottom two |
| Allison Iraheta | "Blame It on Your Heart" | Bottom three |
| Kris Allen | "Make You Feel My Love" | Safe |
| Lil Rounds | "Independence Day" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | "Ring of Fire" | Safe |
| Scott MacIntyre | "Wild Angels" | Safe |
| Alexis Grace | "Jolene" | Eliminated |
| Danny Gokey | "Jesus, Take the Wheel" | Safe |
| Anoop Desai | "Always on My Mind" | Safe |
| Megan Joy | "Walkin' After Midnight" | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "So Small" | Safe |
Top 10 – Motown
served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.The performance show aired on Wednesday, March 25, and the results show on Thursday, March 26, due to a White House press conference that aired on Tuesday, March 24.
| Contestant | Motown song | Result |
| Matt Giraud | "Let's [Get It On (song)|Let's Get It On]" | Bottom two |
| Kris Allen | "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" | Safe |
| Scott MacIntyre | "You Can't Hurry Love" | Bottom three |
| Megan Joy | "Once in My Life">Once (film)">Once in My Life" | Safe |
| Anoop Desai | "Ooo Baby Baby" | Safe |
| Michael Sarver | "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" | Eliminated |
| Lil Rounds | "Heat Wave" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | "The Tracks of My Tears" | Safe |
| Danny Gokey | "Get Ready" | Safe |
| Allison Iraheta | "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" | Safe |
Top 9 – Popular iTunes downloads
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Result |
| Anoop Desai | "Caught Up" | Bottom two |
| Megan Joy | "Turn Your Lights Down Low" | Eliminated |
| Danny Gokey | "What Hurts the Most" | Safe |
| Allison Iraheta | "Don't Speak" | Bottom three |
| Scott MacIntyre | "Just the Way You Are" | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "You Found Me" | Safe |
| Lil Rounds | "I Surrender" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | "Play That Funky Music" | Safe |
| Kris Allen | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Safe |
Top 8 – Contestants' birth year
Contestants each performed one song from the year they were born, and are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Birth year | Result |
| Danny Gokey | "Stand By Me" | 1980 | Safe |
| Kris Allen | "All She Wants to Do Is Dance" | 1985 | Safe |
| Lil Rounds | "What's Love Got to Do with It" | 1984 | Bottom three |
| Anoop Desai | "True Colors" | 1986 | Bottom two |
| Scott MacIntyre | "The Search Is Over" | 1985 | Eliminated |
| Allison Iraheta | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | 1991 | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "Part-Time Lover" | 1985 | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | "Mad World" | 1982 | Safe |
Top 7 (April 15th) – Movie soundtracks
served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants chose songs featured in movies, and are listed in the order they performed. The judges chose to use their "judges' save" when Matt Giraud was announced as the performer to be eliminated. As a result, no one was eliminated this week.| Contestant | Song | Film | Result |
| Allison Iraheta | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Armageddon | Safe |
| Anoop Desai | "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | Bottom three |
| Adam Lambert | "Born to Be Wild" | Easy Rider | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" | Don Juan DeMarco | Saved by the judges |
| Danny Gokey | "Endless Love" | Endless Love | Safe |
| Kris Allen | "Falling Slowly" | Once | Safe |
| Lil Rounds | "The Rose" | The Rose | Bottom two |
Top 7 (April 21st) – Disco
Contestants are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated.| Contestant | Disco song | Result |
| Lil Rounds | "I'm Every Woman" | Eliminated |
| Kris Allen | "She Works Hard for the Money" | Safe |
| Danny Gokey | "September" | Safe |
| Allison Iraheta | "Hot Stuff" | Bottom three |
| Adam Lambert | "If I Can't Have You" | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "Stayin' Alive" | Safe |
| Anoop Desai | "Dim All the Lights" | Eliminated |
Top 5 – Rat Pack
served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from the Rat Pack era, and are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Rat Pack song | Result |
| Kris Allen | "The Way You Look Tonight" | Bottom three |
| Allison Iraheta | "Someone to [Watch Over Me (song)|Someone to Watch Over Me]" | Safe |
| Matt Giraud | "My Funny Valentine" | Eliminated |
| Danny Gokey | "Come Rain or Come Shine" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | "Feeling Good" | Bottom two |
Top 4 – Rock music
served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Order | Rock song | Result |
| Adam Lambert | 1 | "Whole Lotta Love" | Safe |
| Allison Iraheta | 2 | "Cry Baby" | Eliminated |
| Kris Allen | 4 | "Come Together" | Safe |
