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{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}
{{infobox television |
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}
| show_name = American Idol (Season 6)
{{Infobox television season
| image = [[Image:American Idol logo.svg|200px]]
| caption = ''[[American Idol]]'' logo
| image = American Idol logo.svg
| module1 = {{Infobox reality competition season
| rating = {{TV-G}}
| host = [[Ryan Seacrest]]
| format = [[Interactive television|Interactive]] [[Reality television|reality]] [[game show]]
| judges = <!-- NOTE TO EDITORS: Please do not change the judges around as they should go in surname alphabetically--> [[Paula Abdul]]<br />[[Simon Cowell]]<br />[[Randy Jackson]]
| runtime = Varies
| finals_venue = [[Dolby Theatre|Kodak Theatre]]
| creator = [[Simon Fuller]]
| winner = [[Jordin Sparks]]
| executive_producer = [[Nigel Lythgoe]]<br />[[Ken Warwick]]<br />[[Simon Fuller]]
| director = [[Bruce Gowers]]
| runner_up = [[Blake Lewis]]
| presenter = [[Ryan Seacrest]]
| judges = [[Paula Abdul]]<br />[[Simon Cowell]]<br />[[Randy Jackson]]
| country = [[United States]]
| location = [[Orpheum Theatre]], [[Los Angeles, California]] (Hollywood)<br />[[CBS Television City]] (Finals)<br />[[Kodak Theater]] (Finale)
| network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]], [[CTV Television Network|CTV]]
| first_aired = [[January 16]], [[2007]]
| last_aired = [[May 23]], [[2007]]
| num_episodes = [[List of American Idol episodes|41]]
| website = http://www.americanidol.com
| imdb_id = 0319931
| tv_com_id = 11307
}}
}}
| first_aired = {{start date|2007|01|16}}
The '''sixth season of ''[[American Idol]]''''' premiered on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] on [[January 16]], [[2007]] and ran until [[May 23]], [[2007]]. [[Simon Cowell]], [[Paula Abdul]], and [[Randy Jackson]] returned to judge once again, and [[Ryan Seacrest]] returned as host. [[Jordin Sparks]] won the competition with [[Blake Lewis]] as the first runner-up. [[Melinda Doolittle]] was named one of the best singers in Idol History after her elimination from the show. This season also produced two final three contestants never in the Bottom two or three, Jordin Sparks and [[Melinda Doolittle]].
| last_aired = {{end date|2007|05|23}}
==Winner of Season==
| network = [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin-left:1em; border:3px solid deepskyblue;width:30%; " align="right"
}}
!bgcolor="deepskyblue" colspan="3" align="center" style="border-bottom:3px solid"|American Idol Season 6 Winner
The sixth season of ''[[American Idol]]'' premiered on the [[Fox Broadcasting Company]] as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. [[Simon Cowell]], [[Paula Abdul]], and [[Randy Jackson]] returned as judges, and [[Ryan Seacrest]] returned as host. A new record of 74&nbsp;million votes were cast in the finale round, and a new record of 609 million votes were cast in the entire season. [[Jordin Sparks]] won the competition, while [[Blake Lewis]] was the runner-up. This is the first season not to be syndicated under the ''[[American Idol Rewind|Rewind]]'' package.

==Regional auditions==
Contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on August 6, 2006. Guest judges were used for auditions this season.<ref>''{{cite web |title=Randy Jackson confirms guest judges. |url=http://www.westwoodone.com/pg/jsp/randyjackson/audioarchive.jsp?pid=11004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061110214709/http://www.westwoodone.com/pg/jsp/randyjackson/audioarchive.jsp?pid=11004 |archive-date=November 10, 2006 |access-date=November 28, 2006 |format=audio}}''</ref>

* [[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]], Minneapolis auditions
* [[Carole Bayer Sager]], New York auditions
* [[Olivia Newton-John]], Los Angeles auditions

Auditions were held in the following cities:

{|class="wikitable sortable" style=" text-align:center"
|+''American Idol'' (season 6) – regional auditions
! scope="col" | City
! scope="col" | Preliminary date
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Preliminary venue
! scope="col" | Filming date(s)
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Filming venue
! scope="col" | Golden tickets
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Los Angeles, California]]
|colspan="3" align="center"| [[Image:Normal_July2007AmericanIdol3058-vi.jpg|150px]]<br>
| August 6, 2006
| [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]], [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]
| September 26, 2006
| [[Millennium Biltmore Hotel]]<ref name="sherman pore">{{Cite web |url=http://www.shermanporeidol.com/bio.html |title=Sherman Pore |access-date=September 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402114945/http://www.shermanporeidol.com/bio.html |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 40
|-
! scope="row" | [[San Antonio, Texas]]
| August 11, 2006
| [[Alamodome]]
| August 26, 2006
| [[Henry B. González Convention Center]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://lubbockonline.com/stories/082706/sta_082706126.shtml |title='American Idol' hopefuls line up for shot at superstardom |access-date=September 15, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006065253/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/082706/sta_082706126.shtml |archive-date=October 6, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 24
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[New York City, New York]]
!bgcolor="deepskyblue" colspan="3"|
| August 14, 2006
| [[Continental Airlines Arena]], [[East Rutherford, New Jersey|East Rutherford]]
| August 30, 2006
|[[Chelsea Piers]]<ref>[http://articles.nydailynews.com/2006-08-31/entertainment/18345707_1_ryan-seacrest-audition-american-idol Cowell & co. seek Pier-less singers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616074802/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2006-08-31/entertainment/18345707_1_ryan-seacrest-audition-american-idol|date=June 16, 2012}}</ref>
| 35
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Birmingham, Alabama]]
|'''Birthname'''||colspan="2"|Jordin Brianna Sparks
| August 21, 2006
|-
| [[Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex]]
|'''Genres'''||colspan="2"|[[Pop music|Pop]], [[R&B]]
| September 29–30, 2006

|Sheraton Hotel<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birmingham auditions on 'Idol' agenda for Jan. 30 |date=January 19, 2007 |url=http://blog.al.com/mcolurso/2007/01/birmingham_auditions_on_idol_a.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005104932/http://blog.al.com/mcolurso/2007/01/birmingham_auditions_on_idol_a.html |archive-date=October 5, 2012 |access-date=September 14, 2011}}</ref>
| 20
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Memphis, Tennessee]]
|'''Successor'''||colspan="2"|[[David Cook]]
| September 3, 2006
| [[FedExForum]]
| October 5–6, 2006
| Memphis Cook Convention Center<ref>{{cite web |date=October 6, 2006 |title='American Idol' judges are in town to do a little whittling |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0,2845,MCA_25340_5046296,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022165742/http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/0%2C2845%2CMCA_25340_5046296%2C00.html |archive-date=October 22, 2006 |access-date=September 14, 2011 |publisher=Commercialappeal.com}}</ref>
| 22
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]
|'''Predecessor'''||colspan="2"|[[Taylor Hicks]]
| September 8, 2006
| [[Target Center]]
| September 12, 2006
| [[Minneapolis Convention Center]]<ref>[http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-10106008/Simon-and-Co-like-a.html Simon and Co. like a little of what they hear; The "American Idol" judges, who were in the Twin Cities on Tuesday, found Minnesotans a little loony]</ref>
| 17
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Seattle, Washington]]
| September 19, 2006
| [[KeyArena]]
| October 2–3, 2006
| W Hotel<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cowell to Seattle: 'Absolutely atrocious' |date=October 4, 2006 |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/music/article/Cowell-to-Seattle-Absolutely-atrocious-1216237.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018141351/http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/music/article/Cowell-to-Seattle-Absolutely-atrocious-1216237.php |archive-date=October 18, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2011}}</ref>
| 14
|- style="background:#FAF6F6;"
! colspan="5" | Total number of tickets to Hollywood
! 172
|}
|}


[[Jordin Sparks]], this season's winner, originally failed to pass through her audition in Los Angeles,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://americanidol1thatuwant.blogspot.com/2007/05/jordin-sparks-interviews.html |title=Jordin Sparks interview |date=May 28, 2007 |access-date=September 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070704012746/http://americanidol1thatuwant.blogspot.com/2007/05/jordin-sparks-interviews.html |archive-date=July 4, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> but later won an audition in Seattle as a reward for winning a local Fox-affiliate-sponsored contest called Arizona Idol.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.buddytv.com/articles/american-idol/is-jordin-sparks-american-idol-6436.aspx |title=Is Jordin Sparks American Idol's Next Controversy |date=May 12, 2007 |access-date=September 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025032840/http://www.buddytv.com/articles/american-idol/is-jordin-sparks-american-idol-6436.aspx |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Broadcast schedule==
Beginning in mid-November 2006, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] began airing teaser clips of the upcoming sixth season. First a bad contestant was highlighted, with judge Cowell giving his usual horrified grimace, then by early December another began airing, a girl singing "[[Stormy Weather (1933 song)|Stormy Weather]]" as the judges looked on approvingly. Following this, a new commercial began to air, showcasing eventual top 24 contestant Leslie Hunt.


==Hollywood week==
The season premiere began as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on [[January 16]] and [[January 17]]. Starting the following week, regularly scheduled hours of the program aired at 8 p.m. [[North American Eastern Time Zone|ET]]/[[Pacific Time Zone|PT]] on Tuesdays and 9 p.m. ET/PT on Wednesdays.
The [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] rounds of the audition process were held over four days in November 2006 at the [[Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles)|Orpheum Theatre]] in [[Los Angeles]].


The first round consisted of each contestant singing one song ''[[a cappella]]'' in front of the judges. Contestants were then told whether they were moving on or going home in groups of six. This extended over the first two days.
The audition shows were spread over eight episodes, each covering one of the seven cities toured as well as a "Best of the Rest" episode. They aired on [[January 16]] (Minneapolis), 17 (Seattle), 23 (Memphis), 24 (East Rutherford), 30 (Birmingham), 31 (Los Angeles), [[February 6]] (San Antonio), and [[February 7]] ("The Best of the Rest"). Guest judges for that leg of the process included [[Olivia Newton-John]], [[Carole Bayer Sager]] and [[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]].<ref> ''{{cite web |url=http://www.westwoodone.com/pg/jsp/randyjackson/audioarchive.jsp?pid=11004|title=[[Randy Jackson]] confirms guest judges. |format=audio |accessdate=2006-11-28}}</ref> The Hollywood round episodes aired on [[February 13]] and [[February 14]]. The Top 24 was announced on [[February 14]]. Voting rounds began on [[February 20]].


The second round took place on the second and third days, and consisted of groups of three or four contestants rehearsing and then performing one of nine pre-selected songs. Groups were reviewed and contestants were then judged individually as to whether they were moving on or going home.
[[TV Guide Channel]] brought back a second season of ''[[Idol Tonight]]'', the live pre-show to ''American Idol'', which aired on Wednesdays starting in March. The show features former Idol runner-up [[Justin Guarini]] as a correspondent along with [[Kimberly Caldwell]] and [[Rosanna Tavarez]]. Additionally ''[[American Idol Extra]]'', a behind-the-scenes show, also returned for a second season, corresponding with the start of the finals in March. It aired Thursdays on [[Fox Reality]].


The third round took place on the fourth day, where each contestant performed one song from a pre-selected list accompanied by a piano and backup singers. Contestants were again informed of whether they had made the cut or not.
==Early process==
===Regional auditions phase===
====Locations====
The Auditions were held in the following cities:
*[[Pasadena, California]] (billed as the [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]] auditions during the broadcast): [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] - [[August 6]]
*[[San Antonio, Texas]]: [[Alamodome]] - [[August 11]]
*[[East Rutherford, New Jersey]] (billed as the [[New York City]] auditions during the broadcast): [[Izod Center|Continental Airlines Arena]] - [[August 14]]
*[[Birmingham, Alabama]]: [[Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex]] - [[August 21]]
*[[Memphis, Tennessee]]: [[FedEx Forum]] - [[September 3]]
*[[Minneapolis, Minnesota]]: [[Target Center]] - [[September 8]]
*[[Seattle, Washington]]: [[KeyArena]] - [[September 19]]


The final round took place at the [[Pasadena Civic Center]] on January 14–15, 2007, just before the regional audition shows began airing. Without any further auditioning, the 40 remaining contestants were reduced to 24. In a process taking a whole day, contestants waited in a sitting room until, one by one, they went up to the center's Gold Room. The three judges told them whether they had made it onto the stage show or were cut. The 24 semifinalists were announced on February 14, 2007.
Auditioning contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on [[August 6]], [[2006]] (born between [[August 7]], [[1977]] and [[August 6]], [[1990]]).


==Semifinals==
====Structure of auditions====
The live show portion of the semifinals began on February 20, 2007, with the names announced on February 14. Starting with 12 women and 12 men, the women and men performed weekly on separate shows and on the result show, the bottom two male and two female contestants were eliminated. The semifinals took place over three weeks, leaving the other six to form the top 12. The females performed on the first night, followed by the males the next night.
Auditions for the show were held in the seven cities shown above. As reported in ''[[The Los Angeles Daily News]]'', the 2006 process was especially difficult: the 10,000 or so contestants waited in long lines, then were herded before two young assistant producers and given roughly 15 seconds to perform one song. At that point the large majority of them were summarily rejected.<!--Reference no longer available at www.dailynews.com/tv/ci_5094765-->


'''Color key:'''
Survivors of the first phase were typically seen then by ''Idol'''s executive producers, and only if surviving that cut (because they were especially good and fit what ''Idol'' was looking for, or especially bad in some novel way) were seen by Cowell, Abdul, and Jackson. The contestants then had one chance to impress the judges by singing a song of their choice [[a cappella]]. Then the judges each gave the contestant either a "Yes" or a "No" to continue to the next round. If the contestant received a majority of yeses, the contestant received a "golden ticket" and qualified for the "Hollywood Rounds". If rejected, the contestant returned home.
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;"
| {{legend|#fdfc8f|This contestant was saved by the public vote.}}
|-
| {{legend|#FF91A4|This contestant was eliminated.}}
|}


=== Top 24 (February 20 & 21) ===
Many of the people who auditioned had trouble with the double doors, with many often going towards the wrong door on their way out; this was spoofed by ''Idol'' later in the season with "audition footage" featuring [[Tony Bennett]]. This did not seem to be a problem for the seventh season as both doors were accessible.
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
{|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Top 24 (Female contestants)
! scope="col" | Contestant
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | [[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]]
| "[[How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Amy Krebs
| "[[I Can't Make You Love Me]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Leslie Hunt
| "[[(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sabrina Sloan
| "[[I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Antonella Barba]]
| "[[I Don't Want to Miss a Thing]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Jordin Sparks]]
| "[[Give Me One Reason]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Nicole Tranquillo
| "[[Street Player|Stay]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | [[Haley Scarnato]]
| "[[It's All Coming Back to Me Now]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Melinda Doolittle]]
| "[[(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Alaina Alexander
| "[[Brass in Pocket]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Gina Glocksen]]
| "[[All by Myself]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[LaKisha Jones]]
| "[[And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|}
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Top 24 (Male contestants)
! scope="col" | Contestant
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | Rudy Cardenas
| "[[Free Ride (song)|Free Ride]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Brandon Rogers
| "[[Rock with You]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Sundance Head]]
| "[[Nights in White Satin]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Paul Kim (musician, born 1981)|Paul Kim]]
| "[[Careless Whisper]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | [[Chris Richardson]]
| "[[I Don't Want to Be]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Nick Pedro
| "[[Now and Forever (Richard Marx song)|Now and Forever]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Blake Lewis]]
| "[[Somewhere Only We Know]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Sanjaya Malakar]]
| "[[Knocks Me Off My Feet]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Chris Sligh]]
| "[[Typical (song)|Typical]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Jared Cotter]]
| "[[Back at One (song)|Back at One]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | A. J. Tabaldo
| "[[Never Too Much (song)|Never Too Much]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | [[Phil Stacey]]
| "[[I Could Not Ask for More]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" |Top 24
| "[[Sowing the Seeds of Love]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Fantasia (singer)|Fantasia]]
| "I'm Here"
|}


=== Top 20 (February 27 & 28) ===
===Hollywood phase===
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
The so-called "Hollywood" phase of the audition process were held over four days in mid-November 2006 at the [[Orpheum Theatre (Los Angeles)|Orpheum Theatre]] in [[Los Angeles]].
{|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Top 20 (Female contestants)
! scope="col" | Contestant
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | Gina Glocksen
| "[[Alone (Heart song)|Alone]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Alaina Alexander
| "[[Not Ready to Make Nice]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[Midnight Train to Georgia]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
| "[[My Funny Valentine]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Antonella Barba
| "[[Because You Loved Me]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[Reflection (song)|Reflection]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Stephanie Edwards
| "[[Dangerously in Love]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Leslie Hunt
| "[[Feeling Good]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[Queen of the Night (song)|Queen of the Night]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sabrina Sloan
| "[[All the Man That I Need]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|}
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Top 20 (Male contestants)
! scope="col" | Contestant
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[Missing You (John Waite song)|Missing You]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jared Cotter
| "[[Let's Get It On]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | A. J. Tabaldo
| "[[Feeling Good]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[Steppin' Out with My Baby]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Sligh
| "[[Trouble (Ray LaMontagne song)|Trouble]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Nick Pedro
| "[[Fever (Little Willie John song)|Fever]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[Virtual Insanity]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Brandon Rogers
| "[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Geek in the Pink]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sundance Head
| "[[Mustang Sally (song)|Mustang Sally]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | Top 20
|"[[Joy to the World (Three Dog Night song)|Joy to the World]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Kellie Pickler]]
| "[[I Wonder (Kellie Pickler song)|I Wonder]]"
|}


===Top 16 (March 6 & 7)===
The first round consisted of each contestant singing one song a capella of their own choosing in front of the judges and all the other contestants of the same gender. Contestants were then told whether they were moving on or going home, in groups of six. This extended over the first two days, first females, then males.
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
{|
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Top 16 (Female contestants)
! scope="col" | Contestant
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar song)|Heartbreaker]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sabrina Sloan
| "[[Don't Let Go (Love)]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Antonella Barba
| "[[Put Your Records On]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[If My Heart Had Wings]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Stephanie Edwards
| "[[Sweet Thing (Rufus song)|Sweet Thing]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[I Have Nothing]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Gina Glocksen
| "[[Call Me When You're Sober]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
| "[[I'm a Woman (song)|I'm a Woman]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|}
|valign="top"|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Top 16 (Male contestants)
! scope="col" | Contestant
! scope="col" | Song
! scope="col" | Result
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[All Mixed Up (311 song)|All Mixed Up]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[Waiting on the World to Change]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sundance Head
| "[[Jeremy (song)|Jeremy]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Jared Cotter
| "[[If You Really Love Me]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4"| Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Tonight I Wanna Cry]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Brandon Rogers
| "[[I Just Want to Celebrate]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[I Need You (LeAnn Rimes song)|I Need You]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Sligh
| "[[Supernatural (DC Talk album)|Wanna Be Loved]]"
| bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|}
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | Top 16
| "[[Stuck in the Middle with You]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Carrie Underwood]]
| "[[Wasted (Carrie Underwood song)|Wasted]]"
|}


