American Idol (season 3)
| American Idol | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
| Broadcast from | January 19 – May 26, 2004 |
| Judges |
Paula Abdul Simon Cowell Randy Jackson |
| Host(s) | Ryan Seacrest |
| Broadcaster | Fox Broadcasting Company |
| Finals venue | Kodak Theatre |
| Winner | |
| Fantasia Barrino | |
|
Fantasia Barrino in The American Idol Experience motorcade at Walt Disney World. | |
| Origin | High Point, North Carolina, United States |
| Song | "I Believe" |
| Genre(s) | R&B, soul, hip hop soul, gospel |
| Runner-up | |
| Diana DeGarmo | |
The third season of American Idol premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004 and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana DeGarmo by an approximate margin of 2% (1.3 million votes); the vote total (65 million votes) was the highest recorded vote total in the show's history until the May 23, 2007, finale of the sixth season. This season also featured Jennifer Hudson, who would subsequently win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Season 3 is the first season where both the winner and the runner-up had been in the bottom 2 or 3 prior to the finale, being followed by the eighth and twelfth seasons. It is the first season to have a finale with two female contestants, followed by the twelfth season; while the second, seventh and eighth seasons had a finale with two male contestants. It is also the first season where a Wild Card contestant, Leah LaBelle, is eliminated in the first episode of the finals. It is the first season to have a gender imbalance among the finalists, followed by season 8, each having eight finalists of the dominant gender. Season 3 has eight female finalists, whereas the eighth season had eight male finalists.
Both Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo released a single after the finale. Fantasia's first single, released in June 2004 on the RCA record label, entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one, making Fantasia the first artist in the history of Billboard to debut at number one with their first single. In addition to Fantasia and DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, George Huff, Jennifer Hudson, and Camile Velasco have all released albums since the season ended. Leah LaBelle was signed by Epic Records.[1]
Regional auditions
Auditions were held in the following cities:[2]
| Episode air date | Audition city | Date of audition | First audition venue | Callback date | Callback venue | Golden tickets |
| January 19, 2004 | New York, New York | August 25, 2003 | Jacob K. Javits Convention Center | August 29, 2003 | Waldorf-Astoria Hotel[3] | 29 |
| January 20, 2004 | Atlanta, Georgia | August 20, 2003 | Georgia Dome | September 2003 | Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart[4] | 24 |
| January 21, 2004 | Houston, Texas | August 13, 2003 | Minute Maid Park | September 4–5, 2003[5] | InterContinental Houston[6] | 13 |
| January 27, 2004 | Los Angeles, California | August 3, 2003 | Rose Bowl | September 2003 | Renaissance Hollywood Hotel[7] | 25 |
| San Francisco, California | September 22, 2003 | Pac Bell Park | September 2003 | Renaissance Parc 55 Hotel[8] | 10 | |
| January 28, 2004 | Honolulu, Hawaii | September 30, 2003 | Aloha Stadium | October 4–5, 2003 | Sheraton Waikiki Hotel[9] | 17 |
| Total number of tickets to Hollywood | 118 | |||||
In this season over 80,000 attended the auditions in 6 cities. Paula Abdul was absent from the Los Angeles audition. A prominent auditioner was William Hung, a University of California, Berkeley student, who became a surprise cult figure following his tuneless rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" at the San Francisco audition.[10] He was later invited back to perform on a special edition Uncut, Uncensored and Untalented. His appearance on the show landed him a record deal with Koch Records and he released an album soon afterwards.[11] He became one of the most successful contestants to emerge from this year.[12]
During the audition round in Houston, Texas, auditioner Jonathan Rey threw a cup of water at Simon, who moments earlier commented that he was terrible and "there's not a song in the world you could sing." Security quickly escorted Jonathan out, and Houston police questioned him, but released him after Simon decided against pressing assault charges on him. Other prominent auditioners that year were "scooter girl" Nicole Tieri, and Alan Ritchson who sang to Paula Abdul alone.
Hollywood week
There were 117 contestants in the first Hollywood round which was held at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California. The contestants first came onto the stage in groups but each performed solo and talked briefly about themselves. Simon Cowell was not impressed with their performances. They were also asked to write original lyrics and melody for one of ten song titles given and perform their song the next day. After their performance, they were divided into four groups and one group was eliminated.
