American Idol season 2
The second season of American Idol premiered on January 21, 2003, and continued until May 21, 2003. The title of show was shortened from American Idol: The Search for a Superstar to just American Idol. Brian Dunkleman quit after the first season, and Ryan Seacrest therefore became the lone host beginning with the second season.
The second season was won by Ruben Studdard, who defeated Clay Aiken by 134,000 votes out of the 24 million votes recorded.
Studdard released his coronation song "Flying Without Wings" after the show, which reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Aiken also released a single with "This Is the Night." He was the first non-winning contestant to have a Billboard Hot 100 number one. It was also the biggest U.S. single of 2003, selling over one million copies and reaching six times platinum status in Canada as well as number one in New Zealand.
In addition to Studdard and Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Joshua Gracin, Kimberly Caldwell, and Carmen Rasmusen all signed with various record labels.
Regional auditions
Auditions were held in the fall of 2002 in the following cities:The number of auditions increased significantly after the success of the first season, and arenas and stadiums began to be used to hold the first auditions from this season onward. Around 70,000 attended auditions this season and 234 were selected to proceed on to the Hollywood round. Radio DJ Angie Martinez was originally signed up as a fourth judge, but quit after a few days, stating that "it became too uncomfortable for me to tell someone else to give up on their dream."
Amber Riley was rejected by producers and did not get to audition for the judges, but later went on to co-star on the television series Glee as Mercedes Jones.
Hollywood week
The contestants performed in a series of rounds and the number of contestants trimmed was in each round. In the first round, the 234 contestants performed a song, after which 114 were eliminated. In the second round, the remaining 120 contestants were asked to compose a melody for one of five sets of lyrics, and 40 more were cut. In the third round, the contestants were separated by gender and performed in small groups. The remaining 48 boys chose from The Carpenters' "Superstar," Seal's "Kiss from a Rose," and Barry Manilow's "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again," while the remaining 32 girls chose from Melissa Manchester's "Don't Cry Out Loud," Freda Payne's "Band of Gold," and Dionne Warwick's "You'll Never Get to Heaven."In the last round, each of the remaining 48 contestants performed solo. After their performances, the contestants were then divided into three groups of sixteen and placed in separate rooms. One group was eliminated, and 32 contestants proceeded on to the semifinal rounds.
Semifinals
The format changed slightly in the second season; instead of three groups of ten, the semifinalists were grouped into four groups of eight. The singers performed solo on a new and improved stage with piano accompaniment by Michael Orland, and the performances were pre-taped. There was no live audience, although family members of contestants were present in the Red Room where the contestants were placed.The results of the public vote were announced live the next day. From each group, two were selected to proceed on to the top 12. Nine of those who failed at any of previous stages, including the Hollywood rounds and the initial regional auditions, were given one more chance to perform again in the Wild Card show. Each of the three judges put one contestant from the Wild Card group through to the top 12, with the final one selected by the public vote.
Color key:
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Group 1 (February 5)
Group 2 (February 12)
Group 3 (February 19)
Group 4 (February 26)
Wild Card round (March 5)
Top 12 finalists
- Ruben Studdard was from Birmingham, Alabama, and auditioned in Nashville with Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky."
- Clay Aiken auditioned in Atlanta with Heatwave's "Always and Forever."
- Kimberley Locke was from Nashville, Tennessee, where she auditioned with Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow."
- Joshua Gracin was from Oceanside, California, where he was stationed while serving in the Marine Corps. He auditioned in Los Angeles with O-Town's "All or Nothing."
- Trenyce was from Bartlett, Tennessee, and auditioned in Nashville with Whitney Houston's "I Learned from the Best."
- Carmen Rasmusen was from Bountiful, Utah, and auditioned in Los Angeles. She did not make the semifinal initially, but was brought back for the Wild Card round and made it to the top 12.
- Kimberly Caldwell auditioned in Austin with Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". She learned of her participation as a Wild Card contestant on her 21st birthday.
- Rickey Smith auditioned in Nashville with Brian McKnight's "One Last Cry".