| Danny Gokey | 5 | "Dream On" | Safe |
| Kris Allen & Danny Gokey | 3 | "Renegade" | |
| Allison Iraheta & Adam Lambert | 6 | "Slow Ride" |
Top 3
Each contestant performed two songs: one chosen by the judges and one chosen by the contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Danny Gokey | 1 | "Dance Little Sister" | Eliminated |
| Danny Gokey | 4 | "You Are So Beautiful" | Eliminated |
| Kris Allen | 2 | "Apologize" | Safe |
| Kris Allen | 5 | "Heartless" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | 3 | "One" | Safe |
| Adam Lambert | 6 | "Cryin'" | 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. Kris Allen won the coin toss the week prior and chose to perform second.| Contestant | Order | Song | Result |
| Adam Lambert | 1 | "Mad World" | Runner-up |
| Adam Lambert | 3 | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Runner-up |
| Adam Lambert | 5 | "No Boundaries" | Runner-up |
| Kris Allen | 2 | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Winner |
| Kris Allen | 4 | "What's Going On" | Winner |
| Kris Allen | 6 | "No Boundaries" | Winner |
| Performers | Song |
| Carrie Underwood | "Home Sweet Home" |
| Top 13 | "So What" |
| David Cook | "Permanent" |
| Lil Rounds with Queen Latifah | "Cue the Rain" |
| Anoop Desai and Alexis Grace with Jason Mraz | "I'm Yours" |
| Kris Allen with Keith Urban | "Kiss a Girl" |
| Allison Iraheta, Lil Rounds, Megan Joy, Alexis Grace and Jasmine Murray with Fergie | "Glamorous" "Big Girls Don't Cry" |
| The Black Eyed Peas | "Boom Boom Pow" |
| Allison Iraheta with Cyndi Lauper | "Time After Time" |
| Danny Gokey with Lionel Richie | "Hello" "Just Go" "All Night Long" |
| Adam Lambert | "Beth" |
| Adam Lambert with Kiss | "Detroit Rock City" "Rock and Roll All Nite" |
| Matt Giraud with Carlos Santana | "Black Magic Woman" |
| Top 13 with Carlos Santana | "Smooth" |
| Megan Joy & Michael Sarver with Steve Martin | "Pretty Flowers" |
| Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai, Scott MacIntyre, Michael Sarver & Jorge Nunez | "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" |
| Rod Stewart | "Maggie May" |
| Kris Allen & Adam Lambert with Queen (band) | "We Are the Champions" |
| Kris Allen | "No Boundaries" |
Elimination chart
'''Color key:'''Controversies
In the top 13, the expected telephone number for contestant Alexis Grace, 1-866-IDOLS-13, was not owned by American Idol, but by a company called Intimate Encounters, who used it as a phone sex line. Although host Ryan Seacrest mentioned the replacement phone number, 1-866-IDOLS-36, several times, some commentators feared that the phone number confusion could lead to Grace being inadvertently voted off the show. However, Grace was not voted off that week.After the top 11 program, Justin Guarini, while hosting Idol Wrap on TV Guide channel, asserted that the show's group performances were being lip-synced. Soon after Guarini's assertion was aired, a spokesperson for the producers of American Idol said, "The Idols don't lip-sync, period." The following day, the same spokesperson said that "due to extensive choreography and to balance their voices with open mics against a screaming audience, the Idols do sing along to their own prerecorded vocal track during the group performances only." The spokesperson maintained that the performers sing their solo songs live, but their performances available to download through iTunes are recorded prior to airing.
Kris Allen's win over Adam Lambert resulted in controversy about the voting process, prompted by a claim that of the nearly 100 million votes cast, as many as "38 million" votes may have come from Arkansas, which was Allen's home state, despite the fact that the state only had a population of 2.86 million people at the time. Although the claim was later retracted, it resulted in allegations that AT&T may have influenced the results. Fox had previously denied these claims as baseless, stating that the network has no preference on who the winner might be. AT&T meanwhile said in a statement that the vote tally above was based on incorrect information and apologized by saying that "AT&T does not divulge or confirm how many votes were cast in any state." On May 27, 2009, the producers of the show said that they "stand by the outcome" and are "absolutely certain" that "without a doubt Kris Allen is the American Idol."
Awards and nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
Teen Choice Awards
U.S. Nielsen ratings
The eighth season was the top show for the 2008–09 broadcast primetime season and took the top two spots for its Tuesday and Wednesday episodes. The viewers number for the Wednesday episodes averaged 25.527 million, while the Tuesday episodes averaged 24.741 million. The ratings were down from the seventh season, with the finale dropping 13% in the 18–49 demo and 9% in total viewers number.| Episode list | - | - | - | - | - | - |