== Top 12 finalists ==
The second round took place on the second and third day, and consisted of groups of three or four contestants choosing, rehearsing, and then performing one of nine pre-selected songs. Groups were reviewed and contestants were then judged individually as to whether they were moving on or going home.
The top 12 finalists were announced on March 8, 2007. As in past years, the top 12 appeared on the annual compilation album while the top 10 participated in the ''American Idol'' [[American Idols LIVE! Tour 2007|summer concert tour]]. Also as in past years, one finalist was eliminated every week, with the exception of the April 25 show, when all contestants were declared safe. As a result, two of the participants were eliminated on the May 2 results program.
{{multiple image
| align = center
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 750
| footer = From left to right: [[Jordin Sparks]], [[Blake Lewis]], [[Melinda Doolittle]], [[LaKisha Jones]], and [[Chris Richardson]]
| footer_align = center
| image1 = Jordin Sparks at American Idol.jpg
| image2 = Blake Lewis Seattle cropped.JPG
| image3 = Melinda Doolittle.jpg
| image4 = LaKisha Jones.jpg
| image5 = Chris Richardson cropped.JPG
}}
{{multiple image
| align = center
| direction = horizontal
| total_width = 750
| footer = From left to right: [[Phil Stacey]], [[Sanjaya Malakar]], [[Gina Glocksen]], [[Chris Sligh]], and Brandon Rogers
| footer_align = center
| image1 = Phil Stacey.jpg
| image2 = Sanjaya at Seattle Center.JPG
| image3 = Gina Glocksen.jpg
| image4 = Chris Sligh and wife.jpg
| image5 = Brandon Rogers.jpg
}}
*'''[[Jordin Sparks]]''' (17 at the time of the show) was from [[Glendale, Arizona]], and auditioned in Seattle. She was the daughter of former [[National Football League|NFL]] defensive back [[Philippi Sparks]].
*'''[[Blake Lewis]]''' (25 at the time of the show) was from [[Bothell, Washington]], and auditioned in Seattle. Claiming to be the city's [[beatboxing]] champion, Lewis sampled a [[Hip Hop music|hip hop]] tune to the judges before rendering [[Seal (musician)|Seal]]'s "[[Crazy (Seal song)|Crazy]]." He passed the auditions, but Simon commented to him: "you are not as good as you think you are."
*'''[[Melinda Doolittle]]''' (29 at the time of the show) was from [[Brentwood, Tennessee]], and auditioned in Memphis. She auditioned with "[[For Once in My Life]]" by [[Stevie Wonder]] and was met with universal praise from the three judges on her vocal ability.
*'''[[LaKisha Jones]]''' (27 at the time of the show) was from [[Flint, Michigan]], and she performed "[[Think (Aretha Franklin song)|Think]]" by [[Aretha Franklin]] at her audition in New York.
*'''[[Chris Richardson]]''' (23 at the time of the show) was from [[Chesapeake, Virginia]], and auditioned in New York with [[Leon Russell]]'s "[[A Song for You]]." During Richardson's audition, [[Randy Jackson]] compared him to [[Justin Timberlake]].
*'''[[Phil Stacey]]''' (29 at the time of the show) was from [[Jacksonville, Florida]], and auditioned in Memphis. He missed the birth of his daughter to audition.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Phil Stacey Gets Navy's OK for Idol Tour' |url=http://www.people.com/people/package/americanidol2007/article/0,,20007868_20039416,00.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626152303/http://www.people.com/people/package/americanidol2007/article/0,,20007868_20039416,00.html |archive-date=June 26, 2009 |access-date=May 27, 2007}}</ref> He performed two songs before going through to Hollywood: "[[My Girl (The Temptations song)|My Girl]]" and "[[Let's Get It On]]."
*'''[[Sanjaya Malakar]]''' (17 at the time of the show) was from [[Federal Way, Washington]], and auditioned in [[Seattle]] with his sister Shyamali, singing "[[Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours]]." Simon commented that he had a better voice than his sister. Both made it to Hollywood, but Sanjaya was shown tearfully embracing his sister when he made it to the top 40 in Hollywood and she did not.
*'''[[Haley Scarnato]]''' (24 at the time of the show) sang "[[I Can't Make You Love Me]]" by [[Bonnie Raitt]] during her audition.
*'''[[Gina Glocksen]]''' (22 at the time of the show) was from [[Naperville, Illinois]], and auditioned in Memphis. She originally auditioned in the fifth season and made it to Hollywood, but she was cut before the top 40.
*'''[[Chris Sligh]]''' (28 at the time of the show) was from [[Greenville, South Carolina]], and auditioned in Birmingham with "[[Kiss from a Rose]]" by [[Seal (musician)|Seal]], after which [[Paula Abdul]] gave him a standing ovation and stated, "I like you very much."
*'''[[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]]''' (19 at the time of the show) was from [[Savannah, Georgia]], and auditioned in Memphis.
*'''Brandon Rogers''' (29 at the time of the show) was from [[North Hollywood, California]], and auditioned in Los Angeles. After hearing his audition, the judges, including guest judge [[Olivia Newton-John]], were impressed with his vocals. Simon Cowell later mentioned he was the best audition in Los Angeles.


==Finals==
The third round took place on the fourth day, and consisted of individual contestants performing a song from a pre-selected list, accompanied by a piano and backup singers. Contestants were again informed of whether they had made the cut or not.
There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve contestants competing. One contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, with the exception of the top 6 week, where one week featured a non-elimination and the following week a double-elimination.


'''Color key:'''
=== Cut down to 24 ===
{| class="toccolours" style="font-size: 90%; white-space: nowrap;"
The final pre-audience voting cut down took place at the [[Pasadena Civic Center]] on [[January 14]] or 15, [[2007]], just before the regional audition shows began airing. Without any further auditioning, but possibly with some audience research having taken place, the 40 remaining contestants were reduced to 24. In a process taking a whole day, contestants wait in a sitting room until one by one, they go up an elevator and take a long walk to the other end of the Center's Gold Room. Then the three judges tell them whether they have made it onto the stage show or are cut.
|{{legend|#FDFC8F|This contestant was saved by the public vote.}}
|-
|{{legend|lightgreen|This contestant was in the top three.}}
|-
|{{legend|#E0F0FF|This contestant was in the bottom two or three, but was saved by the public vote.}}
|-
|{{legend|#FF91A4|This contestant was eliminated.}}
|-
|{{legend|gold|This contestant won ''American Idol''.}}
|-
|{{legend|silver|This contestant was the runner-up.}}
|}


=== Top 12 – Diana Ross (March 15) ===
The show capturing this phase was aired [[February 14]], [[2007]].
[[Diana Ross]] served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from [[Diana Ross discography|her discography]] and are listed in the order they performed.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
! scope="col"| [[Diana Ross]] song
! scope="col"| Result
|-
! scope="row" | Brandon Rogers
| "[[You Can't Hurry Love]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
| "[[Home (The Wiz song)|Home]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Sligh
| "[[Endless Love (song)|Endless Love]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Gina Glocksen
| "[[Love Child (song)|Love Child]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[Ain't No Mountain High Enough]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom two
|-
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[Missing You (Diana Ross song)|Missing You]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[I'm Gonna Make You Love Me]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom three
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)|God Bless the Child]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[You Keep Me Hangin' On]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Stephanie Edwards
| "[[Love Hangover]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[The Boss (Diana Ross song)|The Boss]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[If We Hold on Together]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | Top 12
|"[[Where Did Our Love Go]]"<br>"[[Baby Love]]"<br>"[[Stop! In the Name of Love]]"
|-
! scope="row" | Diana Ross
| "[[More Today Than Yesterday]]"
|}


=== Top 11 – British Invasion (March 24) ===
== Semi-finalists ==
British singers [[Peter Noone]] and [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]] served as guest mentors this week, with the former mentoring the men and the latter mentoring the women. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
The semi-finals began on [[February 20]], with the names announced on [[February 14]]. There were three shows each week for the three weeks of the semi-finals. The [[February 20]] through [[May 16]] shows originated from [[CBS Television City]] in [[Hollywood]].
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
! scope="col"| Song
! scope="col"| Result
|-
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[Tell Him (Bert Berns song)|Tell Him]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom two
|-
! scope="row" | Stephanie Edwards
| "[[You Don't Have to Say You Love Me]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[Time of the Season]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[Diamonds Are Forever (soundtrack)|Diamonds Are Forever]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[Tobacco Road (song)|Tobacco Road]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[I (Who Have Nothing)]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[You Really Got Me]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Gina Glocksen
| "[[Paint It Black]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Sligh
| "[[She's Not There]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
| "[[As Long as He Needs Me]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | [[Peter Noone]]
| "[[There's a Kind of Hush]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]]
| "[[To Sir with Love (song)|To Sir with Love]]"
|}


=== Top 10 – Gwen Stefani (March 31) ===
There are no format changes from season 4 and 5. The semi-finals featured the contestants (24 total) divided by gender with the 12 male singers singing on Tuesdays and the 12 female singers on Wednesdays. Each person had the chance to select a song to sing live in front of the judges. Following the show's airing, each U.S. timezone would have two hours to vote by phone or by text-messaging. On Thursday, the two of each group with the lowest amount of votes were eliminated each week until the finals.
[[Gwen Stefani]] served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed songs from [[Gwen Stefani discography|her discography]] or songs that inspired her, and are listed in the order they performed.

{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
The 24 semi-finalists were announced [[February 14]], [[2007]].
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
! scope="col"| Song
! scope="col"| Result
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[Last Dance (Donna Summer song)|Last Dance]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Sligh
| "[[Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Gina Glocksen
| "[[I'll Stand by You]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[Bathwater (song)|Bathwater]]"
|style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[True Colors (Cyndi Lauper song)|True Colors]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom two
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[Every Breath You Take]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom three
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
| "[[Heaven Knows (Donna Summer song)|Heaven Knows]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[Lovesong (The Cure song)|Lovesong]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[Hey Baby (No Doubt song)|Hey Baby]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Don't Speak]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performance
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | [[Gwen Stefani]] & [[Akon]]
|"[[The Sweet Escape (song)|The Sweet Escape]]"
|}


=== Top 9 – American classics (April 6) ===
==Top 24 semi-finalists==
[[Tony Bennett]] served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
===Females===
{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" style="margin:0 1em 1em 0; text-align:left;"
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|valign="top"|'''Sabrina Sloan''' (born [[October 31]], [[1979]]) is a 27-year-old and is originally from [[Mission Viejo, California]] but now calls [[Studio City, CA]] her home. Sloan toured the United States as part of the Broadway musical ''[[Hairspray (musical)|Hairspray]]'' under her maiden name, Sabrina Scherff. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from [[Northwestern University]] in Musical Theatre and Communication Studies. She was later signed to a recording contract with [[Universal Music Group]], as part of a duet with [[Sundance Head]].<ref> [http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007164_20008533_20048906,00.html 'Sloan Rangers']</ref>
# "[[I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) (song)|I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)]]" ([[Aretha Franklin]])
# "[[All the Man That I Need]]" ([[Whitney Houston]])
# "[[Don't Let Go (Love)]]" ([[En Vogue]])- ''Eliminated [[March 8]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|'''[[Antonella Barba|Antonella Maria Barba]] <!-- mystery numbers like this (2123) commented out until someone offers an explanation of what they are and why they're important -->''' (born [[November 26]], [[1986]]), age 20, auditioned with her best friend Amanda Coluccio and made it to Hollywood. An undergraduate at [[The Catholic University of America]], she is originally from [[Point Pleasant, New Jersey]]. She made it to Round 3 with Coluccio and both passed the group round (although their third member, Baylie Brown, did not). Coluccio was eliminated in the cut for the top 40. While Barba appeared on the show, racy photographs of her emerged, including photographs of Barba [[topless]] along with other women on a beach. <!-- Reference unavailable at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070224/ap_en_tv/tv_american_idol --> These pictures received mainstream attention including a [[February 27]], [[2007]] featured article in [[USA Today]], <!-- Reference unavailable at http://www.usatoday.com/life/peytu7yilople/2007-02-28-playboy-party_x.htm --> a full segment concerning the controversy on the [[February 26]], [[2007]] edition of [[FOX News]]' [[The O'Reilly Factor]] and also on multiple episodes of [[MSNBC]]'s [[Countdown with Keith Olbermann]] (as recent as March 2007).<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17365649/ Countdown with Keith Olbermann - February 26, 2007]</ref> Photos of Barba posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the [[National World War II Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] also surfaced; however, Barba's friend Coluccio has stated that the sexually explicit photos were fake.
! scope="col"| Song
# "[[I Don't Want to Miss a Thing]]" ([[Aerosmith]])
! scope="col"| Result
# "[[Because You Loved Me]]" ([[Celine Dion]])
# "[[Put Your Records On]]" ([[Corinne Bailey Rae]])- ''Eliminated [[March 8]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
|valign="top"|'''Leslie Hunt <!-- (73560) -->''' (born [[March 23]], [[1982]]), a 25-year-old dog walker from [[Chicago, Illinois]], who was featured in an ''American Idol'' commercial before Season 6 started. She is a self-described indie rocker. She suffers from the autoimmune disease [[Lupus erythematosus|lupus]].
| "[[Mack the Knife]]"
# "[[(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman]]" ([[Aretha Franklin]])
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
# "[[Feeling Good]]" ([[Nina Simone]]) - ''Eliminated [[March 1]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
|valign="top"|'''Alaina Alexander <!-- (66442) -->''' (born [[July 21]], [[1982]]) auditioned in Los Angeles. She is 24 years old and from [[West Hollywood, California]]. Before her ''American Idol 6'' audition, Alexander revealed that after struggling for six years to make it in the music business in Los Angeles she had decided she was not going to sing anymore and had decided to go to college instead. She considered ''American Idol'' to be her last chance to pursue a singing career. For her Los Angeles audition, Alexander sang "Feeling Good" by [[Michael Buble]].
# "[[Brass in Pocket]]"' ([[The Pretenders]])
| "[[Night and Day (song)|Night and Day]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom three
# "[[Not Ready to Make Nice]]" ([[Dixie Chicks]]) - ''Eliminated [[March 1]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
|valign="top"|'''Nicole Tranquillo <!-- (60162) --> ''' (born [[August 13]], [[1985]]) is 21 years old and from [[Wernersville, Pennsylvania]]. She gained a vocal major at the [[University of the Arts (Philadelphia)|University of the Arts]]. She auditioned in Memphis.
| "[[I Got Rhythm]]"
# "[[Stay (Chaka Khan song)|Stay]]" ([[Chaka Khan]]) - ''Eliminated [[February 22]], [[2007]]''
| style="background:lightgreen|Top three
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
|valign="top"|'''Amy Krebs <!-- (80984) --> ''' (born [[May 2]], [[1984]]) is 22 years old and is from [[Federal Way, Washington]]. She is fluent in German. She auditioned in Seattle.
| "[[Don't Get Around Much Anymore]]"
# "[[I Can't Make You Love Me]]" ([[Bonnie Raitt]]) - ''Eliminated [[February 22]], [[2007]]''
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]"
| style="background:lightgreen|Top three
|-
! scope="row" | Gina Glocksen
| "[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[Cheek to Cheek]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-″"
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[Ain't Misbehavin' (song)|Ain't Misbehavin]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom two
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[Stormy Weather (song)|Stormy Weather]]"
| style="background:lightgreen|Top three
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performance
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | [[Michael Bublé]]
| "[[Call Me Irresponsible]]"
|}
|}


=== Top 8 – Latin (April 11) ===
===Males===
[[Jennifer Lopez]] served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" style="margin:0 1em 1em 0; text-align:left;"
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|valign="top"|'''[[Sundance Head|Jason "Sundance" Head]] <!-- (53540) -->''' (born [[January 22]], [[1979]]) auditioned in Memphis and lives in [[Porter, Texas]]. He is a 28-year-old and is the son of [[Roy Head]], who had a number-two single with "Treat Her Right" in 1965; the song was second on the charts to [[The Beatles]], which Jason said made his dad dislike them. He sang the classic hit "[[Call It Stormy Monday (But Tuesday Is Just As Bad)|Stormy Monday]]."
# "[[Nights in White Satin]]" ([[The Moody Blues]])
# "[[Mustang Sally (song)|Mustang Sally]]" ([[Wilson Pickett]])
# "[[Jeremy (song)|Jeremy]]" ([[Pearl Jam]]) - ''Eliminated [[March 8]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|'''Jared Cotter <!-- (8067) -->''' (born [[June 17]], [[1981]]) is from [[Kew Gardens, Queens|Kew Gardens]], [[New York]] (listed as [[Long Island]] on the show) and attended [[Newfield High School]]. He is 25 years old and auditioned in New York City. Cotter played basketball in college, but quit to start his music career. He currently works at FUSE on the show "The Sauce."<ref>[http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=13029931 Jared Cotter's Official Myspace Page]</ref>
! scope="col"| [[Latin American music in the United States|Latin]] song
# "[[Back at One (song)|Back at One]]" ([[Brian McKnight]])
! scope="col"| Result
# "[[Let's Get It On]]" ([[Marvin Gaye]])
# "[[If You Really Love Me]]" ([[Stevie Wonder]]) - ''Eliminated [[March 8]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
|valign="top"|'''Adrian Joseph "A.J." Tabaldo <!-- (66398) -->''' (born [[January 3]], [[1985]]) auditioned in Los Angeles and is from [[Santa Maria, California]]. He is 22 years old. Tabaldo is half-Filipino and half-Portuguese, and auditioned for American Idol five times.
| "[[Sway (Luis Demetrio song)|Sway]]"
# "[[Never Too Much]]" ([[Luther Vandross]])
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
# "[[Feeling Good]]" ([[Nina Simone]]) - ''Eliminated [[March 1]], [[2007]]''
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[Conga (song)|Conga]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Smooth (Santana song)|Smooth]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom three
|-
! scope="row" | Haley Scarnato
| "[[Turn the Beat Around]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[Maria Maria]]"
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom two
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[Rhythm Is Gonna Get You]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[I Need to Know (Marc Anthony song)|I Need to Know]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
| "[[Bésame Mucho]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Top 8
|valign="top"|'''Nicholas "Nick" Pedro <!-- (10377) -->''' (born [[July 9]], [[1981]]) is 25 years old. He auditioned in New York and is from [[Taunton, Massachusetts]]. Pedro dropped out of the competition last season after forgetting the lyrics of "Buttercup" in Hollywood. This audition, he gave a soulful rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" which earned him a second chance to fulfill his ''Idol'' aspirations. Nick's feat seemed especially noteworthy as, unlike all other contestants making it this far, Nick received no experience ever onstage prior to Idol.
| "[[Bailamos]]"
# "[[Now and Forever (Richard Marx song)|Now and Forever]]" ([[Richard Marx]])
# "[[Fever (1956 song)|Fever]]" ([[Peggy Lee]]) - ''Eliminated [[March 1]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Akon]]
|valign="top"|'''Rudy Cardenas <!-- (59576) -->''' (born [[April 3]], [[1978]]) auditioned in Seattle and is from [[North Hollywood, California]]. Originally from [[Venezuela]], the 28-year-old is part of a Los Angeles-based band called M-Pact. In his audition, he sang Journey rock classic "Open Arms". Although Simon was unimpressed with his singing, Rudy made it to Hollywood with the support of the other two judges. In Hollywood, he sang "[[How Deep Is Your Love]]" together with Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, and [[Tom Lowe (performer)|Tom Lowe]] in group round. The judges were impressed by their vocals.
| "[[Don't Matter]]"
# "[[Free Ride (song)|Free Ride]]" ([[Edgar Winter Group]]) - ''Eliminated [[February 22]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | [[Jennifer Lopez]]
|valign="top"|'''Paul Kim <!-- (74201) -->''' (born [[March 26]], [[1981]]) auditioned in Los Angeles. He is from [[Saratoga, California]], and attended [[Monta Vista High School]]. Kim is 25 years old, and being [[Korean-American]], his motivation for auditioning was to alter the stereotypical Asian image that William Hung gave during the previous seasons. His performance received unanimous praise from the judges as Randy mentioned that Kim has one of the best male vocals he has heard this season. In contrast to their early praise, the judges mentioned when they put him through that Paul made it to the top 24 by "a split decision". He sang barefoot during all of his performances.
| "[[Qué Hiciste]]"
# "[[Careless Whisper]]" ([[Wham!]]) - ''Eliminated [[February 22]], [[2007]]''
|}
|}


==Top 12 finalists==
=== Top 7 – Country (April 18) ===
[[Martina McBride]] served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
The 12 finalists were announced on [[March 8]], [[2007]]. As in past years, the top 12 will appear on the annual compilation album while the top 10 will be the participants in the American Idol [[American Idols LIVE! Tour 2007|summer concert tour]]. Also as in past years, one finalist was eliminated every week, with the exception of the [[April 25]] show, when all contestants were declared safe. As a result, two of the participants were eliminated on the [[May 2]], [[2007]] results program.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"

The following is first in reverse chronological order by elimination date, then in alphabetical order by family name, where applicable.

{| border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="4" style="margin:0 1em 1em 0; text-align:left;"
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|[[Image:Normal July2007AmericanIdol3058-vi.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Jordin Sparks]]
! scope="col"| [[Country music|Country]] song
'''[[Jordin Sparks|Jordin Brianna Sparks]] <!-- (80066) -->''' (born [[December 22]], [[1989]]) is a {{age|1989|12|22}}-year-old (17 at the time of the show) from [[Glendale, Arizona]] who auditioned in Seattle. She was a contestant on ''[[America's Most Talented Kid]]'' in 2003 and also appeared on the program's Tournament of Champions, on which she sang the [[Celine Dion]] ballad "[[Because You Loved Me]]" in her auditions. She is the daughter of former [[National Football League|NFL]] defensive back [[Philippi Sparks]]. With her win, Jordin became the youngest Idol yet and joins the ranks of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Hicks by winning without ever appearing in the bottom two or three.
! scope="col"| Result
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
# "[[Give Me One Reason]]" ([[Tracy Chapman]])
# "[[Reflection (song)|Reflection]]" ([[Christina Aguilera]])
# "[[Heartbreaker (Pat Benatar song)|Heartbreaker]]" ([[Pat Benatar]])
# "[[If We Hold On Together (song)|If We Hold On Together]]" ([[Diana Ross]])
# "[[I (Who Have Nothing)]]" ([[Shirley Bassey]])
# "[[Hey Baby (No Doubt song)|Hey Baby]]" ([[No Doubt]] featuring [[Bounty Killer]])
# "[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (song)|On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]" ([[Barbra Streisand]])- Top 3 April 4, 2007
# "[[Rhythm Is Gonna Get You]]" ([[Gloria Estefan]])
# "[[A Broken Wing]]" ([[Martina McBride]])
# "[[You'll Never Walk Alone (song)|You'll Never Walk Alone]]" (from the musical ''[[Carousel (musical)|Carousel]]'')
# "[[Livin' on a Prayer]]" ([[Bon Jovi]])
# "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]" ([[Bee Gees]])
# "[[Woman in Love]]" ([[Barbra Streisand]])
# "[[Wishing on a Star]]" ([[Rose Royce]])
# "[[She Works Hard for the Money (song)|She Works Hard for the Money]]" ([[Donna Summer]])
# "[[I (Who Have Nothing)]]" ([[Shirley Bassey]])
# "[[Fighter (song)|Fighter]]" ([[Christina Aguilera]])- Winner May 23, 2007
# "[[A Broken Wing]]" ([[Martina McBride]])- Winner May 23, 2007
# "[[This Is My Now]]" ([[Jordin Sparks]])</div>
- ''Winner [[May 23]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
|valign="top"|[[Image:Blake Lewis Seattle.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Blake Lewis]]
| "[[Where the Blacktop Ends]]"
'''[[Blake Lewis|Blake Colin Lewis]] <!-- (77804) -->''' (born [[July 21]], [[1981]]) is a {{age|1981|7|21}}-year-old (25 at the time of the show) and auditioned in Seattle, and is from [[Bothell, Washington]]. He is a former member of the [[a cappella]] group KickShaw. Claiming to be the city's [[beatboxing]] champion, Lewis sampled a [[Hip Hop music|hip hop]] tune to the judges before rendering [[Seal (musician)|Seal]]'s "[[Crazy (Seal song)|Crazy]]". He passed the auditions but Simon commented to him that "you are not as good as you think you are", reminding him not to be cocky and overconfident in the future.
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
# "[[Somewhere Only We Know]]" ([[Keane (band)|Keane]])
# "[[Virtual Insanity]]" ([[Jamiroquai]])
# "[[All Mixed Up (311 song)|All Mixed Up]]" ([[311 (band)|311]])
# "[[You Keep Me Hanging On]]" ([[The Supremes]])
# "[[Time of the Season]]" ([[The Zombies]])
# "[[Lovesong (The Cure song)|Lovesong]]" ([[The Cure]])
# "[[Mack the Knife]]" ([[Bobby Darin]])
# "[[I Need to Know (Marc Anthony song)|I Need to Know]]" ([[Marc Anthony]])
# "[[When the Stars Go Blue]]" ([[Ryan Adams]]) - ''Bottom 3 [[April 18]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Imagine (song)|Imagine]]" ([[John Lennon]])
# "[[You Give Love a Bad Name (song)|You Give Love a Bad Name]]" ([[Bon Jovi]])
# "[[You Should Be Dancing]]" ([[Bee Gees]])
# "[[This Is Where I Came In (song)|This Is Where I Came In]]" ([[Bee Gees]])
# "[[Roxanne (song)|Roxanne]]" ([[The Police]])
# "[[This Love]]" ([[Maroon 5]])
# "[[When I Get You Alone]]" ([[Robin Thicke]])
# "[[You Give Love a Bad Name (song)|You Give Love a Bad Name]]" ([[Bon Jovi]]) - Runner-Up May 23, 2007
# "[[She Will Be Loved]] ([[Maroon 5]]) - Runner-Up May 23, 2007
# "[[This Is My Now]]" ([[Jordin Sparks]]) </div>
- ''Runner-Up [[May 23]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
|valign="top"|[[Image:Doolittle and Jones.jpg|thumb|110px|right|Melinda Doolittle (left) and LaKisha Jones]]
| "[[A Broken Wing]]"
'''[[Melinda Doolittle|Melinda Marie Doolittle]] <!-- (57073) -->''' (born [[December 1]], [[1977]]) age {{age|1977|12|1}} (29 at the time of show), auditioned in Memphis, and is from [[Brentwood, Tennessee]]. Despite being a professional back-up singer, she admitted she was still tense and nervous about competing in the show. She auditioned with "[[For Once in My Life]]" popularized by [[Stevie Wonder]], and was met with universal praise from the three judges on her vocal ability. The judges did express concern about her nerves and told her to believe in herself. Her elimination the week before the finale had many critics and viewers in shock, and Simon Cowell looked extremely disappointed, as he felt that she deserved to be in the finale for "week to week consistency". She has sung back up for [[Aaron Neville]], [[CeCe Winans]], and Season 3 finalist [[George Huff (singer)|George Huff]]. She also performed in the "Christmas Time" Tours in 2005 and 2006 for Contemporary Christian singer [[Michael W. Smith]].
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
|-
# "[[(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone]]" ([[Aretha Franklin]])
! scope="row" | Sanjaya Malakar
# "[[My Funny Valentine]]" ([[Chaka Khan]])
# "[[I'm a Woman (song)|I'm a Woman]]" ([[Peggy Lee]])
| "[[Something to Talk About (Bonnie Raitt song)|Something to Talk About]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
# "[[The Wiz|Home]]" ([[Stephanie Mills]])
# "[[As Long As He Needs Me]]" ([[Shirley Bassey]])
# "[[Heaven Knows (song)|Heaven Knows]]" ([[Donna Summer]])
# "[[I Got Rhythm]]" ([[Ethel Merman]] and many others)- Top 3 April 4, 2007
# "[[Sway (song)|Sway]]" ([[Dean Martin]])
# "[[Trouble is a Woman]]" ([[Julie Reeves]])
# "[[There Will Come a Day]]" ([[Faith Hill]])
# "[[Have a Nice Day (Bon Jovi song)|Have a Nice Day]]" ([[Bon Jovi]])
# "[[Love You Inside Out]]" ([[Bee Gees]])
# "[[How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?]]" ([[Bee Gees]])
# "[[I Believe in You and Me]]" ([[Whitney Houston]])- Eliminated May 16, 2007
# "[[Nutbush City Limits]]" ([[Ike & Tina Turner]])- Eliminated May 16, 2007
# "[[I'm a Woman (song)|I'm a Woman]]" ([[Peggy Lee]])</div>
- ''Eliminated [[May 16]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
|valign="top"|[[Image:Doolittle and Jones.jpg|thumb|120px|right|LaKisha Jones (right) and Melinda Doolittle]]
| "[[Jesus, Take the Wheel]]"
'''[[LaKisha Jones|LaKisha Ann Jones]] <!-- (8292) -->''' (born [[January 13]], [[1980]]) a {{age|1980|1|13}}-year-old (27 at the time of show) bank teller who performed "[[Think (Aretha Franklin song)|Think]]" by [[Aretha Franklin]], and is originally from [[Flint, Michigan]]. Viewers were first introduced to Jones during the "Best of the Rest" episode. After her audition in New York, LaKisha celebrated with her family and cried tears of happiness with her daughter. She is also the runner up of the [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] show, KPRC Local 2 ''Gimme the Mike'', in 2005. She listed [[Fort Meade, Maryland]] as home on her application, and also has a Houston following.
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom two
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
# "[[And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going]]" ([[Jennifer Holliday]])
# "[[Midnight Train to Georgia]]" ([[Gladys Knight & the Pips]])
# "[[I Have Nothing]]" ([[Whitney Houston]])
# "[[God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday song)|God Bless the Child]]" ([[Billie Holiday]])
# "[[Diamonds Are Forever (film)#Soundtrack|Diamonds Are Forever]]" ([[Shirley Bassey]])
# "[[Last Dance (song)|Last Dance]]" ([[Donna Summer]])
# "[[Stormy Weather (song)|Stormy Weather]]" ([[Lena Horne]] and many others)- Top 3 April 4, 2007
# "[[Conga (song)|Conga]]" ([[Gloria Estefan]] and [[Gloria Estefan|Miami Sound Machine]])
# "[[Jesus, Take the Wheel]]" ([[Carrie Underwood]]) - ''Bottom 2 [[April 18]], [[2007]]''
# "[[I Believe (Fantasia song)|I Believe]]" ([[Fantasia Barrino|Fantasia]])
# "[[This Ain't a Love Song]]" ([[Bon Jovi]])
# "[[Stayin' Alive]]" ([[Bee Gees]])- Eliminated May 9, 2007
# "[[Run to Me (Bee Gees song)|Run to Me]]" ([[Bee Gees]])</div>
- ''Eliminated [[May 9]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
|valign="top"|[[Image:Richardson, Chris (2007).jpg|thumb|100px|right|Chris Richardson]]
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Mayberry (song)|Mayberry]]"
'''[[Chris Richardson|Christopher Michael "Chris" Richardson]] <!-- (8963) -->''' (born [[February 19]], [[1984]]) is a {{age|1984|2|19}}-year-old (23 at time of show). He auditioned in [[New York]] and is from [[Chesapeake, Virginia]]. During Richardson's audition Randy compared him to [[Justin Timberlake]].
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
# "[[I Don't Want to Be]]" ([[Gavin DeGraw]])
# "[[Geek in the Pink]]" ([[Jason Mraz]])
# "[[Tonight I Wanna Cry]]" ([[Keith Urban]])
# "[[The Boss (Diana Ross song)|The Boss]]" ([[Diana Ross]])
# "[[Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying]]" ([[Gerry & the Pacemakers]]) - ''Bottom 2 [[March 21]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Don't Speak]]" ([[No Doubt]])
# "[[Don't Get Around Much Anymore]]" ([[Duke Ellington]])
# "[[Smooth (song)|Smooth]]" ([[Santana (band)|Santana]] featuring [[Rob Thomas (musician)|Rob Thomas]]) - ''Bottom 3 [[April 11]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Mayberry (Rascal Flatts song)|Mayberry]]" ([[Rascal Flatts]])
# "[[Change the World]]" ([[Eric Clapton]])
# "[[Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]" ([[Bon Jovi]])</div>
- ''Eliminated [[May 2]], [[2007]]
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
|valign="top"|[[Image:Phil Stacey (cropped, close shot) · 071118-N-1644C-007.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Phil Stacey]]
| "[[It's About Time (Julie Reeves album)|Trouble Is a Woman]]"
'''[[Phil Stacey|Joel Phillip "Phil" Stacey]] <!-- (51815) -->''' (born [[January 25]], [[1978]]) is a {{age|1978|1|25}}-year-old (29 at time of show) and serves in the United States Navy. He auditioned in Memphis and is from [[Jacksonville, Florida]]. He missed the birth of his daughter, McKayla <ref>[http://www.people.com/people/package/americanidol2007/article/0,,20007868_20039416,00.html 'Phil Stacey Gets Navy's OK for Idol Tour']</ref>, to audition for Idol. He performed two songs before getting through to Hollywood: "[[My Girl (The Temptations song)|My Girl]]" and "[[Let's Get It On]]".
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
# "[[I Could Not Ask for More]]" ([[Edwin McCain]])
# "[[Missing You (John Waite song)|Missing You]]" ([[John Waite]])
# "[[I Need You (LeAnn Rimes song)|I Need You]]" ([[LeAnn Rimes]])
# "[[I'm Gonna Make You Love Me]]" ([[The Supremes]] & [[The Temptations]]) - ''Bottom 3 [[March 14]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Tobacco Road (song)|Tobacco Road]]" ([[The Nashville Teens]])
# "[[Every Breath You Take]]" ([[The Police]]) - ''Bottom 3 [[March 28]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Night and Day (song)|Night and Day]]" ([[Frank Sinatra]])- ''Bottom 3 [[April 4]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Maria Maria]]" ([[Carlos Santana|Santana]] featuring [[The Product G&B]]) - ''Bottom 2 [[April 11]], [[2007]]''
# "[[Where the Blacktop Ends]]" ([[Keith Urban]])
# "[[The Change]]" ([[Garth Brooks]])
# "[[Blaze of Glory (song)|Blaze of Glory]]" ([[Bon Jovi]])</div>
- ''Eliminated [[May 2]], [[2007]]''
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
|valign="top"|[[Image:Sanjaya at Seattle Center.JPG|thumb|100px|right|Sanjaya Malakar]]
| "[[When the Stars Go Blue]]"
'''[[Sanjaya Malakar|Sanjaya Joseph Malakar]] <!-- (80203) -->''' (born [[September 10]], [[1989]]) is a {{age|1989|9|10}}-year-old (17 at time of show). He auditioned in [[Seattle]] with his sister Shyamali, singing "[[Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)]]." He is from [[Federal Way, Washington]], the same town as Amy Krebs. After Sanjaya's audition, Simon commented that he had a better voice than his sister. Both made it to Hollywood, but Sanjaya was shown tearfully embracing his sister when he made it to the top 40 in Hollywood and she was cut.
| bgcolor="E0F0FF" | Bottom three
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
|}
# "[[Knocks Me Off My Feet]]" ([[Stevie Wonder]])
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
# "[[Steppin' Out With My Baby]]" ([[Tony Bennett]])
|+Non-competition performances
# "[[Waiting on the World to Change]]" ([[John Mayer (musician)|John Mayer]])
! scope="col" |Performers
# "[[Ain't No Mountain High Enough]]" ([[Marvin Gaye]] & [[Tammi Terrell]]) - ''Bottom 2 [[March 14]], [[2007]]''
! scope="col" |Song
# "[[You Really Got Me]]" ([[The Kinks]])
|-
# "[[Bathwater]]"' ([[No Doubt]])
! scope="row" | Top 7
# "[[Cheek to Cheek]]" ([[Fred Astaire]])
|"[[I'm Alright (Jo Dee Messina song)|I'm Alright]]"
# "[[Bésame Mucho]]" ([[Andy Russell (singer)|Andy Russell]])
|-
# "[[Something to Talk About]]" ([[Bonnie Raitt]])</div>
! scope="row" | [[Fergie (singer)|Fergie]]
- ''Eliminated [[April 18]], [[2007]]''
| "[[Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie song)|Big Girls Don't Cry]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Martina McBride]]
| "[[Anyway (Martina McBride song)|Anyway]]"
|}


=== Top 6 ''(Idol Gives Back)'' – Inspirational songs (April 25) ===
Owing to a special theme week – ''Idol Gives Back'' – Ryan Seacrest announced that this week would be a non-elimination, and that the votes cast for this week would be combined with the votes from the following week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|'''[[Haley Scarnato|Haley Suzanne Scarnato]] <!-- (50411) -->''' (born [[June 15]], [[1982]]) is a {{age|1982|7|15}}-year-old (24 at time of show) former wedding band singer. She sang "[[I Can't Make You Love Me]]" by [[Bonnie Raitt]] during her audition. She lives in [[San Antonio, Texas]].
! scope="col"| Song
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
! scope="col"| Result
# "[[It's All Coming Back to Me Now]]" ([[Celine Dion]])
|-
# "[[Queen of the Night (song)|Queen of the Night]]" ([[Whitney Houston]])
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
# "[[If My Heart Had Wings]]" ([[Faith Hill]])
| "[[Change the World]]"
# "[[Missing You (Diana Ross song)|Missing You]]" ([[Diana Ross]])
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
# "[[Tell Him (Bert Berns song)|Tell Him]]" ([[The Exciters]])
|-
# "[[True Colors (song)|True Colors]]" ([[Cyndi Lauper]]) - ''Bottom 2 [[March 28]], [[2007]]''
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
# "[[Ain't Misbehavin' (song)|Ain't Misbehavin']]" ([[Ella Fitzgerald]]) - ''Bottom 2 [[April 4]], [[2007]]''
| "[[Breathe (Faith Hill album)|There Will Come a Day]]"
# "[[Turn the Beat Around]]" ([[Vicki Sue Robinson]])</div>
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
- ''Eliminated [[April 11]], [[2007]]''
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[Imagine (John Lennon song)|Imagine]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[I Believe (Fantasia song)|I Believe]]"
|style="background:#FDFC8F| Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
| "[[The Change (song)|The Change]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
| "[[You'll Never Walk Alone]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|}


=== Top 6 – Bon Jovi (May 2) ===
[[Jon Bon Jovi]] and [[David Bryan]] served as guest mentors this week. Contestants performed one song from the [[Bon Jovi discography]], and are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated based on the combined votes from last week and this week.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|[[Image:Ginaavvie.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Gina Glocksen]]
! scope="col"| [[Bon Jovi]] song
'''[[Gina Glocksen]] <!-- (53750) -->''' (born [[July 4]], [[1984]]) is a {{age|1984|7|4}}-year-old (22 at time of show), auditioned in Memphis, and is from [[Naperville, Illinois]]. She auditioned in Chicago during Season 5 and made it to Hollywood but was cut before the Top 40.
! scope="col"| Result
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
|-
# "[[All By Myself]]" ([[Eric Carmen]])
! scope="row" | Phil Stacey
# "[[Alone (Heart song)|Alone]]" ([[Heart (band)|Heart]])
| "[[Blaze of Glory (Jon Bon Jovi song)|Blaze of Glory]]"
# "[[Call Me When You're Sober]]" ([[Evanescence]])
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
# "[[Love Child (song)|Love Child]]" ([[The Supremes]])
|-
# "[[Paint It, Black]]" ([[The Rolling Stones]])
! scope="row" | Jordin Sparks
# "[[I'll Stand By You]]" ([[The Pretenders]])
| "[[Livin' on a Prayer]]"
# "[[Smile (Charlie Chaplin song)|Smile]]" ([[Charlie Chaplin]])</div>
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
- ''Eliminated [[April 4]], [[2007]]''
|-
! scope="row" | LaKisha Jones
| "[[This Ain't a Love Song]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Blake Lewis
| "[[You Give Love a Bad Name]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|-
! scope="row" | Chris Richardson
| "[[Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi song)|Wanted Dead or Alive]]"
| bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
! scope="row" | Melinda Doolittle
| "[[Have a Nice Day (Bon Jovi song)|Have a Nice Day]]"
| style="background:#FDFC8F|Safe
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | [[Robin Thicke]]
| "[[Lost Without U]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Bon Jovi]]
| "[[(You Want to) Make a Memory]]"
|}


=== Top 4 – Bee Gees (May 9) ===
[[Barry Gibb]] served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed two songs each from the [[Bee Gees discography]] and are listed in the order they performed.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|[[Image:Slighandwife.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Chris Sligh]]
! scope="col"| Order
'''[[Chris Sligh|Charles Christopher "Chris" Sligh]] <!-- (24994) -->''' (born [[April 13]], [[1978]]) is a {{age|1978|4|13}}-year-old (28 at time of show), hails from [[Greenville, South Carolina]], and graduated from [[North Greenville University]]. He auditioned in Birmingham and sang "[[Kiss from a Rose]]" by [[Seal (musician)|Seal]], after which Paula gave a standing ovation and stated, "I like you very much." Paula, Simon, and Randy laughed at his ambition "to make [[David Hasselhoff]] cry" (a nod to the Season 5 finale where David Hasselhoff did, in fact, cry).
! scope="col"| [[Bee Gees]] song
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
! scope="col"| Result
# "[[Typical (song)|Typical]]" ([[Mute Math]])
|-
# "[[Trouble (Ray LaMontagne song)|Trouble]]" ([[Ray LaMontagne]])
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | Melinda Doolittle
# "[[Wanna Be Loved]]" ([[dc Talk]])
| 1
# "[[Endless Love (song)|Endless Love]]" ([[Diana Ross]] & [[Lionel Richie]])
| "[[Love You Inside Out]]"
# "[[She's Not There]]" ([[The Zombies]])
| rowspan="2" style="background:#FDFC8F" |Safe
# "[[Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic]]" ([[The Police]]) </div>
|-
- ''Eliminated [[March 28]], [[2007]]''
| 5
|"[[How Can You Mend a Broken Heart]]"
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | Blake Lewis
| 2
| "[[You Should Be Dancing]]"
| rowspan="2" style="background:#FDFC8F" |Safe
|-
| 6
| "[[This Is Where I Came In]]"
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | LaKisha Jones
| 3
| "[[Stayin' Alive]]"
| rowspan="2" bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
| 7
| "[[Run to Me (Bee Gees song)|Run to Me]]"
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2" | Jordin Sparks
| 4
| "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]"
| rowspan="2" style="background:#FDFC8F" |Safe
|-
| 8
| "[[Woman in Love]]"
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | Top 4
| [[Bee Gees]] medley
|-
! scope="row" | [[Pink (singer)|Pink]]
| "[[Who Knew]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Barry Gibb]]
| "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]"
|}


=== Top 3 (May 16) ===
Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by one of the judges, one chosen by the producers, and one chosen by themselves. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|'''[[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]] <!-- (52357) -->''' (born [[August 5]], [[1987]]) is a {{age|1987|8|5}}-year-old (19 at time of show) and from [[Savannah, Georgia]]. She auditioned in Memphis.
! scope="col"| Order
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
! scope="col"| Song
# "[[How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?]]" ([[Prince (musician)|Prince]]/[[Alicia Keys]])
! scope="col"| Result
# "[[Dangerously in Love (song)|Dangerously in Love]]" ([[Beyoncé Knowles|Beyoncé]])
|-
# "[[Sweet Thing (Chaka Khan song)|Sweet Thing]]" ([[Chaka Khan]])
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | Jordin Sparks
# "[[Love Hangover]]" ([[Diana Ross]])
| 1
# "[[You Don't Have to Say You Love Me]]" ([[Dusty Springfield]])</div>
| "[[Wishing on a Star]]"{{Efn|Song chosen by [[Simon Cowell]]}}
- ''Eliminated [[March 21]], [[2007]]''
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
| 4
| "[[She Works Hard for the Money]]"
|-
| 7
| "[[I (Who Have Nothing)]]"
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | Blake Lewis
| 2
| "[[Roxanne (The Police song)|Roxanne]]"{{Efn|Song chosen by [[Paula Abdul]]}}
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="FDFC8F" | Safe
|-
| 5
| "[[This Love (Maroon 5 song)|This Love]]"
|-
| 8
| "[[When I Get You Alone]]"
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | Melinda Doolittle
| 3
| "[[I Believe in You and Me]]"{{Efn|Song chosen by [[Randy Jackson]]}}
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="FF91A4" | Eliminated
|-
| 6
| "[[Nutbush City Limits]]"
|-
| 9
| "[[I'm a Woman (song)|I'm a Woman]]"
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performances
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" | [[Elliott Yamin]]
| "[[Wait for You (Elliott Yamin song)|Wait for You]]"
|-
! scope="row" | [[Maroon 5]]
| "[[Makes Me Wonder]]"
|}
{{notelist}}


===Top 2 – Finale (May 23)===
Each contestant performed three songs, and contestants are listed in the order they performed.
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
|-
! scope="col"| Contestant
|valign="top"|'''[[Brandon Rogers (singer)|Brandon Rogers]] <!-- (74191) -->''' (born [[January 9]], [[1978]]) is a {{age|1978|1|9}}-year-old (29 at time of show). He auditioned in Los Angeles and is from [[North Hollywood, California]]. Rogers has been a [[backup singer]] to established artists, performing on [[Justin Timberlake]] and [[Christina Aguilera]]'s 2003 [[Justified and Stripped Tour]] and [[Anastacia]]'s 2005 Encore Tour. After hearing his audition song, the judges (including guest judge [[Olivia Newton-John]]) were impressed with his vocals. Simon Cowell later mentioned he was the best auditioner coming from that city.
! scope="col"| Order
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
! scope="col"| Song
# "[[Rock with You]]" ([[Michael Jackson]])
! scope="col"| Result
# "[[Time after Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]" ([[Cyndi Lauper]])
|-
# "[[I Just Want to Celebrate]]" ([[Rare Earth (band)|Rare Earth]])
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | Blake Lewis
# "[[You Can't Hurry Love]]" ([[The Supremes]])</div>
| 1
- ''Eliminated [[March 14]], [[2007]]''
| "[[You Give Love a Bad Name]]"
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="silver" | Runner-Up
|-
| 3
| "[[She Will Be Loved]]"
|-
| 5
| "[[This Is My Now]]"
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3" | Jordin Sparks
| 2
| "[[Fighter (Christina Aguilera song)|Fighter]]"
| rowspan="3" bgcolor="gold" | '''Winner'''
|-
| 4
| "[[A Broken Wing]]"
|-
| 6
| "[[This Is My Now]]"
|}
{| class="wikitable unsortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Non-competition performance
! scope="col" |Performers
! scope="col" |Song
|-
! scope="row" |[[Daughtry (band)|Daughtry]]
| "[[Home (Daughtry song)|Home]]"{{efn|Performed on the May 22 episode.}}
|-
! scope="row" |[[Jordin Sparks]] & [[Blake Lewis]]
| "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Gwen Stefani]]
| "[[4 in the Morning]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Kelly Clarkson]]
| "[[Never Again (Kelly Clarkson song)|Never Again]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Blake Lewis]], [[Chris Richardson]],<br>[[Phil Stacey]], [[Sanjaya Malakar]],<br>[[Chris Sligh]] & Brandon Rogers<br>with [[Smokey Robinson]]
| "[[Ooo Baby Baby]]"<br>"[[Being with You (song)|Being with You]]"<br>"[[The Tears of a Clown]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Blake Lewis]]<br>with [[Doug E. Fresh]]
| "The Show"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Jordin Sparks]], [[Melinda Doolittle]],<br>[[LaKisha Jones]], [[Haley Scarnato]],<br>[[Gina Glocksen]] & [[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]]<br>with [[Gladys Knight]]
| "[[I Heard It Through the Grapevine]]"<br>"[[I Feel a Song (In My Heart)]]"<br>"[[Midnight Train to Georgia]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Tony Bennett]]
| "[[For Once in My Life]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Melinda Doolittle]]<br>with [[BeBe Winans|BeBe]] & [[CeCe Winans]]
| "Hold Up the Light"
|-
! scope="row" |Top 12
| "[[Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper song)|Time After Time]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Carrie Underwood]]
| "[[I'll Stand By You (Carrie Underwood song)|I'll Stand by You]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[African Children's Choir]]
|
|-
! scope="row" |[[Sanjaya Malakar]]<br>with [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]]
| "[[You Really Got Me]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Green Day]]
| "[[Working Class Hero]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Taylor Hicks]]
| "[[Heaven Knows (Taylor Hicks song)|Heaven Knows]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Jordin Sparks]] & [[Ruben Studdard]]
| "[[You're All I Need to Get By]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Bette Midler]]
| "[[Wind Beneath My Wings]]"
|-
! scope="row" |Top 12<br>with [[Kelly Clarkson]], [[Taylor Hicks]],<br>[[Ruben Studdard]] & [[Carrie Underwood]]
| "[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (song)|Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]"<br>"[[A Day in the Life]]"<br>"[[She's Leaving Home]]"<br>"[[Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]]"<br>"[[With a Little Help from My Friends]]"
|-
! scope="row" |[[Jordin Sparks]]
| "[[This Is My Now]]"
|}
{{notelist}}The finale aired on May 23, 2007, live from the [[Kodak Theatre]] in [[Los Angeles]]. Every past winner of ''American Idol'' gave a special performance except for [[Fantasia (singer)|Fantasia]], who was appearing in ''[[The Color Purple (musical)|The Color Purple]]'' in New York City and was thus unavailable.


After [[Carrie Underwood]] performed "[[I'll Stand By You (Carrie Underwood song)|I'll Stand by You]]", [[Clive Davis]] gave a speech extolling the state of "the ''American Idol'' album franchise," and then presented Underwood with a special award for achieving 6 million U.S. album sales for her album ''[[Some Hearts (Carrie Underwood album)|Some Hearts]]''.
===Song themes===
Just as was done in season 5, the performers whose themes are performed do not appear as judges. Instead, they "mentor" the contestants on the theme.


==Elimination chart==
*Week 1 ([[March 13]]) - [[Diana Ross]] - Diana Ross
'''Color key:'''
*Week 2 ([[March 20]]) - [[British Invasion]] - [[Peter Noone]] and [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
*Week 3 ([[March 27]]) - [[No Doubt]] and songs by singers who inspired Gwen Stefani - [[Gwen Stefani]]
{{legend|gold|Winner}}
*Week 4 ([[April 3]]) - [[Traditional pop music|American Classics]] - [[Tony Bennett]]
{{legend|silver|Runner-up}}
*Week 5 ([[April 10]]) - [[Latin American music|Latin]] - [[Jennifer Lopez]]
{{legend|#FDFC8F|Saved by the public}}
*Week 6 ([[April 17]]) - [[Country music|Country]] - [[Martina McBride]]
{{legend|lightgreen|Top two}}
*Week 7 ([[April 24]]) - Inspirational - [[Bono]]
{{legend|#e0f0ff|Bottom two or three}}
*Week 8 ([[May 1]]) - [[Bon Jovi]] - [[Jon Bon Jovi]] and [[David Bryan]]
{{legend|#FF91A4|Eliminated}}
*Week 9 ([[May 8]]) - Songs written by [[Barry Gibb]] - Barry Gibb
}}
*Week 10 ([[May 15]]) - Judges' choice, producers' choice, contestant's choice
*Week 11 ([[May 22]]) - Contestant's choice, song previously sung by contestant, winning song of the [[American Idol (season 6)#American Idol Songwriter Contest|American Idol Songwriter Contest]]<ref>[http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Todays-News/Singin-Happy-Teen/800015501/ Singin' a happy teen - will Jordin heed Simon's words?]</ref>


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;"
===Performers on results shows===
|+ ''American Idol'' (season 6) - Eliminations
* Semifinal Round 1 ([[February 22]]) - The Top 24 sang "[[Sowing the Seeds of Love]]" by [[Tears for Fears]] and [[Fantasia Barrino|Fantasia]] performed "I'm Here" from ''[[The Color Purple (musical)| The Color Purple]]''.
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Contestant
* Semifinal Round 2 ([[March 1]]) - The Top 20 sang "[[Joy to the World (Hoyt Axton song)|Joy to the World]]" by [[Three Dog Night]] and [[Kellie Pickler]] performed "[[I Wonder]]."
! scope="col" rowspan="2" | {{abbr|Pl.|Place}}
* Semifinal Round 3 ([[March 8]]) - The Top 16 sang [[Stealers Wheel]]'s "[[Stuck in the Middle with You]]" and [[Carrie Underwood]] performed "[[Wasted (Carrie Underwood song)|Wasted]]."
! scope="col" colspan=3 | Semifinals
* Week 1 ([[March 14]]) - The Top 12 sang a medley of three [[The Supremes|Supremes]]' hits: "[[Where Did Our Love Go]]," "[[Baby Love]]" and "[[Stop! In the Name of Love]]" and [[Diana Ross]] performed "[[More Today Than Yesterday]]."
! scope="col" | Top 12
* Week 2 ([[March 21]]) - [[Peter Noone]] performed "[[There's a Kind of Hush]]" and [[Lulu (singer)|Lulu]] performed "[[To Sir, with Love (song)|To Sir, With Love]]."
! scope="col" | Top 11
* Week 3 ([[March 28]]) - [[Gwen Stefani]] and [[Akon]] performed "[[The Sweet Escape (song)|The Sweet Escape]]."
! scope="col" | Top 10
* Week 4 ([[April 4]]) - [[Michael Bublé]] performed "[[Call Me Irresponsible]]."
! scope="col" | Top 9
* Week 5 ([[April 11]]) - The Top 8 sang [[Enrique Iglesias]]'s "[[Bailamos]]", [[Akon]] performed "[[Don't Matter]]" and [[Jennifer Lopez]] performed "[[Qué Hiciste]]."
! scope="col" | Top 8
* Week 6 ([[April 18]]) - The Top 7 sang [[Jo Dee Messina]]'s "[[I'm Alright (Jo Dee Messina song)|I'm Alright]]," [[Fergie (singer)|Fergie]] performed "[[Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie song)|Big Girls Don't Cry]]" and [[Martina McBride]] performed "[[Anyway (song)|Anyway]]."
! scope="col" | Top 7
* Week 7 ([[April 25]]) - Idol Gives Back Special (''see below'')
! scope="col" colspan=2 | Top 6
* Week 8 ([[May 2]]) - [[Robin Thicke]] performed "[[Lost Without U]]." [[Bon Jovi]] performed "[[(You Want to) Make a Memory]]."
! scope="col" | Top 4
* Week 9 ([[May 9]]) - The Top 4 sang a medley of [[Barry Gibb]] songs, [[Pink (singer)|Pink]] performed "[[Who Knew]]" and [[Barry Gibb]] performed "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]."
! scope="col" | Top 3
*Week 10 ([[May 16]]) - [[Elliott Yamin]] performed "[[Wait for You]]" and [[Maroon 5]] performed "[[Makes Me Wonder]]."
! scope="col" | Finale
*Week 11 (Performance) ([[May 22]]) - [[Daughtry (band)|Daughtry]] performed "[[Home (Daughtry song)|Home]]" (elimination anthem)
|-
*[[Grand Finale (American Idol 6)|Season 6 Finale]] ([[May 23]]) - [[Kelly Clarkson]], [[Gwen Stefani]], [[Smokey Robinson]], [[Doug E. Fresh]], [[Gladys Knight]], [[Tony Bennett]], [[BeBe Winans|BeBe]] and [[CeCe Winans]], [[Joe Perry (musician)|Joe Perry]], [[Carrie Underwood]], [[Green Day]], [[Taylor Hicks]], [[Ruben Studdard]], and [[Bette Midler]]
! 2/22
! 3/1
! 3/8
! 3/15
! 3/24
! 3/31
! 4/6
! 4/11
! 4/18
! 4/25{{efn|There was no elimination on April 25, as the week held a ''[[Idol Gives Back]]'' telethon performance. Votes from this week carried into the following week, where the two contestants with the fewest combined votes were eliminated.}}
! 5/2
! 5/9
! 5/16
! 5/23
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Jordin Sparks]]
| 1
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:lightgreen" |Top three
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:gold;" | '''Winner'''
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Blake Lewis]]
| 2
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" |Bottom three
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:silver;" |Runner-up
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Melinda Doolittle]]
| 3
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:lightgreen" |Top three
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[LaKisha Jones]]
| 4
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:lightgreen" |Top three
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom two
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="2" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Chris Richardson]]
| rowspan="2" |5
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom two
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom three
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| rowspan="2" style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Phil Stacey]]
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom three
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom three
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom three
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom two
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Sanjaya Malakar]]
| 7
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom two
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="5" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Haley Scarnato]]
| 8
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom two
| style="background:#e0f0ff;" | Bottom two
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="6" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Gina Glocksen]]
| 9
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="7" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Chris Sligh]]
| 10
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="8" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]]
| 11
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="9" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Brandon Rogers
| 12
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="10" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Antonella Barba]]
| rowspan="12" bgcolor="919191" |
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| rowspan="4" style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="11" rowspan="4" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Jared Cotter]]
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Sundance Head]]
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Sabrina Sloan
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Alaina Alexander
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
| rowspan="4" style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="12" rowspan="4" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Leslie Hunt
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Nicholas Pedro
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |A.J. Tabaldo
| style="background:#FDFC8F;" |Safe
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Rudy Cardenas
| rowspan="4" style="background:#FF91A4" |Eliminated
| colspan="13" rowspan="4" style="background:#919191" |
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |[[Paul Kim (musician, born 1981)|Paul Kim]]
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Amy Krebs
|- style="height:40px"
! scope="row" |Nicole Tranquillo
|}
{{notelist}}


==''American Idol'' songwriter contest==
===Elimination song===
On the April 3 show, [[Ryan Seacrest]] announced the first ''American Idol'' songwriting contest. Following an open online submission process, where over 25,000 submissions were received, twenty songs were selected for competition by [[Simon Fuller]] and [[A&R]] representatives of [[19 Entertainment]]. Beginning on May 2, 2007, and ending on May 8, 2007, with "one online vote per fan", the American public were able to listen to snippets from each song and rate them on the ''American Idol'' website. On the May 22 show, the two finalists performed the winning song: "[[This Is My Now]]". The song was released as a single by [[Jordin Sparks]].<ref>[http://songwriter.americanidol.com/ American Idol Songwriter] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408021033/http://songwriter.americanidol.com/ |date=April 8, 2007 }}
This year, the song played during the flashback to an eliminated contestant's journey is [[Daughtry (band)|Daughtry]]'s "[[Home (Daughtry song)|Home]]," replacing "[[Bad Day (Daniel Powter song)|Bad Day]]" by [[Daniel Powter]]. The only exception was Phil Stacey, on [[May 2]], [[2007]], whose exit song was "[[I'll Stand by You]]," performed by [[Carrie Underwood]].
</ref>


The titles of the twenty songs were:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.americanidol.com/songwriter/index.xhtml |title=American Idol: Songwriter<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=May 23, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524094153/http://www.americanidol.com/songwriter/index.xhtml |archive-date=May 24, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Elimination Chart==


{{col-begin}}
'''Note''': Bottom 2 indicates that the contestant was 'saved' last. This may or may not indicate his or her actual vote rank. Sometimes, Seacrest will announce that the contestant is in the bottom 2, sometimes he will not. On the [[March 21]] show, only the bottom 2 were announced.
{{col-2}}
*"Close to Me" – Michael Doane and AnneMarie Milazzo
*"Forever Starts Today" – Erin Boheme and CJ Vanston
*"If You Ask Me To" – Jennifer Hamady and Shedrick Mitchell
*"I'm Going to Be Me" – Lane Lenhart
*"In Your Eyes" – Colin Armstrong
*"I Saw Stars" – Reed Waddle
*"Lost (Without You)" – [[Cal Harris Jr.]]
*"Love Me till the Lonely's Gone" – Michael Patzig and Tracey Naples
*"The Next Big Thing" – Ray Grant and Sam Sims
*"One Night" – Kelley Hill
{{col-2}}
*"Right Here with Me" – Kelli Trontell and Don Gatlin
*"Secrets and Lies" – Drew Yowell and Byron Zanos
*"Send Me on My Way" – Matthew Rogers and Scott Young
*"Someday" – Nelson Kole
*"This Is My Now" – Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne – '''Contest Winner'''
*"Tonight" – Kelly Corsino
*"Waking in a Dream" – R. J. Martinez and Stacy Hogan
*"When You Need a Moment" – Christie Leigh
*"With All the Love Your Heart Can Hold" – Robin Randall and Diana De Witt
*"You Never Gave Up on Me" – Billy Aerts and Burton Collins
{{col-end}}


==Controversies==
<nowiki>*</nowiki> During the week of [[April 25]], there was no eliminated contestant. That week's votes were added to the votes for the week of [[May 1]], and the bottom two were then eliminated on the [[May 2]] show. It was never noted who received the lowest number of votes, although Stacey was announced as the first to leave, and Richardson second.
There was controversy surrounding the judges' comments over the audition of a [[Special Olympics]] participant named Jonathan Jayne.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mocked-american-idol-6-hopeful-special-olympics-participant-4594.php |title=Mocked 'American Idol 6' hopeful a Special Olympics participant |access-date=May 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704152539/http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mocked-american-idol-6-hopeful-special-olympics-participant-4594.php |archive-date=July 4, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''American Idol'' producer [[Ken Warwick]] responded by saying: "It's not a conscious decision, It's just that the further we go in the series, there are less and less good singers, so the numbers are made up by more bad ones." Warwick said that he thinks everyone has the right to audition, and added that in some instances when there are singers with certain disabilities who just want to meet the judges, the producers will "turn the cameras off and bring them in. We give them a good experience."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/american-idol-and-special-olympics-respond-cruelty-allegations-4599.php |title='American Idol' and Special Olympics respond to cruelty allegations |access-date=May 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080708221115/http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/american-idol-and-special-olympics-respond-cruelty-allegations-4599.php |archive-date=July 8, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>


A series of provocative photos surfaced on the Internet of contestant [[Antonella Barba]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070717202248/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/24/entertainment/ap/main2509675.shtml Racy Web Photos Linked To 'Idol' Singer] CBSNews.com </ref>
<center>
{|class="wikitable"
|colspan="2" align="right"|''Stage:''
|colspan="3" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|'''Semi-Finals'''
|colspan="11" bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="Center"|'''Finals'''
|-
|colspan="2" align="right"|''Week:''
!2/22
!3/1
!3/8
!3/14
!3/21
!3/28
!4/4
!4/11
!4/18
!4/25*
!5/2
!5/9
!5/16
!5/23
|-
!Place
!Contestant
!colspan="14" align="center"|Result
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"| '''1'''
|bgcolor="pink"|Jordin Sparks
|
|
|
|
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor=lime|'''Top 3'''
|
|
| colspan="2" |
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor=blue| '''Winner'''
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"| '''2'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Blake Lewis
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 3
| colspan="2" |
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor="yellow"|'''Runner-Up'''
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''3'''
|bgcolor="pink"|Melinda Doolittle
|
|
|
|
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor=lime|'''Top 3'''
|
|
| colspan="2" |
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="1" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''4'''
|bgcolor="pink"|LaKisha Jones
|
|
|
|
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor=lime|'''Top 3'''
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 2
| colspan="2" |
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="2" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod" rowspan="2"|'''5-6'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Chris Richardson
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 2
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 3
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" colspan="2" rowspan="2" align="center"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="3" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="cyan"|Phil Stacey
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 3
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 3
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 3
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 2
|
|colspan="3" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''7'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Sanjaya Malakar
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 2
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="5" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''8'''
|bgcolor="pink"|Haley Scarnato
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 2
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Btm 2
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="6" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''9'''
|bgcolor="pink"|Gina Glocksen
|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="7" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''10'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Chris Sligh
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="8" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''11'''
|bgcolor="pink"|Stephanie Edwards
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="9" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''12'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Brandon Rogers
|
|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="11" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|'''13-16'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Sundance Head
|
|
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" rowspan="4"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="11" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|Sabrina Sloan
|
|
|colspan="11" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|Antonella Barba
|
|
|colspan="11" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="cyan"|Jared Cotter
|
|
|colspan="12" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|'''17-20'''
|bgcolor="pink"|Leslie Hunt
|
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" rowspan="4"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="12" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="cyan"|A.J. Tabaldo
|
|colspan="12" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|Alaina Alexander
|
|colspan="12" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="cyan"|Nicholas Pedro
|
|colspan="12" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|'''21-24'''
|bgcolor="cyan"|Rudy Cardenas
|bgcolor="CCCCCC" rowspan="4"|'''Elim'''
|colspan="13" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|Nicole Tranquillo
|colspan="13" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|Amy Krebs
|colspan="13" bgcolor="666666"|
|-
|bgcolor="cyan"|Paul Kim
|colspan="13" bgcolor="666666"|
|}
</center>


On Tuesday, April 17, 2007, the day after the [[Virginia Tech massacre]], while [[Chris Richardson]] and [[Ryan Seacrest]] were discussing the shooting after Chris's critique, [[Simon Cowell]] apparently appeared to be rolling his eyes at the incident, when he was actually speaking to [[Paula Abdul]] and did not hear what Chris had said. On the results show the next day, Cowell stated: "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never, ever, ever disrespect those families or those victims, and I felt it was important to set the record straight." To clear Cowell's name, a video was shown on the result show which showed Cowell and Abdul talking with an inset of Chris and Seacrest discussing the shooting. Additionally, Seacrest began the performance show by acknowledging what had happened the day before.
=="The crying girl"==
[[Image:Ashlerferlcrying.jpg|thumb|Ashley Ferl, shown crying during [[Sanjaya Malakar]]'s performance]]
Ashley Ferl is a 13-year-old girl who has become known for crying during [[Sanjaya Malakar]]'s and other contestants' performances on the Top 11 episode of ''American Idol 6''. Ferl's family, who are from [[Riverside, California]], obtained tickets on a website to attend the dress rehearsal of the program. Since Ferl cried a great deal at the rehearsal, producers offered her family seats for the final taping of the episode.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-showtracker-idol-sp,1,6582829.special?coll=la-entnews-tv&ctrack=1&cset=true LA Times] - requires sign-up</ref>
Ferl started to cry not long after Malakar began his performance of "[[You Really Got Me]]," and because of this Sanjaya came down to give her a hug after his performance. She was also shown crying for several more contestants. She admitted that she not only liked Sanjaya but also many other contestants. She has been asked who her favorite contestant is but could not just say one person. She liked everyone. At the end of the show, she went on stage a second time, and got a chance to hug and get autographs<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17745094/ MSNBC]</ref> from all of the contestants and was introduced to the judges; she received a pair of earrings from Paula Abdul before the show began. Television vans from [[E!]], ''[[Access Hollywood]]'', and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] were waiting outside of her house the next day, and, that evening, [[NBC]] paid for Ferl's entire family to fly to the taping of the ''[[Today (NBC program)|Today Show]]''. She subsequently gave several other radio and news interviews to sources such as [[MSNBC]], [[Fox News Channel]], and ''[[Entertainment Tonight]]''.<ref>[http://www.topix.net/content/trb/1460967013072410154415339256701112819897 Topix.net]</ref>


== Reception ==
''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' spoofed both Malakar and Ferl following the former's elimination. [[Kristen Wiig]] portrayed Ferl in the sketches. Ferl has also been spoofed on ''[[The Ellen DeGeneres Show]]'', ''[[Live with Regis and Kelly]]'', and ''[[Family Guy]]'', as well as mentioned on ''[[Best Week Ever]]'' and ''[[The Soup]]''.


=== U.S. Nielsen ratings ===
Ashley Ferl returned during Malakar's performance in the [[Grand Finale (American Idol 6)|finale]] and was again crying.
She was briefly spoofed on ''[[Meet the Spartans]]''.


'''Live + same day ratings'''
Ferl appeared on the show yet again during season seven, crying over contestant [[Jason Castro]].<ref>[http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2008/04/ashley-ferl-crazy-crying-girl-now-loves-jason-castro/ Ashley Ferl, Crazy Crying Girl, Now Loves Jason Castro - The Hollywood Gossip<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


''American Idol'' ended the season as the top show of the 2006–2007 TV season. Its Wednesday episodes ranked first with an average of 30.02 million viewers, followed by the Tuesday episodes which averaged 29.54 million. The premiere episode became the series' highest rated debut episode, viewed by 37.44 million viewers and receiving a 15.8/36 Nielsen rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-2006-07finalratings,0,6207523.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines |title=Ratings Wrapup: CBS and FOX Win, Again |website=[[Zap2it]] |access-date=April 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522060119/http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-2006-07finalratings,0,6207523.story?coll=zap-tv-headlines |archive-date=May 22, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>
==''Idol Gives Back''==
{{main|Idol Gives Back}}
On the [[March 8]], [[2007]] results show, [[Ryan Seacrest]] announced an initiative to give back to people in poverty in both Africa and the United States (including those affected by [[Hurricane Katrina]]). The event took place over two episodes of the series. For every vote cast immediately following the [[April 24]], [[2007]] broadcast, many sponsors donated funds to the [[Charity Projects Entertainment Fund]]. The fund will distribute the money raised to many charities in the US as well as in Africa.<ref>[http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=765 American Idol News Blog, "$60 Million and Counting!"]</ref> [[News Corporation]] pledged to donate 10 cents for every vote made to the show for the first 50 million calls, that is, up to $5 million. [[MySpace]] created a special profile page for the event in order to spread the word.<ref>{{MySpace|idolgivesback|Idol Gives Back}}</ref> Donations from viewers were accepted by phone and website during the [[April 25]], [[2007]] results show, in a manner similar to a telethon. Near the end of the broadcast, Seacrest announced the show raised 30 million [[United States dollar|US dollars]], with the final tally coming on [[May 1]], [[2007]]. As of [[May 1]], [[2007]], over $70 million has been raised as a result of Idol Gives Back.


{| class="wikitable collapsible" style="width:95%; margin:1em auto 1em auto;"
Between contestant performances, video vignettes showing the judges and Seacrest visiting and observing squalid conditions in Africa and the United States were aired. Similar vignettes were aired during the results show. For this special, the voting period was doubled to four hours following the show, rather than the usual two. In response to the anticipated call volume, each contestant was assigned two toll free numbers. Over 70 million votes were cast.
|-
! style="background:#8b8589;" | '''Episode list'''
|-
|style="padding:0; border:none;"|
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:0; width:100%; "
|-
! Show
! Episode
! Air date
! Week<br />rank
! Rating/Share
! 18-49<br />rating/Share
! Viewers<br />(in millions)
|-
| 1
| "Minneapolis Auditions"<ref name="TV week Jan 21, 2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=418&num=9701 TV week Jan 21, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| January 16, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|20.3 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|15.8 / 36
| style="text-align:center;"|37.44
|-
| 2
| "Seattle Auditions"<ref name="TV week Jan 21, 2007"/>
| January 17, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|20.1 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|15.5 / 36
| style="text-align:center;"|36.94
|-
| 3
| "Memphis Auditions"<ref name="TV week Jan 28, 2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=418&num=9856 TV week Jan 28, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| January 23, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|18.0 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|13.3 / 33
| style="text-align:center;"|32.60
|-
| 4
| "New York Auditions"<ref name="TV week Jan 28, 2007"/>
| January 24, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|18.9 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|14.1 / 35
| style="text-align:center;"|33.87
|-
| 5
| "Birmingham Auditions"<ref name="TV week Feb 4, 2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=455&num=10016 TV week Feb 4, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| January 30, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|4
| style="text-align:center;"|18.6 /28
| style="text-align:center;"|13.5 / 33
| style="text-align:center;"|33.65
|-
| 6
| "Los Angeles Auditions"<ref name="TV week Feb 4, 2007"/>
| January 31, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|5
| style="text-align:center;"|18.0 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|13.7 / 32
| style="text-align:center;"|31.85
|-
| 7
| "San Antonio Auditions"<ref name="TV week Feb 11, 2007"/>
| February 6, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|18.4 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|13.5 / 33
| style="text-align:center;"|33.36
|-
| 8
| "Best of the Rest"<ref name="TV week Feb 11, 2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=455&num=10167 TV week Feb 11, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| February 7, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.9 / 23
| style="text-align:center;"|12.0 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|27.91
|-
| 9
| "Hollywood Round, Part 1"<ref name="TV week Feb 18, 2007"/>
| February 13, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.4 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|13.0 / 31
| style="text-align:center;"|31.20
|-
| 10
| "Hollywood Round, Part 2"<ref name="TV week Feb 18, 2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=455&num=10323 TV week Feb 18, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| February 14, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|16.2 / 24
| style="text-align:center;"|12.2 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|28.89
|-
| 11
| "Top 12 Men Perform"<ref name="TV week Feb 25, 2007"/>
| February 20, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|16.5 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|11.8 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|29.53
|-
| 12
| "Top 12 Women Perform"<ref name="TV week Feb 25, 2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10453.asp TV week Feb 25, 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106032522/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10453.asp |date=January 6, 2009 }}</ref>
| February 21, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|17.2 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|12.3 / 31
| style="text-align:center;"|30.46
|-
| 13
| "Top 24 Results"<ref name="TV week Feb 25, 2007"/>
| February 22, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|6
| style="text-align:center;"|14.1 / 21
| style="text-align:center;"|9.1 / 23
| style="text-align:center;"|24.44
|-
| 14
| "Top 10 Men Perform"<ref name="TV week 03-05-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=10606 TV week Mar 5, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}
</ref>
| February 27, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.1 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|12.2 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|30.65
|-
| 15
| "Top 10 Women Perform"<ref name="TV week 03-05-2007"/>
| February 28, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|17.5 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|11.9 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|29.78
|-
| 16
| "Top 20 Results"<ref name="TV week 03-05-2007"/>
| March 1, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|15.5 / 23
| style="text-align:center;"|10.5 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|27.39
|-
| 17
| "Top 8 Men Perform"<ref name="TV week 03-11-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=10757 TV week Mar 11, 2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| March 6, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.9 / 24
| style="text-align:center;"|10.9 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|27.95
|-
| 18
| "Top 8 Women Perform"<ref name="TV week 03-11-2007" />
| March 7, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|16.7 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|11.2 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|28.55
|-
| 19
| "Top 12 Revealed"<ref name="TV week 03-11-2007" />
| March 8, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|3
| style="text-align:center;"|16.0 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.4 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|27.52
|-
| 20
| "Top 12 Perform"<ref name="TV week 03-18-2007" />
| March 13, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.1 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|11.7 / 31
| style="text-align:center;"|29.83
|-
| 21
| "Top 12 Results"<ref name="TV week 03-18-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=10909 TV week 03-18-2007] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216215438/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=10909 |date=February 16, 2009 }}</ref>
| March 14, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|16.2 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|10.1 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|26.18
|-
| 22
| "Top 11 Perform"<ref name="TV week 03-25-2007"/>
| March 20, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.9 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|11.8 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|29.96
|-
| 23
| "Top 11 Results"<ref name="TV week 03-25-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=11064 TV week 03-25-2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| March 21, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|18.0 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|10.4 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|27.08
|-
| 24
| "Top 10 Perform"<ref name="TV week 04-01-2007" />
| March 27, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|16.2 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|11.0 / 30
| style="text-align:center;"|28.18
|-
| 25
| "Top 10 Results"<ref name="TV week 04-01-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=11231 TV week 04-01-2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| March 28, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|16.2 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.9 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|26.89
|-
| 26
| "Top 9 Perform"<ref name="TV week 04-08-2007" />
| April 3, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|15.7 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.4 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|26.67
|-
| 27
| "Top 9 Results"<ref name="TV week 04-08-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=11334 TV week 04-08-2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| April 4, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.5 / 24
| style="text-align:center;"|9.9 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|26.10
|-
| 28
| "Top 8 Perform"<ref name="TV week 04-15-2007" />
| April 10, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.6 / 24
| style="text-align:center;"|10.3 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|26.78
|-
| 29
| "Top 8 Results"<ref name="TV week 04-15-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=492&num=11488 TV week 04-15-2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| April 11, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|16.5 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|11.1 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|28.56
|-
| 30
| "Top 7 Perform"<ref name="TV week 04-22-2007" />
| April 17, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.4 / 24
| style="text-align:center;"|10.2 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|26.55
|-
| 31
| Top 7 Results"<ref name="TV week 04-22-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/cgi-bin/artman/exec/view.cgi?archive=517&num=11645 TV week 04-22-2007] {{Dead link |date=December 2016}}</ref>
| April 18, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.2 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|11.2 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|28.93
|-
| 32
| "Top 6 Perform"<ref name="TV week 04-29-2007" />
| April 24, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.7 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.0 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|26.55
|-
| 33
| ""Idol Gives Back"<ref name="TV week 04-29-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_11805.asp TV week 04-29-2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314121636/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_11805.asp |date=March 14, 2010 }}</ref>
| April 25, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|15.6 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.2 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|26.93
|-
| 34
| "Top 6 Performs again"<ref name="TV week 05-06-2007" />
| May 1, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.7 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.2 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|26.73
|-
| 35
| "Top 6 Results"<ref name="TV week 05-06-2007">[https://archive.today/20130128130519/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_11958.asp TV week 05-06-2007]</ref>
| May 2, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.0 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|11.0 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|28.75
|-
| 36
| "Top 4 Perform"<ref name="TV week 05-13-2007" />
| May 8, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|15.1 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|9.3 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|25.47
|-
| 37
| "Top 4 Results"<ref name="TV week 05-13-2007">[https://archive.today/20130128100505/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_12118.asp TV week 05-13-2007]</ref>
| May 9, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|16.9 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|10.8 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|28.20
|-
| 38
| "Top 3 Perform"<ref name="TV week 05-20-2007" />
| May 15, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"| 2
| style="text-align:center;"|14.1 / 23
| style="text-align:center;"|9.4 / 26
| style="text-align:center;"|24.23
|-
| 39
| "Top 3 Results"<ref name="TV week 05-20-2007">[http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_12267.asp TV week 05-20-2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100330134508/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_12267.asp |date=March 30, 2010 }}</ref>
| May 16, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|16.5 / 25
| style="text-align:center;"|10.8 / 28
| style="text-align:center;"|28.05
|-
| 40
| "Top 2 Perform"<ref name="TV week 05-27-2007">[https://archive.today/20130128100928/http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman2/publish/Television_44/In_the_end_it_came_down_to_Thursdays.asp TV week 05-27-2007]</ref>
| May 22, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|2
| style="text-align:center;"|14.9 / 24
| style="text-align:center;"|9.7 / 27
| style="text-align:center;"|25.33
|-
| 41
| Season 6 Finale"<ref name="TV week 05-27-2007" />
| May 23, 2007
| style="text-align:center;"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|17.8 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|11.5 / 29
| style="text-align:center;"|30.74
|}
|}


'''Live + 7 day (DVR) ratings'''
The results show was broadcast from two locations—the regular American Idol stage and [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]]—and included many celebrity actors and personalities. The show also included numerous performers; for a full list of performances, see the [[Idol Gives Back|the main article]]. [[Ellen DeGeneres]] co-hosted the event from the Disney Hall stage. Proceeds from ticket sales benefited the fund. Videos of the results show's performances are available for purchase on [[iTunes]], with proceeds going to charity.


== Related programming ==
Due to the "charity" theme of the show, no contestant was eliminated on the [[April 25]] results show. This was a surprise both to viewers, to whom Seacrest promised the "most shocking elimination ever," and to the contestants. All of the votes from that week were added to the next week's votes, and the bottom two contestants were eliminated.


==''American Idol'' songwriter contest==
=== [[American Idol Extra#Season 2|''American Idol Extra (season 2)'']] ===
''[[American Idol Extra]]'', a behind-the-scenes show, also returned for a second season, corresponding with the start of the finals in March. It aired on Thursdays on [[Fox Reality]].
On the [[April 3]], [[2007]] show, [[Ryan Seacrest]] announced the first American Idol Songwriter: a songwriting contest. Following an open online submission process where over 25,000 submissions were received, twenty songs were selected for competition by [[Simon Fuller]] and [[A&R]] representatives of his [[19 Entertainment]]. Beginning [[May 2]], [[2007]] and ending [[May 8]], [[2007]], the American public rated each song on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) on the American Idol Songwriter website. On the [[May 22]], [[2007]] show, the two finalists performed the winning song, "[[This Is My Now]]." The song was released as a single by [[Jordin Sparks]], the winner of American Idol Season 6.<ref>[http://songwriter.americanidol.com/ American Idol Songwriter]</ref>


=== [[Idol Gives Back#Idol Gives Back 2007|''Idol Gives Back 2007'']] ===
The titles of the twenty songs are:<ref>[http://www.americanidol.com/songwriter/index.xhtml American Idol: Songwriter<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
On the March 8 results show, [[Ryan Seacrest]] announced an initiative to give back to people in poverty in both Africa and the United States, including those affected by [[Hurricane Katrina]]. The event took place over two episodes of the series. For every vote cast immediately following the April 24 broadcast, sponsors donated funds to the [[Charity Projects Entertainment Fund]]. The fund would distribute the money raised to many charities in the United States as well as in Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=765 |title=American Idol News Blog, "$60 Million and Counting!" |access-date=April 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429031725/http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=765 |archive-date=April 29, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[News Corporation (1980–2013)|News Corporation]] pledged to donate 10 cents for every vote made to the show for the first 50 million calls, that is, up to $5 million. [[MySpace]] created a special profile page for the event in order to spread the word. Donations from viewers were accepted by phone and through the website during the April 25 results show, in a manner similar to a telethon. Near the end of the broadcast, Seacrest announced the show had raised $30 million. As of May 1, 2007, over $70 million has been raised as a result of ''Idol Gives Back''.


Between contestant performances, video vignettes showing Seacrest and the judges and visiting and observing squalid conditions in Africa and the United States were aired. Similar vignettes were aired during the results show. For this special, the voting period was doubled to four hours following the show, rather than the usual two. In response to the anticipated call volume, each contestant was assigned two toll free numbers. Over 70 million votes were cast.
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*"Close to Me" - Michael Doane and AnneMarie Milazzo
*"Forever Starts Today" - Erin Boheme and CJ Vanston
*"If You Ask Me To" - Jennifer Hamady and Shedrick Mitchell
*"I'm Going to Be Me" - Lane Lenhart
*"In Your Eyes" - Colin Armstrong
*"I Saw Stars" - Reed Waddle
*"Lost (Without You)" - Cal Harris, Jr.
*"Love Me till the Lonely's Gone" - Michael Patzig and Tracey Naples
*"The Next Big Thing" - Ray Grant and Sam Sims
*"One Night" - Kelley Hill
{{col-2}}
*"Right Here with Me" - Kelli Trontell and Don Gatlin
*"Secrets and Lies" - Drew Yowell and Byron Zanos
*"Send Me on My Way" - Matthew Rogers and Scott Young
*"Someday" - Nelson Kole
*"This Is My Now" - Jeff Peabody and Scott Krippayne - '''Contest Winner'''
*"Tonight" - Kelly Corsino
*"Waking in a Dream" - R. J. Martinez and Stacy Hogan
*"When You Need a Moment" - Christie Leigh
*"With All the Love Your Heart Can Hold" - Robin Randall and Diana De Witt
*"You Never Gave Up on Me" - Billy Aerts and Burton Collins
{{col-end}}


The results show was broadcast from two locations—the regular ''American Idol'' stage and [[Walt Disney Concert Hall]], which included many celebrity actors and personalities. [[Ellen DeGeneres]] co-hosted the event from the Disney Hall stage.
==Controversies==
*There was controversy surrounding the judges comments over the audition of a [[Special Olympics]] participant named Jonathan Jayne.<ref>[http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/mocked-american-idol-6-hopeful-special-olympics-participant-4594.php Mocked 'American Idol 6' hopeful a Special Olympics participant]</ref> American Idol producer [[Ken Warwick]] responded saying that "It's not a conscious decision, It's just that the further we go in the series, there are less and less good singers, so the numbers are made up by more bad ones." Warwick said that he thinks everyone has the right to audition, and added that in some instances when there are singers with certain disabilities who just want to meet the judges, the producers will "turn the cameras off and bring them in. We give them a good experience."<ref>[http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/american-idol-and-special-olympics-respond-cruelty-allegations-4599.php 'American Idol' and Special Olympics respond to cruelty allegations]</ref>
*A series of provocative photos surfaced on the Internet of Season 6 Top 24 Contestant [[Antonella Barba]].<ref>[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/24/entertainment/ap/main2509675.shtml Racy Web Photos Linked To 'Idol' Singer] CBSNews.com</ref>
*Teenager [[Sanjaya Malakar]] was sometimes seen as the season's most polarizing and talked about American Idol contestant,<ref>[http://www.usmagazine.com/sanjaya_out Usmagazine.com | Buh-Bye-Ya, Sanjaya!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://buzz.yahoo.com/buzzlog/67409/sanjayas-hair-raising-searches Yahoo! Buzz<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> as he continued to survive elimination for several weeks. The weblog [[Vote for the Worst]] and satellite radio personality [[Howard Stern]] both encouraged fans to vote for Sanjaya. However, on [[April 18]], after over 38 million votes, Sanjaya was voted off.
*On Tuesday, [[April 17]], [[2007]], the day after the [[Virginia Tech massacre]], in which a student named [[Seung-Hui Cho]] used guns to kill 32 students and professors before committing suicide, while contestant [[Chris Richardson]] and [[Ryan Seacrest]] were discussing the shooting after Chris's critique, [[Simon Cowell]] apparently appeared to be rolling his eyes at the incident, when he was actually speaking to [[Paula Abdul]] and did not hear what Chris had said. On the results show the next day, Cowell stated: "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never, ever, ever, disrespect those families or those victims, and I felt it was important to set the record straight." To clear Cowell's name, a video was shown on the result show which showed Cowell and Abdul talking with an inset of Chris and Seacrest discussing the shooting. Also, Seacrest began the performance show by acknowledging what had happened the day before.
* Fans and critics alike were stunned at [[Melinda Doolittle]]'s departure. [[Simon Cowell]] admitted that the sixth season's crown should have rightfully gone to Melinda.<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3207996 ABC News<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Executive producer [[Nigel Lythgoe]] responded, noting that "[''Idol'' producers] were so engrossed with the mentors and didn't really focus on the Melinda Doolittles of the show." Lythgoe also produces ''[[So You Think You Can Dance (US)|So You Think You Can Dance]]'', and has noted that the dance program gives background information about its contestants, while ''American Idol'' focused more on its big name celebrity mentors, such as [[Tony Bennett]], [[Gwen Stefani]], and [[Jennifer Lopez]].<ref>[http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20047678,00.html '&#39;Idol'&#39; producer: '&#39;We made mistakes'&#39; | American Idol | TCA Press Tour | TV | Entertainment Weekly<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
*During the finale, the show went over its scheduled 2-hour time limit and ended at 10:09 PM EST. Many [[TiVo]] users claimed the recording show cut off before the [[Jordin Sparks|new American Idol]] was announced shortly after 10 PM. FOX executives apologized; but this is not the only time the finale exceeded its time limit.


Due to the charity theme of the show, no contestant was eliminated on the April 25 results show. This was a surprise both to viewers, to whom Seacrest promised the "most shocking elimination ever", and to the contestants. When Seacrest seemed about to eliminate [[Jordin Sparks]], he announced that since it was a charity night, none of the contestants would be voted off, and the votes from that week would be added to the votes from the following week, and that two contestants would be eliminated. Both weeks saw a two-hour extension of the regular two-hour voting window, and in the end, the two-week combined voting totaled 135 million votes.
==UK edition==
For the UK back-to-back repeat of the performance and results shows on the following Friday night on [[ITV2]], [[Cat Deeley]] presents additional sections preceding and following each commercial break, and follows the end of the show with a short interview with that week's eliminated contestant.<ref>[http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/americanidol/a41745/deeley-to-front-uk-edition-of-american-idol.html Digital Spy: "Cat Deeley to front UK Edition of American Idol"]</ref>


=== ''Idol Chat (season 3)'' ===
==Releases==
[[TV Guide Channel]] aired its third season of ''Idol Chat''.
===Major releases===
Unlike previous seasons the top 12 compilation album did not come out while the show was airing. The top 12 recorded studio versions of each of the songs they sang on the show. The songs were available for purchase on [[Fox Interactive Media|AmericanIdol.com]] as [[digital download]]s through the night of the finale. Sparks' and Lewis' songs (except Sparks' "Livin' on a Prayer") remained available on the Idol website and [[iTunes Store]] through [[June 20]], [[2007]],<ref>[http://downloads.americanidol.com/ American Idol Download Store]</ref>.


=== ''Idol Tonight (season 2)'' ===
Originally, a collage of the finalists' head shots from the top 24 photo shoot was used as album art on AmericanIdol.com, with the title ''American Idol 6: Greatest Moments''; at present, the covers of Sparks' and Lewis' EPs are used instead. The ''[[American_Idol_Season_6:_Greatest_Hits|American Idol: Season 6 - "Greatest Hits" & "The Collector's Edition"]]'' were eventually released on June 12, 2007 on iTunes/Americanidol.com. This is the only season that the season's collection is ''not'' distributed by [[Sony BMG]]/[[RCA Records]].
[[TV Guide Channel]] brought back a second season of ''Idol Tonight'', the live pre-show to ''American Idol'', which aired on Wednesdays starting in March. The show featured [[Justin Guarini]] as a correspondent along with [[Kimberly Caldwell]] and [[Rosanna Tavarez]].


==International broadcasts==
====Singles====
"[[This Is My Now]]" as performed by [[Jordin Sparks]] was released as a [[promotional recording|radio single]]. It debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] chart at number 15.


=== U.K. edition ===
====iTunes/AmericanIdol.com EPs====
For back-to-back repeat of the performance and results shows in the U.K. on [[ITV2]], [[Cat Deeley]] presented additional sections preceding and following each commercial break, and followed the end of the show with a short interview with that week's eliminated contestant.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/americanidol/a41745/deeley-to-front-uk-edition-of-american-idol.html |title=Digital Spy: "Cat Deeley to front UK Edition of American Idol" |website=[[Digital Spy]] |date=January 16, 2007 |access-date=April 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504221130/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/americanidol/a41745/deeley-to-front-uk-edition-of-american-idol.html |archive-date=May 4, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>
On [[May 24]], [[2007]], the winner [[Jordin Sparks]] and runner-up [[Blake Lewis]] released five-song [[Extended play|EP]]s on [[iTunes Store]]; though only iTunes calls them "EPs", they are also available as "bundles" for the same price on AmericanIdol.com through [[June 20]], [[2007]].


==Music releases==
[[Jordin Sparks (EP)|Sparks' EP]] contained the winner's single, "[[This Is My Now]]", as well as four songs she performed on ''Idol'': "[[I (Who Have Nothing)]]", "[[A Broken Wing]]", "[[To Love Somebody (song)|To Love Somebody]]", and "[[Wishing on a Star]]".


Unlike previous seasons, the top 12 compilation album did not come out while the show was airing. The top 12 recorded studio versions of each of the songs they sang on the show. The songs were available for purchase on [[Fox Interactive Media|AmericanIdol.com]] as [[music download|digital download]]s through the night of the finale.<ref>[http://downloads.americanidol.com/ American Idol Download Store] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070528025942/http://downloads.americanidol.com/ |date=May 28, 2007 }}</ref>
[[Blake Lewis (EP)|Lewis' EP]] did not contain "This Is My Now"; all of the tracks were songs he performed on the show: "[[You Give Love a Bad Name (song)|You Give Love a Bad Name]]", "[[Time of the Season]]", "[[I Need to Know (Marc Anthony song)|I Need to Know]]", "[[Lovesong (The Cure song)|Love Song]]", and "[[When the Stars Go Blue]]".


Originally, a collage of the finalists' head shots from the top 24 photo shoot was used as album art on AmericanIdol.com, with the title ''American Idol 6: Greatest Moments''; at present, the covers of Sparks' and Lewis' EPs are used instead. The ''[[American Idol Season 6: Greatest Hits|American Idol: Season 6 – "Greatest Hits" & "The Collector's Edition"]]'' were eventually released on June 12, 2007. This was the only season where the season's collection was not distributed by [[Sony BMG]]/[[RCA Records]].
On [[June 12]], [[2007]], Apple released five song EPs for the rest of the top 12 finalists ([[Melinda Doolittle]], [[LaKisha Jones]], [[Chris Richardson]], [[Phil Stacey]], [[Sanjaya Malakar]], [[Haley Scarnato]], [[Gina Glocksen]], [[Chris Sligh]], [[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]] and [[Brandon Rogers (singer)|Brandon Rogers]]) along with the compilation album as a collector's edition of the season's songs. Each of the songs are also available for individual purchase.<ref>[http://playlistmag.com/news/2007/06/13/idol/index.php?lsrc=mwrss Macworld | iTunes offers American Idol Collector's Edition<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


Sparks' first non-''American Idol'' single was the top hit "[[Tattoo (Jordin Sparks song)|Tattoo]]", which received platinum certification. Her second single was the Billboard Hot 100 number three hit "[[No Air]]" with [[Chris Brown]]. The song went to number one in several countries, and also topped Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. "No Air" had been certified platinum in April. It stands as the bestselling single by any ''American Idol'' contestant. Sparks released a third single off her album, "[[One Step at a Time (Jordin Sparks song)|One Step at a Time]]", which peaked at number 17. "One Step at a Time" so far sold over a million copies and is certified platinum. Sparks released her second album [[Battlefield (album)|Battlefield]] in July 2009. The album's [[Battlefield (song)|title track]] became Jordin's fifth top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10. This made Jordin Sparks the only ''American Idol'' contestant to have their first five singles become Top 20 Hits.
====Individual albums====
* ''[[Jordin Sparks (album)|Jordin Sparks]]'' ([[Jordin Sparks]])
* ''[[A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)]] ([[Blake Lewis]])
* ''[[Phil Stacey (album)|Phil Stacey]]'' ([[Phil Stacey]])
* ''[[Running Back To You]] ([[Chris Sligh]])''


Blake Lewis's first single was "[[Break Anotha|Break Anotha!]]", which failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. His second single, "[[How Many Words]]", also failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly afterward, Lewis confirmed that he had been dropped by Arista records. His album sales were just over 300,000. The drop also cancelled his apparent plans for a third single release.
===Minor or independent releases===
''Note: this does not include pre-Idol releases''


"[[This Is My Now]]," as performed by [[Jordin Sparks]], was released as a [[promotional recording|radio single]]. It debuted on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart at number 15.
* ''My Funny Valentine'' (Melinda Doolittle)
* ''For My Lady Love'' (Sherman Pore)<ref>http://www.idolsmusic.com/america6.htm Idolsmusic.com</ref>
* ''Didn't Matter That'' (Sarah Burgess, single)<ref>[http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070904/0297444.html "American Idol's" Sarah Burgess Inks Record Deal, Records First Single: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* ''On Our Way'' ([[Stephanie Edwards (singer)|Stephanie Edwards]], single)
* ''The Thrill of Hope'' (Sean Michel)
* ''Fly Away'' (Amanda Coluccio)
* ''One'' (Sarah Burgess) - ''March 2008''<ref>[http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/070904/0297444.html "American Idol's" Sarah Burgess Inks Record Deal, Records First Single: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


==Concert tour==
Source - [http://www.idolsmusic.com/america6.htm IdolsMusic.com]
* [[American Idols LIVE! Tour 2007]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season6/ Official American Idol Contestants Website]
*[http://www.americanidol.com/contestants/season6/ Official American Idol Contestants Website]
* {{IMDb episodes|0319931}}
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[[Category:American Idol seasons]]
[[Category:American Idol seasons]]
[[Category:2007 in television]]
[[Category:2007 American television seasons]]
[[Category:2007 in the United States]]

[[id:American Idol Musim Keenam]]
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[[zh:美國偶像 (第六季)]]

Latest revision as of 17:46, 29 August 2024

American Idol
Season 6
Hosted byRyan Seacrest
JudgesPaula Abdul
Simon Cowell
Randy Jackson
WinnerJordin Sparks
Runner-upBlake Lewis
Finals venueKodak Theatre
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseJanuary 16 (2007-01-16) –
May 23, 2007 (2007-05-23)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 5
Next →
Season 7
List of episodes

The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned as judges, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host. A new record of 74 million votes were cast in the finale round, and a new record of 609 million votes were cast in the entire season. Jordin Sparks won the competition, while Blake Lewis was the runner-up. This is the first season not to be syndicated under the Rewind package.

Regional auditions

[edit]

Contestants were required to be between the ages 16 and 28 on August 6, 2006. Guest judges were used for auditions this season.[1]

Auditions were held in the following cities:

American Idol (season 6) – regional auditions
City Preliminary date Preliminary venue Filming date(s) Filming venue Golden tickets
Los Angeles, California August 6, 2006 Rose Bowl, Pasadena September 26, 2006 Millennium Biltmore Hotel[2] 40
San Antonio, Texas August 11, 2006 Alamodome August 26, 2006 Henry B. González Convention Center[3] 24
New York City, New York August 14, 2006 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford August 30, 2006 Chelsea Piers[4] 35
Birmingham, Alabama August 21, 2006 Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex September 29–30, 2006 Sheraton Hotel[5] 20
Memphis, Tennessee September 3, 2006 FedExForum October 5–6, 2006 Memphis Cook Convention Center[6] 22
Minneapolis, Minnesota September 8, 2006 Target Center September 12, 2006 Minneapolis Convention Center[7] 17
Seattle, Washington September 19, 2006 KeyArena October 2–3, 2006 W Hotel[8] 14
Total number of tickets to Hollywood 172

Jordin Sparks, this season's winner, originally failed to pass through her audition in Los Angeles,[9] but later won an audition in Seattle as a reward for winning a local Fox-affiliate-sponsored contest called Arizona Idol.[10]

Hollywood week

[edit]

The Hollywood rounds of the audition process were held over four days in November 2006 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.

The first round consisted of each contestant singing one song a cappella in front of the judges. Contestants were then told whether they were moving on or going home in groups of six. This extended over the first two days.

The second round took place on the second and third days, and consisted of groups of three or four contestants rehearsing and then performing one of nine pre-selected songs. Groups were reviewed and contestants were then judged individually as to whether they were moving on or going home.

The third round took place on the fourth day, where each contestant performed one song from a pre-selected list accompanied by a piano and backup singers. Contestants were again informed of whether they had made the cut or not.

The final round took place at the Pasadena Civic Center on January 14–15, 2007, just before the regional audition shows began airing. Without any further auditioning, the 40 remaining contestants were reduced to 24. In a process taking a whole day, contestants waited in a sitting room until, one by one, they went up to the center's Gold Room. The three judges told them whether they had made it onto the stage show or were cut. The 24 semifinalists were announced on February 14, 2007.

Semifinals

[edit]

The live show portion of the semifinals began on February 20, 2007, with the names announced on February 14. Starting with 12 women and 12 men, the women and men performed weekly on separate shows and on the result show, the bottom two male and two female contestants were eliminated. The semifinals took place over three weeks, leaving the other six to form the top 12. The females performed on the first night, followed by the males the next night.

Color key:

  This contestant was saved by the public vote.
  This contestant was eliminated.

Top 24 (February 20 & 21)

[edit]

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 24 (Female contestants)
Contestant Song Result
Stephanie Edwards "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" Safe
Amy Krebs "I Can't Make You Love Me" Eliminated
Leslie Hunt "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" Safe
Sabrina Sloan "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" Safe
Antonella Barba "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" Safe
Jordin Sparks "Give Me One Reason" Safe
Nicole Tranquillo "Stay" Eliminated
Haley Scarnato "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" Safe
Melinda Doolittle "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" Safe
Alaina Alexander "Brass in Pocket" Safe
Gina Glocksen "All by Myself" Safe
LaKisha Jones "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" Safe
Top 24 (Male contestants)
Contestant Song Result
Rudy Cardenas "Free Ride" Eliminated
Brandon Rogers "Rock with You" Safe
Sundance Head "Nights in White Satin" Safe
Paul Kim "Careless Whisper" Eliminated
Chris Richardson "I Don't Want to Be" Safe
Nick Pedro "Now and Forever" Safe
Blake Lewis "Somewhere Only We Know" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "Knocks Me Off My Feet" Safe
Chris Sligh "Typical" Safe
Jared Cotter "Back at One" Safe
A. J. Tabaldo "Never Too Much" Safe
Phil Stacey "I Could Not Ask for More" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 24 "Sowing the Seeds of Love"
Fantasia "I'm Here"

Top 20 (February 27 & 28)

[edit]

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 20 (Female contestants)
Contestant Song Result
Gina Glocksen "Alone" Safe
Alaina Alexander "Not Ready to Make Nice" Eliminated
LaKisha Jones "Midnight Train to Georgia" Safe
Melinda Doolittle "My Funny Valentine" Safe
Antonella Barba "Because You Loved Me" Safe
Jordin Sparks "Reflection" Safe
Stephanie Edwards "Dangerously in Love" Safe
Leslie Hunt "Feeling Good" Eliminated
Haley Scarnato "Queen of the Night" Safe
Sabrina Sloan "All the Man That I Need" Safe
Top 20 (Male contestants)
Contestant Song Result
Phil Stacey "Missing You" Safe
Jared Cotter "Let's Get It On" Safe
A. J. Tabaldo "Feeling Good" Eliminated
Sanjaya Malakar "Steppin' Out with My Baby" Safe
Chris Sligh "Trouble" Safe
Nick Pedro "Fever" Eliminated
Blake Lewis "Virtual Insanity" Safe
Brandon Rogers "Time After Time" Safe
Chris Richardson "Geek in the Pink" Safe
Sundance Head "Mustang Sally" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 20 "Joy to the World"
Kellie Pickler "I Wonder"

Top 16 (March 6 & 7)

[edit]

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 16 (Female contestants)
Contestant Song Result
Jordin Sparks "Heartbreaker" Safe
Sabrina Sloan "Don't Let Go (Love)" Eliminated
Antonella Barba "Put Your Records On" Eliminated
Haley Scarnato "If My Heart Had Wings" Safe
Stephanie Edwards "Sweet Thing" Safe
LaKisha Jones "I Have Nothing" Safe
Gina Glocksen "Call Me When You're Sober" Safe
Melinda Doolittle "I'm a Woman" Safe
Top 16 (Male contestants)
Contestant Song Result
Blake Lewis "All Mixed Up" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "Waiting on the World to Change" Safe
Sundance Head "Jeremy" Eliminated
Jared Cotter "If You Really Love Me" Eliminated
Chris Richardson "Tonight I Wanna Cry" Safe
Brandon Rogers "I Just Want to Celebrate" Safe
Phil Stacey "I Need You" Safe
Chris Sligh "Wanna Be Loved" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 16 "Stuck in the Middle with You"
Carrie Underwood "Wasted"

Top 12 finalists

[edit]

The top 12 finalists were announced on March 8, 2007. As in past years, the top 12 appeared on the annual compilation album while the top 10 participated in the American Idol summer concert tour. Also as in past years, one finalist was eliminated every week, with the exception of the April 25 show, when all contestants were declared safe. As a result, two of the participants were eliminated on the May 2 results program.

From left to right: Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis, Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones, and Chris Richardson
From left to right: Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar, Gina Glocksen, Chris Sligh, and Brandon Rogers

Finals

[edit]

There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve contestants competing. One contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, with the exception of the top 6 week, where one week featured a non-elimination and the following week a double-elimination.

Color key:

  This contestant was saved by the public vote.
  This contestant was in the top three.
  This contestant was in the bottom two or three, but was saved by the public vote.
  This contestant was eliminated.
  This contestant won American Idol.
  This contestant was the runner-up.

Top 12 – Diana Ross (March 15)

[edit]

Diana Ross served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from her discography and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Diana Ross song Result
Brandon Rogers "You Can't Hurry Love" Eliminated
Melinda Doolittle "Home" Safe
Chris Sligh "Endless Love" Safe
Gina Glocksen "Love Child" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" Bottom two
Haley Scarnato "Missing You" Safe
Phil Stacey "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" Bottom three
LaKisha Jones "God Bless the Child" Safe
Blake Lewis "You Keep Me Hangin' On" Safe
Stephanie Edwards "Love Hangover" Safe
Chris Richardson "The Boss" Safe
Jordin Sparks "If We Hold on Together" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 12 "Where Did Our Love Go"
"Baby Love"
"Stop! In the Name of Love"
Diana Ross "More Today Than Yesterday"

Top 11 – British Invasion (March 24)

[edit]

British singers Peter Noone and Lulu served as guest mentors this week, with the former mentoring the men and the latter mentoring the women. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Result
Haley Scarnato "Tell Him" Safe
Chris Richardson "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" Bottom two
Stephanie Edwards "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" Eliminated
Blake Lewis "Time of the Season" Safe
LaKisha Jones "Diamonds Are Forever" Safe
Phil Stacey "Tobacco Road" Safe
Jordin Sparks "I (Who Have Nothing)" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "You Really Got Me" Safe
Gina Glocksen "Paint It Black" Safe
Chris Sligh "She's Not There" Safe
Melinda Doolittle "As Long as He Needs Me" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Peter Noone "There's a Kind of Hush"
Lulu "To Sir with Love"

Top 10 – Gwen Stefani (March 31)

[edit]

Gwen Stefani served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed songs from her discography or songs that inspired her, and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Result
LaKisha Jones "Last Dance" Safe
Chris Sligh "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" Eliminated
Gina Glocksen "I'll Stand by You" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "Bathwater" Safe
Haley Scarnato "True Colors" Bottom two
Phil Stacey "Every Breath You Take" Bottom three
Melinda Doolittle "Heaven Knows" Safe
Blake Lewis "Lovesong" Safe
Jordin Sparks "Hey Baby" Safe
Chris Richardson "Don't Speak" Safe
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Gwen Stefani & Akon "The Sweet Escape"

Top 9 – American classics (April 6)

[edit]

Tony Bennett served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Result
Blake Lewis "Mack the Knife" Safe
Phil Stacey "Night and Day" Bottom three
Melinda Doolittle "I Got Rhythm" Top three
Chris Richardson "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" Safe
Jordin Sparks "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" Top three
Gina Glocksen "Smile" Eliminated
Sanjaya Malakar "Cheek to Cheek" Safe
Haley Scarnato "Ain't Misbehavin" Bottom two
LaKisha Jones "Stormy Weather" Top three
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Michael Bublé "Call Me Irresponsible"

Top 8 – Latin (April 11)

[edit]

Jennifer Lopez served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Latin song Result
Melinda Doolittle "Sway" Safe
LaKisha Jones "Conga" Safe
Chris Richardson "Smooth" Bottom three
Haley Scarnato "Turn the Beat Around" Eliminated
Phil Stacey "Maria Maria" Bottom two
Jordin Sparks "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" Safe
Blake Lewis "I Need to Know" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "Bésame Mucho" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 8 "Bailamos"
Akon "Don't Matter"
Jennifer Lopez "Qué Hiciste"

Top 7 – Country (April 18)

[edit]

Martina McBride served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Country song Result
Phil Stacey "Where the Blacktop Ends" Safe
Jordin Sparks "A Broken Wing" Safe
Sanjaya Malakar "Something to Talk About" Eliminated
LaKisha Jones "Jesus, Take the Wheel" Bottom two
Chris Richardson "Mayberry" Safe
Melinda Doolittle "Trouble Is a Woman" Safe
Blake Lewis "When the Stars Go Blue" Bottom three
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 7 "I'm Alright"
Fergie "Big Girls Don't Cry"
Martina McBride "Anyway"

Top 6 (Idol Gives Back) – Inspirational songs (April 25)

[edit]

Owing to a special theme week – Idol Gives Back – Ryan Seacrest announced that this week would be a non-elimination, and that the votes cast for this week would be combined with the votes from the following week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Song Result
Chris Richardson "Change the World" Safe
Melinda Doolittle "There Will Come a Day" Safe
Blake Lewis "Imagine" Safe
LaKisha Jones "I Believe" Safe
Phil Stacey "The Change" Safe
Jordin Sparks "You'll Never Walk Alone" Safe

Top 6 – Bon Jovi (May 2)

[edit]

Jon Bon Jovi and David Bryan served as guest mentors this week. Contestants performed one song from the Bon Jovi discography, and are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated based on the combined votes from last week and this week.

Contestant Bon Jovi song Result
Phil Stacey "Blaze of Glory" Eliminated
Jordin Sparks "Livin' on a Prayer" Safe
LaKisha Jones "This Ain't a Love Song" Safe
Blake Lewis "You Give Love a Bad Name" Safe
Chris Richardson "Wanted Dead or Alive" Eliminated
Melinda Doolittle "Have a Nice Day" Safe
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Robin Thicke "Lost Without U"
Bon Jovi "(You Want to) Make a Memory"

Top 4 – Bee Gees (May 9)

[edit]

Barry Gibb served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed two songs each from the Bee Gees discography and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Order Bee Gees song Result
Melinda Doolittle 1 "Love You Inside Out" Safe
5 "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart"
Blake Lewis 2 "You Should Be Dancing" Safe
6 "This Is Where I Came In"
LaKisha Jones 3 "Stayin' Alive" Eliminated
7 "Run to Me"
Jordin Sparks 4 "To Love Somebody" Safe
8 "Woman in Love"
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Top 4 Bee Gees medley
Pink "Who Knew"
Barry Gibb "To Love Somebody"

Top 3 (May 16)

[edit]

Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by one of the judges, one chosen by the producers, and one chosen by themselves. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Order Song Result
Jordin Sparks 1 "Wishing on a Star"[a] Safe
4 "She Works Hard for the Money"
7 "I (Who Have Nothing)"
Blake Lewis 2 "Roxanne"[b] Safe
5 "This Love"
8 "When I Get You Alone"
Melinda Doolittle 3 "I Believe in You and Me"[c] Eliminated
6 "Nutbush City Limits"
9 "I'm a Woman"
Non-competition performances
Performers Song
Elliott Yamin "Wait for You"
Maroon 5 "Makes Me Wonder"
  1. ^ Song chosen by Simon Cowell
  2. ^ Song chosen by Paula Abdul
  3. ^ Song chosen by Randy Jackson

Top 2 – Finale (May 23)

[edit]

Each contestant performed three songs, and contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestant Order Song Result
Blake Lewis 1 "You Give Love a Bad Name" Runner-Up
3 "She Will Be Loved"
5 "This Is My Now"
Jordin Sparks 2 "Fighter" Winner
4 "A Broken Wing"
6 "This Is My Now"
Non-competition performance
Performers Song
Daughtry "Home"[a]
Jordin Sparks & Blake Lewis "I Saw Her Standing There"
Gwen Stefani "4 in the Morning"
Kelly Clarkson "Never Again"
Blake Lewis, Chris Richardson,
Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar,
Chris Sligh & Brandon Rogers
with Smokey Robinson 		"Ooo Baby Baby"
"Being with You"
"The Tears of a Clown"
Blake Lewis
with Doug E. Fresh 		"The Show"
Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle,
LaKisha Jones, Haley Scarnato,
Gina Glocksen & Stephanie Edwards
with Gladys Knight 		"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
"I Feel a Song (In My Heart)"
"Midnight Train to Georgia"
Tony Bennett "For Once in My Life"
Melinda Doolittle
with BeBe & CeCe Winans 		"Hold Up the Light"
Top 12 "Time After Time"
Carrie Underwood "I'll Stand by You"
African Children's Choir
Sanjaya Malakar
with Joe Perry 		"You Really Got Me"
Green Day "Working Class Hero"
Taylor Hicks "Heaven Knows"
Jordin Sparks & Ruben Studdard "You're All I Need to Get By"
Bette Midler "Wind Beneath My Wings"
Top 12
with Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks,
Ruben Studdard & Carrie Underwood 		"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
"A Day in the Life"
"She's Leaving Home"
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"
"With a Little Help from My Friends"
Jordin Sparks "This Is My Now"
  1. ^ Performed on the May 22 episode.

The finale aired on May 23, 2007, live from the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Every past winner of American Idol gave a special performance except for Fantasia, who was appearing in The Color Purple in New York City and was thus unavailable.

After Carrie Underwood performed "I'll Stand by You", Clive Davis gave a speech extolling the state of "the American Idol album franchise," and then presented Underwood with a special award for achieving 6 million U.S. album sales for her album Some Hearts.

Elimination chart

[edit]

Color key:

  Winner
  Runner-up
  Saved by the public
  Top two
  Bottom two or three
  Eliminated
American Idol (season 6) - Eliminations
Contestant Pl. Semifinals Top 12 Top 11 Top 10 Top 9 Top 8 Top 7 Top 6 Top 4 Top 3 Finale
2/22 3/1 3/8 3/15 3/24 3/31 4/6 4/11 4/18 4/25[a] 5/2 5/9 5/16 5/23
Jordin Sparks 1 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Top three Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Winner
Blake Lewis 2 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Bottom three Safe Safe Safe Safe Runner-up
Melinda Doolittle 3 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Top three Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
LaKisha Jones 4 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Top three Safe Bottom two Safe Safe Eliminated
Chris Richardson 5 Safe Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Safe Safe Bottom three Safe Safe Eliminated
Phil Stacey Safe Safe Safe Bottom three Safe Bottom three Bottom three Bottom two Safe Safe
Sanjaya Malakar 7 Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Haley Scarnato 8 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Bottom two Bottom two Eliminated
Gina Glocksen 9 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Chris Sligh 10 Safe Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Stephanie Edwards 11 Safe Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Brandon Rogers 12 Safe Safe Safe Eliminated
Antonella Barba Safe Safe Eliminated
Jared Cotter Safe Safe
Sundance Head Safe Safe
Sabrina Sloan Safe Safe
Alaina Alexander Safe Eliminated
Leslie Hunt Safe
Nicholas Pedro Safe
A.J. Tabaldo Safe
Rudy Cardenas Eliminated
Paul Kim
Amy Krebs
Nicole Tranquillo
  1. ^ There was no elimination on April 25, as the week held a Idol Gives Back telethon performance. Votes from this week carried into the following week, where the two contestants with the fewest combined votes were eliminated.

American Idol songwriter contest

[edit]

On the April 3 show, Ryan Seacrest announced the first American Idol songwriting contest. Following an open online submission process, where over 25,000 submissions were received, twenty songs were selected for competition by Simon Fuller and A&R representatives of 19 Entertainment. Beginning on May 2, 2007, and ending on May 8, 2007, with "one online vote per fan", the American public were able to listen to snippets from each song and rate them on the American Idol website. On the May 22 show, the two finalists performed the winning song: "This Is My Now". The song was released as a single by Jordin Sparks.[12]

The titles of the twenty songs were:[13]

Controversies

[edit]

There was controversy surrounding the judges' comments over the audition of a Special Olympics participant named Jonathan Jayne.[14] American Idol producer Ken Warwick responded by saying: "It's not a conscious decision, It's just that the further we go in the series, there are less and less good singers, so the numbers are made up by more bad ones." Warwick said that he thinks everyone has the right to audition, and added that in some instances when there are singers with certain disabilities who just want to meet the judges, the producers will "turn the cameras off and bring them in. We give them a good experience."[15]

A series of provocative photos surfaced on the Internet of contestant Antonella Barba.[16]

On Tuesday, April 17, 2007, the day after the Virginia Tech massacre, while Chris Richardson and Ryan Seacrest were discussing the shooting after Chris's critique, Simon Cowell apparently appeared to be rolling his eyes at the incident, when he was actually speaking to Paula Abdul and did not hear what Chris had said. On the results show the next day, Cowell stated: "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never, ever, ever disrespect those families or those victims, and I felt it was important to set the record straight." To clear Cowell's name, a video was shown on the result show which showed Cowell and Abdul talking with an inset of Chris and Seacrest discussing the shooting. Additionally, Seacrest began the performance show by acknowledging what had happened the day before.

Reception

[edit]

U.S. Nielsen ratings

[edit]

Live + same day ratings

American Idol ended the season as the top show of the 2006–2007 TV season. Its Wednesday episodes ranked first with an average of 30.02 million viewers, followed by the Tuesday episodes which averaged 29.54 million. The premiere episode became the series' highest rated debut episode, viewed by 37.44 million viewers and receiving a 15.8/36 Nielsen rating in the Adult 18-49 demographic.[17]

Episode list
Show Episode Air date Week
rank 		Rating/Share 18-49
rating/Share 		Viewers
(in millions)
1 "Minneapolis Auditions"[18] January 16, 2007 3 20.3 / 29 15.8 / 36 37.44
2 "Seattle Auditions"[18] January 17, 2007 4 20.1 / 30 15.5 / 36 36.94
3 "Memphis Auditions"[19] January 23, 2007 2 18.0 / 26 13.3 / 33 32.60
4 "New York Auditions"[19] January 24, 2007 1 18.9 / 28 14.1 / 35 33.87
5 "Birmingham Auditions"[20] January 30, 2007 4 18.6 /28 13.5 / 33 33.65
6 "Los Angeles Auditions"[20] January 31, 2007 5 18.0 / 27 13.7 / 32 31.85
7 "San Antonio Auditions"[21] February 6, 2007 1 18.4 / 27 13.5 / 33 33.36
8 "Best of the Rest"[21] February 7, 2007 2 15.9 / 23 12.0 / 27 27.91
9 "Hollywood Round, Part 1"[22] February 13, 2007 1 17.4 / 25 13.0 / 31 31.20
10 "Hollywood Round, Part 2"[22] February 14, 2007 2 16.2 / 24 12.2 / 29 28.89
11 "Top 12 Men Perform"[23] February 20, 2007 3 16.5 / 25 11.8 / 30 29.53
12 "Top 12 Women Perform"[23] February 21, 2007 2 17.2 / 26 12.3 / 31 30.46
13 "Top 24 Results"[23] February 22, 2007 6 14.1 / 21 9.1 / 23 24.44
14 "Top 10 Men Perform"[24] February 27, 2007 1 17.1 / 26 12.2 / 30 30.65
15 "Top 10 Women Perform"[24] February 28, 2007 2 17.5 / 27 11.9 / 30 29.78
16 "Top 20 Results"[24] March 1, 2007 3 15.5 / 23 10.5 / 26 27.39
17 "Top 8 Men Perform"[25] March 6, 2007 2 15.9 / 24 10.9 / 29 27.95
18 "Top 8 Women Perform"[25] March 7, 2007 1 16.7 / 26 11.2 / 30 28.55
19 "Top 12 Revealed"[25] March 8, 2007 3 16.0 / 25 10.4 / 28 27.52
20 "Top 12 Perform"[26] March 13, 2007 1 17.1 / 27 11.7 / 31 29.83
21 "Top 12 Results"[26] March 14, 2007 2 16.2 / 26 10.1 / 26 26.18
22 "Top 11 Perform"[27] March 20, 2007 1 17.9 / 27 11.8 / 30 29.96
23 "Top 11 Results"[27] March 21, 2007 2 18.0 / 27 10.4 / 27 27.08
24 "Top 10 Perform"[28] March 27, 2007 1 16.2 / 26 11.0 / 30 28.18
25 "Top 10 Results"[28] March 28, 2007 2 16.2 / 25 10.9 / 28 26.89
26 "Top 9 Perform"[29] April 3, 2007 1 15.7 / 25 10.4 / 29 26.67
27 "Top 9 Results"[29] April 4, 2007 2 15.5 / 24 9.9 / 26 26.10
28 "Top 8 Perform"[30] April 10, 2007 2 15.6 / 24 10.3 / 29 26.78
29 "Top 8 Results"[30] April 11, 2007 1 16.5 / 25 11.1 / 27 28.56
30 "Top 7 Perform"[31] April 17, 2007 2 15.4 / 24 10.2 / 28 26.55
31 Top 7 Results"[31] April 18, 2007 1 17.2 / 26 11.2 / 28 28.93
32 "Top 6 Perform"[32] April 24, 2007 2 15.7 / 25 10.0 / 28 26.55
33 ""Idol Gives Back"[32] April 25, 2007 1 15.6 / 25 10.2 / 27 26.93
34 "Top 6 Performs again"[33] May 1, 2007 2 15.7 / 25 10.2 / 29 26.73
35 "Top 6 Results"[33] May 2, 2007 1 17.0 / 26 11.0 / 28 28.75
36 "Top 4 Perform"[34] May 8, 2007 2 15.1 / 25 9.3 / 28 25.47
37 "Top 4 Results"[34] May 9, 2007 1 16.9 / 26 10.8 / 28 28.20
38 "Top 3 Perform"[35] May 15, 2007 2 14.1 / 23 9.4 / 26 24.23
39 "Top 3 Results"[35] May 16, 2007 1 16.5 / 25 10.8 / 28 28.05
40 "Top 2 Perform"[36] May 22, 2007 2 14.9 / 24 9.7 / 27 25.33
41 Season 6 Finale"[36] May 23, 2007 1 17.8 / 29 11.5 / 29 30.74

Live + 7 day (DVR) ratings

[edit]

American Idol Extra (season 2)

[edit]

American Idol Extra, a behind-the-scenes show, also returned for a second season, corresponding with the start of the finals in March. It aired on Thursdays on Fox Reality.

Idol Gives Back 2007

[edit]

On the March 8 results show, Ryan Seacrest announced an initiative to give back to people in poverty in both Africa and the United States, including those affected by Hurricane Katrina. The event took place over two episodes of the series. For every vote cast immediately following the April 24 broadcast, sponsors donated funds to the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund. The fund would distribute the money raised to many charities in the United States as well as in Africa.[37] News Corporation pledged to donate 10 cents for every vote made to the show for the first 50 million calls, that is, up to $5 million. MySpace created a special profile page for the event in order to spread the word. Donations from viewers were accepted by phone and through the website during the April 25 results show, in a manner similar to a telethon. Near the end of the broadcast, Seacrest announced the show had raised $30 million. As of May 1, 2007, over $70 million has been raised as a result of Idol Gives Back.

Between contestant performances, video vignettes showing Seacrest and the judges and visiting and observing squalid conditions in Africa and the United States were aired. Similar vignettes were aired during the results show. For this special, the voting period was doubled to four hours following the show, rather than the usual two. In response to the anticipated call volume, each contestant was assigned two toll free numbers. Over 70 million votes were cast.

The results show was broadcast from two locations—the regular American Idol stage and Walt Disney Concert Hall, which included many celebrity actors and personalities. Ellen DeGeneres co-hosted the event from the Disney Hall stage.

Due to the charity theme of the show, no contestant was eliminated on the April 25 results show. This was a surprise both to viewers, to whom Seacrest promised the "most shocking elimination ever", and to the contestants. When Seacrest seemed about to eliminate Jordin Sparks, he announced that since it was a charity night, none of the contestants would be voted off, and the votes from that week would be added to the votes from the following week, and that two contestants would be eliminated. Both weeks saw a two-hour extension of the regular two-hour voting window, and in the end, the two-week combined voting totaled 135 million votes.

Idol Chat (season 3)

[edit]

TV Guide Channel aired its third season of Idol Chat.

Idol Tonight (season 2)

[edit]

TV Guide Channel brought back a second season of Idol Tonight, the live pre-show to American Idol, which aired on Wednesdays starting in March. The show featured Justin Guarini as a correspondent along with Kimberly Caldwell and Rosanna Tavarez.

International broadcasts

[edit]

U.K. edition

[edit]

For back-to-back repeat of the performance and results shows in the U.K. on ITV2, Cat Deeley presented additional sections preceding and following each commercial break, and followed the end of the show with a short interview with that week's eliminated contestant.[38]

Music releases

[edit]

Unlike previous seasons, the top 12 compilation album did not come out while the show was airing. The top 12 recorded studio versions of each of the songs they sang on the show. The songs were available for purchase on AmericanIdol.com as digital downloads through the night of the finale.[39]

Originally, a collage of the finalists' head shots from the top 24 photo shoot was used as album art on AmericanIdol.com, with the title American Idol 6: Greatest Moments; at present, the covers of Sparks' and Lewis' EPs are used instead. The American Idol: Season 6 – "Greatest Hits" & "The Collector's Edition" were eventually released on June 12, 2007. This was the only season where the season's collection was not distributed by Sony BMG/RCA Records.

Sparks' first non-American Idol single was the top hit "Tattoo", which received platinum certification. Her second single was the Billboard Hot 100 number three hit "No Air" with Chris Brown. The song went to number one in several countries, and also topped Billboard's Pop Airplay chart. "No Air" had been certified platinum in April. It stands as the bestselling single by any American Idol contestant. Sparks released a third single off her album, "One Step at a Time", which peaked at number 17. "One Step at a Time" so far sold over a million copies and is certified platinum. Sparks released her second album Battlefield in July 2009. The album's title track became Jordin's fifth top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 10. This made Jordin Sparks the only American Idol contestant to have their first five singles become Top 20 Hits.

Blake Lewis's first single was "Break Anotha!", which failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. His second single, "How Many Words", also failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly afterward, Lewis confirmed that he had been dropped by Arista records. His album sales were just over 300,000. The drop also cancelled his apparent plans for a third single release.

"This Is My Now," as performed by Jordin Sparks, was released as a radio single. It debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 15.

Concert tour

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Randy Jackson confirms guest judges". Archived from the original (audio) on November 10, 2006. Retrieved November 28, 2006.
  2. ^ "Sherman Pore". Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  3. ^ "'American Idol' hopefuls line up for shot at superstardom". Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  4. ^ Cowell & co. seek Pier-less singers Archived June 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Birmingham auditions on 'Idol' agenda for Jan. 30". January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on October 5, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  6. ^ "'American Idol' judges are in town to do a little whittling". Commercialappeal.com. October 6, 2006. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved September 14, 2011.
  7. ^ Simon and Co. like a little of what they hear; The "American Idol" judges, who were in the Twin Cities on Tuesday, found Minnesotans a little loony
  8. ^ "Cowell to Seattle: 'Absolutely atrocious'". October 4, 2006. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  9. ^ "Jordin Sparks interview". May 28, 2007. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  10. ^ "Is Jordin Sparks American Idol's Next Controversy". May 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "'Phil Stacey Gets Navy's OK for Idol Tour'". Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2007.
  12. ^ American Idol Songwriter Archived April 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "American Idol: Songwriter". Archived from the original on May 24, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2007.
  14. ^ "Mocked 'American Idol 6' hopeful a Special Olympics participant". Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
  15. ^ "'American Idol' and Special Olympics respond to cruelty allegations". Archived from the original on July 8, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2008.
  16. ^ Racy Web Photos Linked To 'Idol' Singer CBSNews.com
  17. ^ "Ratings Wrapup: CBS and FOX Win, Again". Zap2it. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved April 6, 2011.
  18. ^ a b TV week Jan 21, 2007 [dead link‍]
  19. ^ a b TV week Jan 28, 2007 [dead link‍]
  20. ^ a b TV week Feb 4, 2007 [dead link‍]
  21. ^ a b TV week Feb 11, 2007 [dead link‍]
  22. ^ a b TV week Feb 18, 2007 [dead link‍]
  23. ^ a b c TV week Feb 25, 2007 Archived January 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ a b c TV week Mar 5, 2007 [dead link‍]
  25. ^ a b c TV week Mar 11, 2007 [dead link‍]
  26. ^ a b TV week 03-18-2007 Archived February 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ a b TV week 03-25-2007 [dead link‍]
  28. ^ a b TV week 04-01-2007 [dead link‍]
  29. ^ a b TV week 04-08-2007 [dead link‍]
  30. ^ a b TV week 04-15-2007 [dead link‍]
  31. ^ a b TV week 04-22-2007 [dead link‍]
  32. ^ a b TV week 04-29-2007 Archived March 14, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ a b TV week 05-06-2007
  34. ^ a b TV week 05-13-2007
  35. ^ a b TV week 05-20-2007 Archived March 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  36. ^ a b TV week 05-27-2007
  37. ^ "American Idol News Blog, "$60 Million and Counting!"". Archived from the original on April 29, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
  38. ^ "Digital Spy: "Cat Deeley to front UK Edition of American Idol"". Digital Spy. January 16, 2007. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved April 18, 2007.
  39. ^ American Idol Download Store Archived May 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
[edit]
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