- Corey Clark auditioned in Nashville with The Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye." He was disqualified hours after the website The Smoking Gun revealed his misdemeanor charges of battery and resisting arrest on March 31, 2003.
- Julia DeMato was from Brookfield, Connecticut, and auditioned with Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart."
- Charles Grigsby auditioned in Detroit.
- Vanessa Olivarez was from Atlanta, Georgia, where she auditioned with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Finals
Top 12 – Motown (March 12)
served as a guest judge this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Motown song | Result |
| Kimberley Locke | "Heat Wave" | Bottom three |
| Joshua Gracin | "Baby I Need Your Loving" | Safe |
| Charles Grigsby | "How Sweet It Is " | Safe |
| Kimberly Caldwell | "Nowhere to Run" | Safe |
| Rickey Smith | "1-2-3" | Safe |
| Julia DeMato | "Where Did Our Love Go" | Bottom two |
| Clay Aiken | "I Can't Help Myself " | Safe |
| Vanessa Olivarez | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" | Eliminated |
| Corey Clark | "This Old Heart of Mine " | Safe |
| Carmen Rasmusen | "You Can't Hurry Love" | Safe |
| Trenyce | "Come See About Me" | Safe |
| Ruben Studdard | "Baby I Need Your Loving" | Safe |
| Performers | Song |
| Top 12 | "Heat Wave" |
Top 11 – Movie soundtracks (March 19)
served as a guest judge this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Song | Film | Result |
| Corey Clark | "Against All Odds " | Against All Odds | Bottom two |
| Ruben Studdard | "A Whole New World" | Aladdin | Safe |
| Trenyce | "I Have Nothing" | The Bodyguard | Safe |
| Clay Aiken | "Somewhere Out There" | An American Tail | Safe |
| Kimberly Caldwell | "The Shoop Shoop Song " | Mermaids | Safe |
| Joshua Gracin | "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" | Armageddon | Safe |
| Carmen Rasmusen | "Hopelessly Devoted to You" | Grease | Safe |
| Charles Grigsby | "You Can't Win" | The Wiz | Eliminated |
| Rickey Smith | "It Might Be You" | Tootsie | Safe |
| Julia DeMato | "Flashdance... What a Feeling" | Flashdance | Bottom three |
| Kimberley Locke | "Home" | The Wiz | Safe |
| Performers | Song |
| Top 11 | "Footloose" |
| Top 11 | " The Time of My Life" |
| Kelly Clarkson | "Anytime" |
Top 10 – Country rock (March 26)
served as a guest judge this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Country rock song | Result |
| Joshua Gracin | "Ain't Goin' Down " | Safe |
| Trenyce | "I Need You" | Safe |
| Kimberley Locke | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Safe |
| Corey Clark | "Drift Away" | Safe |
| Carmen Rasmusen | "Wild Angels" | Safe |
| Rickey Smith | "I've Done Enough Dyin' Today" | Bottom three |
| Kimberly Caldwell | "Anymore" | Bottom two |
| Ruben Studdard | "Sweet Home Alabama" | Safe |
| Julia DeMato | "Breathe" | Eliminated |
| Clay Aiken | "Someone Else's Star" | Safe |
| Performers | Song |
| Top 10 | "Where the Blacktop Ends" |
| Top 10 | "God Bless the U.S.A." |
Top 8 – Disco (April 1)
served as a guest judge this week. Because of Corey Clark's disqualification, no one was eliminated after this round. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.| Contestant | Disco song | Result |
| Rickey Smith | "Let's Groove" | Safe |
| Carmen Rasmusen | "Turn the Beat Around" | Bottom two |
| Kimberly Caldwell | "Knock on Wood" | Safe |
| Clay Aiken | "Everlasting Love" | Safe |
| Trenyce | "I'm Every Woman" | Bottom two |
| Ruben Studdard | "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" | Safe |
| Kimberley Locke | "It's Raining Men" | Bottom three |
| Joshua Gracin | "Celebration" | Safe |
| Performers | Song |
| Top 8 | "A Night to Remember" |
| Top 8 | "Boogie Wonderland" |
| Lee Greenwood | "God Bless the U.S.A." |