| Females | Andrina Brogden | Kenzie Hall | Jillian Jensen | Brandy Neelly | Austin Wolfe | | Males | Jordan Brisbane | Ethan Harris | Briston Maroney | Casey Thrasher | Maurice Townsend |
Following the ten finalists who advanced to the finals on Thursday, February 20, five of the remaining ten semifinalists were selected by the judges to compete in the Wild Card round, which began immediately afterward. Following another performance by each Wild Card contestant, the judges then selected three contestants to join the final group of 13.
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 13 finalists- Caleb Johnson was from Asheville, North Carolina. He had previously auditioned in the tenth and eleventh seasons, but he was cut during the selection of the top 25. He auditioned in Atlanta, where he performed an original song, "Into the Void." In Hollywood, he first performed "Sympathy for the Devil," followed by "Too Close" in a group that included C. J. Harris, and he performed "Radioactive" as his last solo.
- Jena Irene was from Farmington Hills, Michigan. She auditioned in Detroit with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." She performed "Video Games" in Hollywood as her first solo, Alex Clare's "Too Close" in the group performance, and her own composition, "Unbreakable Me," in the Wild Card round.
- Alex Preston was from Mont Vernon, New Hampshire. He performed an original song, "Fairytales," for his audition. In Hollywood, he performed "Scream & Shout" as his first solo and "Fairytales" as his final solo.
- Jessica Meuse was from Slapout, Alabama. She auditioned in Atlanta with one of her own songs, "Blue-Eyed Lie." She performed another original, "Done," in Hollywood.
- Sam Woolf was from Bradenton, Florida. He auditioned in Boston with "Lego House" by Ed Sheeran. He sang "Waiting on the World to Change" and his original composition, "I Tried," in Hollywood.
- C. J. Harris was from Jasper, Alabama. He auditioned in Salt Lake City, where he sang "Soulshine." He performed "Trouble" in Hollywood, and was in a group with fellow finalist Caleb Johnson, where they performed Alex Clare's "Too Close." For his final solo, he performed "Bring It On Home to Me."
- Dexter Roberts was from Fayette, Alabama. He performed "Drive" for his audition. He performed "I Want It That Way" as part of a group with fellow finalist Ben Briley, For his final solo, he performed an original song: "Farmer's Grandson."
- Malaya Watson was from Southfield, Michigan. She auditioned in Detroit with Aretha Franklin's "Ain't No Way." In Hollywood, she sang "Brand New Me" by Alicia Keys, and then performed "I Believe" as her final solo.
- Majesty Rose was from Goldsboro, North Carolina. She auditioned in Atlanta, where she sang Coldplay's "Violet Hill". In Hollywood, she performed "1234" and "Stars."
- MK Nobilette was from San Francisco, California, where she auditioned with "If I Were Your Woman." In Hollywood, she performed "Royals" in a group performance and "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran as her final solo.
- Ben Briley was from Gallatin, Tennessee. He auditioned in Atlanta, singing "Arms of a Woman." In Hollywood, he performed "I Want It That Way" in a group with fellow finalist Dexter Roberts, and "Stars" as his final solo.
- Emily Piriz was from Orlando, Florida. She auditioned in Atlanta, singing "Mamma Knows Best" by Jessie J. She sang "Nothing but the Water" as her first solo in Hollywood and "Stars" as her final solo.
- Kristen O'Connor was from Sebastian, Florida. She auditioned in Atlanta, singing "Good Morning Heartache". In Hollywood, she performed "Unconditionally" as a solo and "Treasure" in a group performance with fellow finalist, Sam Woolf.
Finals
There were thirteen weeks of finals with thirteen contestants competing. At least one contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, although the judges could veto one elimination through the use of the "judges' save."
Color key:
Top 13 – This Is MeContestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 12 – HomeContestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 11 – Movie soundtracksContestants chose songs featured in movies, and are listed in the order they performed.
Top 10 – ''Billboard'' top 10Contestants each performed one song from the Billboard top 10 lists from 2011 to 2014. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 9 – "I'm with the band!"Each contestant performed as the lead singer of the show's band, performing one song each of their choice.
Contestants performed two songs each: one solo, which was the song that they had originally performed when they first auditioned, and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. The judges chose to use their "judges' save" when Sam Woolf was announced as the performer to be eliminated. As a result, no one was eliminated this week.
Top 8 (April 10) – Music from the 1980sserved as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed two songs each: one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 7 – Competitors' choiceEach contestant performed two songs: one song chosen by a fellow contestant and either one duet with a fellow contestant or one trio with two fellow contestants. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.Top 6 – Rock and roll & countryEach contestant performed two songs: one rock and roll and one country. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 5 – America's choiceserved as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed three songs chosen by viewers through a public vote, one of which was either a duet with a fellow contestant or a trio with two fellow contestants. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
During the results show, the contestants were given the option to decide whether this week would be a non-elimination week, but it would have required a unanimous agreement. Since Jena Irene and Alex Preston declined the option, the elimination went forth as planned.