In the next round, the remaining 87 contestants performed in groups in three. The girls and boys were separate and they were each given 3 different songs to choose - Girls with The Supremes' You Can't Hurry Love, Vonda Shepard's "Tell Him", Candi Staton's Young Hearts Run Free, the boys with Billy Joel's Tell Her About It, Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up, The Drifters's Up on the Roof. 30 contestants were cut and 57 then advanced to the next stage where they performed solo. The contestants were then divided into 3 group and placed in separate rooms, with one group sent home. 32 contestants remained for the semi-finals.
Hollywood rounds contestant Taryn Southern later appeared on the Project My World series and wrote and performed the 2007 "Hott4Hill" viral video.
Semifinals
The contestants who reached this stage were referred to in the show as the Top 32 finalists. This is the first time that two contestants who previously tried out for American Idol (Matthew Metzger and Lisa Leuschner) made it to the top 3 of their semifinals group. Both contestants were eliminated during Hollywood round in the previous season.
George Huff replaced Donnie Williams in Semifinal Round 4 after Williams was disqualified following a DUI arrest.[13]
Unlike previous seasons, this season the contestants performed in front of a small studio audience, with orchestra accompaniment on backing tape. As with the second season, in these rounds, two from each group were selected by public vote to proceed on to the Top 12, and those who failed at any of the previous stages were given a second chance in the wild-card show.
During the wild card show, four contestants in the wildcard round were eliminated by the judges before they had the chance to sing. They were Lisa Leuschner, Eric Yoder, Tiara Purifoy, and Marque Lynche.
The judges each chose one of their favorites to join the Top 12, and Jon Peter Lewis advanced to the top 12 after receiving 22% of the public vote.
Semi-finalist Marque Lynche died on December 6, 2015.[14]
Group 1
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diana DeGarmo | I've Got the Music in Me" (Kiki Dee) | Advanced |
| 2 | Marque Lynche | "Wind Beneath My Wings" (Roger Whittaker) | Eliminated |
| 3 | Ashley Thomas | "Crazy" (Willie Nelson) | Eliminated |
| 4 | Katie Webber | "Orange Colored Sky" (Nat King Cole) | Wild Card |
| 5 | Erskine Walcott | "Open Arms" (Journey) | Eliminated |
| 6 | Jennifer Hudson | "Imagine" (John Lennon) | Wild Card |
| 7 | Matthew Metzger | "Walking in Memphis" (Marc Cohn) | Top 3/Wild Card |
| 8 | Fantasia Barrino | "Something to Talk About" (Bonnie Raitt) | Advanced |
Group 2
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matthew Rogers | "What You Won't Do for Love" (Bobby Caldwell) | Advanced |
| 2 | Briana Ramirez-Rial | "Don't Know Why" (Norah Jones) | Eliminated |
| 3 | Noel Roman | "This I Promise You" (*NSYNC) | Eliminated |
| 4 | Kara Master | "I'm Outta Love" (Anastacia) | Eliminated |
| 5 | Lisa Leuschner | "Sweet Thing" (Chaka Khan) | Top 3/Eliminated |
| 6 | Jesus Roman | "Back at One" (Brian McKnight) | Eliminated |
| 7 | Camile Velasco | "One Last Cry" (Brian McKnight) | Advanced |
| 8 | Marisa Joy | "Some Kind of Wonderful" (Soul Brothers Six) | Eliminated |
Group 3
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elizabeth LeTendre | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (Whitney Houston) | Wild Card |
| 2 | Eric Yoder | "In the Still of the Night" (The Five Satins) | Eliminated |
| 3 | Amy Adams | "The Power of Love" (Jennifer Rush) | Advanced |
| 4 | Jon Peter Lewis | "Tiny Dancer" (Elton John) | Top 3/Wild Card |
| 5 | Charly Lowry | "Chain of Fools" (Aretha Franklin) | Eliminated |
| 6 | Jonah Moananu | "I Wish" (Carl Thomas) | Eliminated |
| 7 | Leah LaBelle | "I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston) | Wild Card |
| 8 | LaToya London | "All By Myself" (Eric Carmen) | Advanced |
Group 4
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suzy Vulaca | "Un-Break My Heart" (Toni Braxton) | Wild Card |
| 2 | John Preator | "That's What Love Is All About" (Michael Bolton) | Eliminated |
| 3 | Heather Piccinini | "New Attitude" (Patti LaBelle) | Eliminated |
| 4 | John Stevens | "She's Always a Woman" (Billy Joel) | Advanced |
| 5 | Jasmine Trias | "Run to You" (Whitney Houston) | Advanced |
| 6 | George Huff | "Always and Forever" (Heatwave) | Top 3/Wild Card |
| 7 | Lisa Wilson | "Come to My Window" (Melissa Etheridge) | Eliminated |
| 8 | Tiara Purifoy | "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" (Whitney Houston) | Eliminated |
Wild Card
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Peter Lewis | "A Little Less Conversation" (Elvis Presley) | Public Vote |
| 2 | Elizabeth LeTendre | "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (Peggy Seeger) | Eliminated |
| 3 | Katie Webber | "So Emotional" (Whitney Houston) | Eliminated |
| 4 | George Huff | "Lean on Me" (Bill Withers) | Simon's Choice |
| 5 | Suzy Vulaca | "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor) | Eliminated |
| 6 | Matthew Metzger | "When I See You Smile" (Bad English) | Eliminated |
| 7 | Leah LaBelle | "Let's Stay Together" (Al Green) | Paula's Choice |
| 8 | Jennifer Hudson | "I Believe in You and Me" (Four Tops) | Randy's Choice |
Finalists
Seated - Camile Velasco, Jasmine Trias, LaToya London, Diana DeGarmo, George Huff
- Fantasia Barrino (born June 30, 1984, in High Point, North Carolina, aged 19 on the show) auditioned in Atlanta, Georgia. Her audition songs were Lauryn Hill's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and Tina Turner's "Proud Mary". She has performed from a young age with her family who had released a CD. She performed Aretha Franklin's "Think" in the Hollywood rounds.
- Diana DeGarmo (born June 16, 1987, in Birmingham, Alabama, age 16 on the show) is from Snellville, Georgia, and auditioned in Honolulu, Hawaii with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools". She was on the show America's Most Talented Kid in 2002 as well as other TV shows. She performed Ike & Tina Turner's "A Fool in Love" in the Hollywood rounds. At 16 years, 7 months and 26 days old, she was the youngest contestant reach into the finals until Thia Megia and Lauren Alaina made to the finals in the tenth season.
- Jasmine Trias (born November 3, 1986, in Honolulu, Hawaii, 17 on the show) is from Mililani, Hawaii and auditioned in Honolulu. She is the first Filipino-American contestant in American Idol who made it to the final three, followed by Jessica Sanchez in the eleventh season.
- LaToya London (born December 29, 1978, in San Francisco, California, 25 on the show) is from Oakland, California and auditioned in San Francisco with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools".
- George Huff (born November 4, 1980, in New Orleans, Louisiana, aged 23 on the show) auditioned in Houston, Texas with Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful". He performed Luther Vandross' "Here and Now" in the Hollywood rounds.
- John Stevens (born July 28, 1987, in Buffalo, New York, 16 on the show) is from East Amherst, New York and auditioned in New York City with Fred Astaire's "The Way You Look Tonight". He performed Tony Bennett's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in Hollywood. He was the youngest male contestant to reach into the finals until Daniel Seavey in the fourteenth season.
- Jennifer Hudson (born September 12, 1981, in Chicago, Illinois, aged 22 on the show) auditioned in Atlanta with Aretha Franklin's "Share Your Love with Me".
- Jon Peter Lewis (born November 7, 1979, in Lincoln, Nebraska, aged 24 on the show) is from Rexburg, Idaho and auditioned in Honolulu with Van Morrison's "Crazy Love". He was dubbed the 'pen salesman' by Simon Cowell. He performed The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back".
- Camile Velasco (born September 1, 1985, in Makati City, Philippines, 18 on the show) is from Haiku, Maui and auditioned in Honolulu with Fugees' "Ready or Not".
- Amy Adams (born July 25, 1979, in Kansas City, Kansas, aged 24 on the show) is from Bakersfield, California and auditioned in Atlanta, Georgia with Fontella Bass' "Rescue Me". She performed Jennifer Rush's "The Power of Love" in Hollywood.
- Matthew Rogers (born September 16, 1978, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, 25 on the show) auditioned in Los Angeles with James Ingram's "Just Once".
- Leah LaBelle (born September 8, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, aged 17 on the show) is from Seattle, Washington and auditioned in New York with Whitney Houston's "I Believe in You and Me". She auditioned with her birth name Leah Vladowski. Her family was originally from Bulgaria, who immigrated to the United States. She performed Diana Ross' "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" at the Hollywood rounds. In 2011, LaBelle signed to Epic Records.
Finals
In this season, guest judges may be introduced in some episodes, and sometimes the mentor joined as judges. During Top 10 was the first time where are there were five judges when the duo Ashford & Simpson joined as judges.
In the result shows, the bottom two vote-getters may reprise their performances before the elimination was announced, or only the eliminated one may perform after the result is revealed, or they may performed before and after their elimination as in Top 5 when George Huff reprised both his songs from the performance night.
Top 12 – Soul
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LaToya London | "Ain't Nobody" (Chaka Khan) | Safe |
| 2 | Amy Adams | "You Make Me Feel Brand New" (The Stylistics) | Bottom 3 |
| 3 | Matthew Rogers | "Hard to Handle" (Otis Redding) | Safe |
| 4 | Camile Velasco | "Son of a Preacher Man" (Dusty Springfield) | Safe |
| 5 | Jon Peter Lewis | "Drift Away" (John Henry Kurtz) | Safe |
| 6 | Fantasia Barrino | "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" (Stevie Wonder) | Safe |
| 7 | George Huff | "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" (Otis Redding) | Safe |
| 8 | Jennifer Hudson | "Baby I Love You" (Aretha Franklin) | Bottom 2 |
| 9 | John Stevens | "Lately" (Stevie Wonder) | Safe |
| 10 | Leah LaBelle | "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (The Supremes) | Eliminated |
| 11 | Jasmine Trias | "Inseparable" (Natalie Cole) | Safe |
| 12 | Diana DeGarmo | "Think" (Aretha Franklin) | Safe |
- Group performance: Soul Medley
- Guest performance: Clay Aiken - "Solitaire"
Top 11 – Country
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diana DeGarmo | "A Broken Wing" (Martina McBride) | Bottom 3 |
| 2 | George Huff | "I Can Love You Like That" (John Michael Montgomery) | Safe |
| 3 | Fantasia Barrino | "Always on My Mind" (Brenda Lee) | Safe |
| 4 | John Stevens | "King of the Road" (Roger Miller) | Safe |
| 5 | Camile Velasco | "Desperado" (The Eagles) | Bottom 2 |
| 6 | Jennifer Hudson | "No One Else on Earth" (Wynonna Judd) | Safe |
| 7 | Jon Peter Lewis | "She Believes in Me" (Kenny Rogers) | Safe |
| 8 | Jasmine Trias | "Breathe" (Faith Hill) | Safe |
| 9 | Matthew Rogers | "Amazed" (Lonestar) | Eliminated |
| 10 | LaToya London | "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" (Garth Brooks) | Safe |
| 11 | Amy Adams | "Sin Wagon" (Dixie Chicks) | Safe |
- Guest performance: Kimberley Locke - "8th World Wonder"
Top 10 – Motown
- Guest judges: Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camile Velasco | "For Once in My Life" (Stevie Wonder) | Safe |
| 2 | Jon Peter Lewis | "This Old Heart of Mine" (The Isley Brothers) | Safe |
| 3 | LaToya London | "Ooo Baby Baby" (The Miracles) | Bottom 3 |
| 4 | Amy Adams | "Dancing in the Street" (Martha & the Vandellas) | Eliminated |
| 5 | John Stevens | "My Girl" (The Temptations) | Safe |
| 6 | Jennifer Hudson | "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" (Martha & the Vandellas) | Bottom 2 |
| 7 | Jasmine Trias | "You're All I Need to Get By" (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell) | Safe |
| 8 | Diana DeGarmo | "Do You Love Me" (The Contours) | Safe |
| 9 | Fantasia Barrino | "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" (The Miracles) | Safe |
| 10 | George Huff | "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (The Temptations) | Safe |
- Group performance: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell)
Top 9 – Elton John
- Guest Mentor: Elton John
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantasia Barrino | "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" | Safe |
| 2 | Jon Peter Lewis | "Rocket Man" | Safe |
| 3 | Jasmine Trias | "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | Bottom 2 |
| 4 | John Stevens | "Crocodile Rock" | Safe |
| 5 | Camile Velasco | "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" | Eliminated |
| 6 | George Huff | "Take Me to the Pilot" | Safe |
| 7 | Diana DeGarmo | "I'm Still Standing" | Bottom 3 |
| 8 | LaToya London | "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" | Safe |
| 9 | Jennifer Hudson | "Circle of Life" | Safe |
- Boys: "Daniel"
- Girls: "Bennie and the Jets"
- Group: "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
- Guest performance: Tamyra Gray - "Raindrops Will Fall"
Top 8 – Movie Soundtracks
Guest judge: Quentin Tarantino[15]
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Featured Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Huff | "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins) | Against All Odds | Safe |
| 2 | Jennifer Hudson | "I Have Nothing" (Whitney Houston) | The Bodyguard | Safe |
| 3 | Jon Peter Lewis | "Jailhouse Rock" (Elvis Presley) | Jailhouse Rock | Eliminated |
| 4 | Diana DeGarmo | "My Heart Will Go On" (Celine Dion) | Titanic | Bottom 3 |
| 5 | Fantasia Barrino | "Summertime" (Abbie Mitchell) | Porgy and Bess | Safe |
| 6 | Jasmine Trias | "When I Fall in Love" (Doris Day) | Sleepless in Seattle | Safe |
| 7 | John Stevens | "As Time Goes By" (Dooley Wilson) | Casablanca | Bottom 2 |
| 8 | LaToya London | "Somewhere" (Reri Grist) | West Side Story | Safe |
- Guest performance: Christina Christian - "Forever and Never"[16]
Top 7 – Barry Manilow
- Guest Mentor and Judge: Barry Manilow
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diana DeGarmo | "One Voice" | Safe |
| 2 | George Huff | "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again" | Safe |
| 3 | Jennifer Hudson | "Weekend in New England" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Jasmine Trias | "I'll Never Love This Way Again" | Safe |
| 5 | LaToya London | "All the Time" | Bottom 3 |
| 6 | John Stevens | "Mandy" | Safe |
| 7 | Fantasia Barrino | "It's a Miracle" | Bottom 2 |
- Group performance: "Let Freedom Ring" feat. Barry Manilow
Top 6 – Gloria Estefan
Mentor and guest judge - Gloria Estefan Guest band - Miami Sound Machine
| Order | Contestant | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantasia Barrino | "Get on Your Feet" | Safe |
| 2 | George Huff | "Live for Loving You" | Bottom 2 |
| 3 | LaToya London | "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" | Safe |
| 4 | John Stevens | "Music of My Heart" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Jasmine Trias | "Here We Are" | Bottom 3 |
| 6 | Diana DeGarmo | "Turn the Beat Around" | Safe |
- Group performance: Gloria Estefan medley
Top 5 – Big Band
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diana DeGarmo | "Someone to Watch Over Me" (Gertrude Lawrence) | Safe |
| 2 | "Get Happy" (Ruth Etting) | ||
| 3 | George Huff | "Cheek to Cheek" (Fred Astaire) | Eliminated |
| 4 | "What a Wonderful World" (Louis Armstrong) | ||
| 5 | LaToya London | "Too Close for Comfort" (Eydie Gormé) | Safe |
| 6 | "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Barbra Streisand) | ||
| 7 | Jasmine Trias | "The Way You Look Tonight" (Fred Astaire) | Bottom 2 |
| 8 | "Almost Like Being in Love" (Nat King Cole) | ||
| 9 | Fantasia Barrino | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (Queen) | Safe |
| 10 | "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? (Julie Andrews) |
Top 4 – Disco
Guest judge: Donna Summer
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jasmine Trias | "Everlasting Love" (Carl Carlton) | Safe |
| 2 | LaToya London | "Love You Inside Out" (The Bee Gees) | Eliminated |
| 3 | Fantasia Barrino | "Knock on Wood" (Eddie Floyd) | Bottom 2 |
| 4 | Diana DeGarmo | "This Is It" (Melba Moore) | Safe |
| 5 | Jasmine Trias | "It's Raining Men" (The Weather Girls) | Safe |
| 6 | LaToya London | "Don't Leave Me This Way" (Thelma Houston) | Eliminated |
| 7 | Fantasia Barrino | "Holding Out for a Hero" (Bonnie Tyler) | Bottom 2 |
| 8 | Diana DeGarmo | "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer) | Safe |
- Group performance: "Bad Girls"/"Hot Stuff"/"Heaven Knows"/"She Works Hard for the Money"
- Guest performance: Donna Summer - "MacArthur Park"
Top 3 – Idols' Choice, Judges' Choice, Clive's Choice
Guest judge: Clive Davis
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jasmine Trias | "Saving All My Love for You" (Whitney Houston) | Eliminated |
| 2 | Fantasia Barrino | "Chain of Fools" (Aretha Franklin) | Safe |
| 3 | Diana DeGarmo | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"(Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell) | Safe |
| 4 | Jasmine Trias | "Mr. Melody" (Natalie Cole) - Paula Abdul | Eliminated |
| 5 | Fantasia Barrino | "A Fool in Love" (Ike & Tina Turner) - Simon Cowell | Safe |
| 6 | Diana DeGarmo | "Because You Loved Me" (Celine Dion) - Randy Jackson | Safe |
| 7 | Jasmine Trias | "All by Myself" (Eric Carmen) | Eliminated |
| 8 | Fantasia Barrino | "Greatest Love of All" (George Benson) | Safe |
| 9 | Diana DeGarmo | "Don't Cry Out Loud" (Melissa Manchester) | Safe |
- Guest performance: Tamyra Gray - "Star", "Raindrops Will Fall"
- Guest performance: Guy Sebastian - "Angels Brought Me Here"
Top 2 – Finale
| Order | Contestant | Song (original artist) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diana DeGarmo | "I Believe" | Runner-Up |
| 2 | Fantasia Barrino | "All My Life" (K-Ci & JoJo) | Winner |
| 3 | Diana DeGarmo | "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer) | Runner-Up |
| 4 | Fantasia Barrino | "Summertime" (Abbie Mitchell) | Winner |
| 5 | Diana DeGarmo | "Don't Cry Out Loud" (Melissa Manchester) | Runner-Up |
| 6 | Fantasia Barrino | "I Believe" | Winner |
Guest performance: Paul Anka - "My Way"1
- Note 1: The song was rewritten by Paul Anka specially for the episode as a recap for the season.
| Finale result show | ||
|---|---|---|
| Performer | Song | Artist |
| Tamyra Gray | "The Star-Spangled Banner" | |
| Top 2 with |
"The Impossible Dream" | Richard Kiley |
| Kelly Clarkson | "Beautiful Disaster" | Kelly Clarkson |
| Top 12 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" "1-2-3" |
The Four Tops Gloria Estefan |
| Ruben Studdard | "What If" | Ruben Studdard |
| Diana DeGarmo | "I Believe" | Fantasia |
| Fantasia Barrino | "Dreams" | Diana DeGarmo |
| Top 2 | "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" | Aretha Franklin/ George Michael |
| Fantasia Barrino | "I Believe" | Fantasia |
After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total—more than the first two seasons combined--Fantasia Barrino won the "American Idol" title beating out Diana DeGarmo. The third season was also shown in Australia on Network Ten about half a week after episodes were shown in the US. Leah LaBelle is the first contestant to advance to the finals via Wild Card then get eliminated in the first week of the finals.
As a nod to the "Did Clay see the card?" controversy in the second season, Ryan Seacrest was instructed to memorize the winner's name and the vote margin and was given a blank card to hold while reporting the results. However, in a post-show interview with USA Today, Diana DeGarmo admitted that she had figured out that she had not won when the contestants were going over the schedule for the finale and she saw she would be singing "I Believe" (the winner's single) before the results were announced. