A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| American Idol | |
|---|---|
| Season 11 | |
| Hosted by | Ryan Seacrest |
| Judges | |
| Winner | Phillip Phillips |
| Runner-up | Jessica Sanchez |
| Finals venue | Nokia Theatre L.A. Live |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | January 18 – May 23, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
The eleventh season of American Idol premiered on Fox on January 18, 2012, and concluded on May 23, 2012. Ryan Seacrest returned as host,[1] while Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez,[2] and Steven Tyler[3] all returned as judges. Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine, a songwriter and producer, also returned as an in-house mentor to work with the contestants on a weekly basis.[4] This season followed the same format as the tenth season. Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler both announced that they would be leaving the show two months after the finale,[5][6] although Lopez later returned as a judge for the show's thirteenth season.[7]
The season set a record when 132 million votes were received for the finale. On May 23, 2012, Phillip Phillips became the winner of the eleventh season of American Idol, beating Jessica Sanchez, who was the runner-up.[8]
Changes from previous seasons
This season, long-time vocal coach Debra Byrd was replaced by Jimmy Iovine's own team.[9] Additionally, fashion designers Tommy Hilfiger and Soyon An were employed as image advisers for the top 13 finalists.[10]
Regional auditions
Auditions took place in the following cities:[11]
| City | Preliminary date | Preliminary venue | Filming date(s) | Filming venue | Golden tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, Missouri | June 28, 2011 | Scottrade Center[12] | September 2–3, 2011 | Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark[13] | 46 |
| Portland, Oregon | July 2, 2011 | Rose Garden[14] | October 1–2, 2011 | Red Lion Hotel[15] | 45 |
| San Diego, California | July 8, 2011 | Petco Park[16] | October 9–10, 2011 | USS Midway[17] | 53 |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | July 15, 2011 | Heinz Field[18] | September 28–29, 2011 | David L. Lawrence Convention Center[19] | 38 |
| North Charleston, South Carolina | July 22, 2011 | North Charleston Coliseum[20] | August 17–18, 2011 | Hyatt Regency, Savannah, Georgia[21][22] | 42 |
| Denver, Colorado | July 29, 2011 | Invesco Field[23] | October 5–6, 2011[24] | Doerr-Hosier Center, Aspen, Colorado[25] | 31 |
| Houston, Texas | August 26, 2011 | Reliant Arena[26] | August 30–31, 2011 | Galveston Island Convention Center[27] | 55 |
| East Rutherford, New Jersey | September 22, 2011 | IZOD Center[28] | September 24–25, 2011[29] | Unknown[a] | Unknown[a] |
| Total number of tickets to Hollywood | 310 | ||||
- ^ a b The audition episode in East Rutherford was not aired.[30]
The audition in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was a late addition to the schedule.[31] The audition was held, although the attendance was reportedly low.[32] However, the audition episode was not shown. Contestants known to have auditioned in East Rutherford were listed as having auditioned elsewhere on the official American Idol website. For example, Alex Wong, who auditioned in East Rutherford, had San Diego listed as his audition city on the official website.[33][34]
Hollywood week
The Hollywood rounds were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium starting December 12, 2011.[35] The 309 contestants performed solo for the first round, and 185 made the cut. Amongst those sent home included Jim Carrey's daughter, Jane Carrey.[36] The second round involved group performances, and a number of contestants became ill and collapsed in the auditorium. 98 contestants moved on to the third and final round: solo performances accompanied by a band or an instrument. The contestants were then separated into four rooms, where one room of 28 contestants were all eliminated, while the 70 contestants in the other three rooms all advanced to the Las Vegas round.
In Las Vegas, the contestants performed traditional 1950s songs in groups with Elvis Presley's "Viva, Elvis!" show as the backdrop.[37] 28 of the 70 contestants were eliminated. Next came a solo round accompanied by an instrument at the stage for Le Rêve at the Wynn Las Vegas. After the 42 remaining contestants sang their last solo, they were summoned one-by-one to appear before the judges. Twelve men and twelve women were initially announced as the semifinalists; however, the judges announced that one of four men eliminated (Jermaine Jones, Johnny Keyser, Richie Law, or David Leathers, Jr.) would be reinstated into the competition as a surprise thirteenth male, rendering it a Top 25 this season.[38][39] Ultimately, Jones was selected, and revealed at the end of the males' semifinals show for his performance.
Semifinals
The semifinals began on February 28. The males and females competed on back-to-back nights, and the top five from each group, along with the judges' three Wild Card choices, advanced to the finals.
Color key:
This contestant was chosen by the public and moved on to the live shows.
|
This contestant was not chosen by the public and was left to perform again for the judges in the Wild Card round.
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This contestant was eliminated.
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Top 25
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
|
|
Wild Card round
Following the ten singers who advanced on Thursday, March 1, six of the remaining semifinalists were selected by the judges to compete in the Wild Card round. The judges selected three contestants to advance to the final group of 13. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jen Hirsh | "Oh! Darling" | Eliminated |
| Jeremy Rosado | "I Know You Won't" | Advanced |
| Brielle Von Hugel | "Someone like You" | Eliminated |
| DeAndre Brackensick | "Georgia on My Mind" | Advanced |
| Erika Van Pelt | "The Edge of Glory" | Advanced |
| Reed Grimm | "Use Me" | Eliminated |
Top 13 finalists
- Phillip Phillips (born September 20, 1990) was from Leesburg, Georgia. He auditioned in North Charleston, singing "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with the guitar.[40] He performed "I Only Have Eyes For You" with Heejun Han, Neco Starr, and Jairon Jackson in Hollywood.
- Jessica Sanchez (born August 4, 1995)[41] was from San Diego, California. She auditioned in San Diego. She performed "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" with DeAndre Brackensick and Candice Glover in Las Vegas. She also performed "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli.
- Joshua Ledet (born April 9, 1992) was from Westlake, Louisiana. He had originally auditioned for the tenth season, but did not make it past the audition stage. He auditioned in Houston, and was dubbed "Mantasia" (ie. the male version of American Idol third season winner Fantasia Barrino) during semifinals. He performed "Blue Suede Shoes" with Shannon Magrane, Amber Holcomb, and Curtis Finch, Jr.
- Hollie Cavanagh (born July 5, 1993) was originally from Liverpool, England, but grew up in McKinney, Texas. She auditioned in Galveston. She had originally auditioned for the tenth season, but was encouraged by Jennifer Lopez to return in a couple of years with practice. Hollie sang "Mr. Sandman" with Naomi Gillies and Marissa Pontecorvo in Las Vegas. She also sang "Change" by American Idol fourth season winner Carrie Underwood.
- Skylar Laine (born February 1, 1994)[42] was from Brandon, Mississippi. She auditioned in Galveston, singing "Hell on Heels" by Pistol Annies. In Las Vegas, she performed "Dedicated to the One I Love" with Colton Dixon, Chase Likens, and Cari Quoyeser.
- Elise Testone (born July 29, 1983) was from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She was originally from Kinnelon, New Jersey. She auditioned in North Charleston with "Get It While You Can" by Janis Joplin.[40]
- Colton Dixon (born October 19, 1991)[43] was from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He auditioned in North Charleston with his younger sister, Schyler. He and Schyler had originally auditioned for the tenth season, but were both cut before the semifinals. Dixon returned in the eleventh season; however he did not plan to audition, and was simply accompanying his sister to her audition. The judges implored Dixon to audition as well, where he sang David Cook's "Permanent". Colton performed "Dedicated to the One I Love" with Skylar Laine, Chase Likens, and Cari Quoyeser in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Schyler was eliminated, bringing Colton to tears. He performed the Coldplay song "Fix You", and dedicated it to his sister.
- DeAndre Brackensick (born October 21, 1994) was from San Jose, California. He had originally auditioned for the tenth season, but was cut before the semifinals. He auditioned in San Diego. He performed "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" with Jessica Sanchez and Candice Glover in Las Vegas.
- Heejun Han (born April 20, 1989) was from Flushing, New York. He and his family migrated from Anyang, South Korea, when he was a child. He auditioned in Pittsburgh with "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You". His audition brought Jennifer Lopez to tears, and Steven Tyler stated: "I think you are really great. I think you could be the American Idol."
- Erika Van Pelt (born December 12, 1985)[44] was from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. She auditioned in Pittsburgh with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by the Shirelles.
- Shannon Magrane (born October 21, 1995)[45] was from Tampa, Florida. She is the daughter of Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster and former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane.[40] She auditioned in North Charleston with "Something's Got a Hold on Me" by Etta James.[40]
- Jermaine Jones (born November 3, 1986) was from Pine Hill, New Jersey. He auditioned in Portland. Jones was not originally chosen for the semifinals, but was called back after the top 24 had been selected. On March 13, he was disqualified for having concealed prior arrests and outstanding warrants.[46]
- Jeremy Rosado (born March 24, 1992) was from Valrico, Florida. Rosado had previously auditioned for American Idol four times.
Finals
There were twelve weeks of finals with thirteen contestants competing. At least one contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes, although the judges could veto one elimination through the use of the "judges' save". On March 15, 2012, during what would have been the top 12, it was announced that Jermaine Jones had been disqualified.
Color key:
This contestant was saved by America's vote.
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This contestant was in the bottom two or three, but was saved by America's vote.
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This contestant was saved from elimination by the judges.
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This contestant was eliminated.
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This contestant won American Idol.
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This contestant was the runner-up.
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Top 13 – Whitney Houston & Stevie Wonder
Mary J. Blige served as a guest mentor this week. This week, all of the ladies performed one song from the Whitney Houston discography and all of the men performed one song from the Stevie Wonder discography. In a twist, the bottom three from each group were announced the next night. The man and the woman who each received the fewest votes faced the judges, who had to decide which contestant would be saved and which would be eliminated. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
| Contestant | Whitney Houston or Stevie Wonder song |
Result |
|---|---|---|
| Joshua Ledet | "I Wish" | Bottom three |
| Elise Testone | "I'm Your Baby Tonight" | Saved by the judges |
| Jermaine Jones | "Knocks Me Off My Feet" | Bottom two |
| Erika Van Pelt | "I Believe in You and Me" | Bottom three |
| Colton Dixon | "Lately" | Safe |
| Shannon Magrane | "I Have Nothing" | Bottom two |
| DeAndre Brackensick | "Master Blaster (Jammin')" | Safe |
| Skylar Laine | "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" | Safe |
| Heejun Han | "All in Love Is Fair" | Safe |
| Hollie Cavanagh | "All the Man That I Need" | Safe |
| Jeremy Rosado | "Ribbon in the Sky" | Eliminated |
| Jessica Sanchez | "I Will Always Love You" | Safe |
| Phillip Phillips | "Superstition" | Safe |
| Performers | Song |
|---|---|
| Top 13 | "As" |
| Lauren Alaina | "Georgia Peaches" |
| Mary J. Blige | "Why" |
Top 11 – Contestants' birth year
Jermaine Jones was disqualified prior to the performance show for failing to disclose his criminal past.[47] Footage of executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick confronting Jones was shown during what would have been his performance slot,[48] and he was not replaced in the competition. Footage of his rehearsal singing "Somewhere Out There" and his statement was shown during what would have been his performance slot.
will.i.am served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants each performed one song from the year they were born, and are listed in the order they performed.