Top 4 – Love songs: break-ups, dedications, and make-upsEach contestant performed three love songs: the first dealing with break-ups, the second dealing with personal dedications, and the third dealing with make-ups. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Top 3Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by mentor Randy Jackson, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by the finalists' hometown. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
This was also American Idol's 500th episode.
Top 2 – FinaleEach contestant performed three songs, one of which was chosen by producer Simon Fuller, and are listed in the order they performed.
| Performers | Song | | Top 13 | "Breakaway" | | Jena Irene & Caleb Johnson | "We Will Rock You"
"Just a Girl"
"It's Only Love" | Sam Woolf
with Phillip Phillips | "Home"
"Raging Fire" | Jessica Meuse
with Jennifer Nettles | "That Girl"
"Wrecking Ball" | | Jennifer Lopez | "First Love" | Caleb Johnson
with Kiss | "Love Gun"
"Shout It Out Loud" | Ben Briley, Dexter Roberts,
C.J. Harris, Sam Woolf,
Alex Preston & Caleb Johnson
with Aloe Blacc | "The Man" | Kristen O'Connor, Emily Piriz,
Majesty Rose, Malaya Watson,
Jessica Meuse & Jena Irene
with Demi Lovato | "Really Don't Care"
"Neon Lights" | | Jena Irene | "Decode" | Jena Irene
with Paramore | "Ain't It Fun" | | John Legend | "You & I " | Malaya Watson
with John Legend | "All of Me" | Alex Preston
with Jason Mraz | "Love Someone" | | Richard Marx & Ryan Seacrest | "Right Here Waiting" | | Darius Rucker | "True Believers" | C.J. Harris & Dexter Roberts
with Darius Rucker | "Alright" | | Jena Irene & Caleb Johnson | "Need You Now" | | Lady Antebellum | "Bartender" | Harry Connick, Jr., Randy Jackson,
Jennifer Lopez & Keith Urban | "True Colors"
"Go Your Own Way" | | Caleb Johnson | "As Long as You Love Me" |
Elimination chart'''Color key:'''ControversyCaleb Johnson commentDuring his interview with AfterBuzz TV following the top 5 elimination show, Caleb Johnson made offensive remarks about his fans who tweet him song suggestions. " gives access to a bunch of retards to talk to me," Caleb said. "I don't really enjoy having to see somebody telling me what song I have to sing. I think at this point of the competition, I can pick and choose my own songs and represent me. I don't need 10,000 people saying, 'You should sing this, you should sing that. Listen to me!' Fortunately, guys, I'm going to listen to myself, whether you like it or not."
His comment was described as "arrogant," with some fans becoming angry. Caleb issued an apology on his Facebook page. "For the record that juvenile comment I made in the interview was not directed towards my fans but to the wackos that send hundreds of hate messages a day to me! You guys are amazing and I cannot thank you enough for your support. Sorry if it offended anybody it was the wrong choice of words. Also I greatly appreciate it when you guys give me song suggestions but it gets really overwhelming at the volume it comes in so please understand! Rock on!"ReceptionU.S. Nielsen ratingsLive + same day ratings
For the first time in nearly twelve years, an American Idol episode dropped beneath the ten-million viewer mark. This occurred on February 18, 2014. The last time an episode was below this mark was July 24, 2002.
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'''Live + 7 day ratings'''Critical responseHarry Connick Jr. was lauded for his performance as a judge. USA Today, Rolling Stone, and MTV all claimed that he "stole the spotlight" during the season premiere with his humor and knowledgeable feedback. Kristin Dos Santos of E! Online suggested that Connick Jr. could save the struggling show. She wrote that he was better than Simon Cowell, writing that while he is "brutally honest," he also shows heart. Robert Rorke of the New York Post wrote that Connick Jr. was unlikely to "save" American Idol, but also wrote that he made the show watchable again by bringing class and keeping the focus on the contestants. Keith Urban was also lauded as a judge, and his chemistry with Harry Contick Jr was considered one of the highlights of the season.
The "Rush Week" twist was not well received by critics. As described by Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo TV, "The other five just sat backstage for a couple hours, waited in vain for their names to be called, and eventually went home." Furthermore, Amy Reiter of the Los Angeles Times stated, "Like the women, once 10 of the guys were given the chance to compete for our votes, the five remaining... were collectively shuffled before us, looking stunned and solemn, and then sent home, this time with a few tepidly encouraging parting words from the judges."Music releases
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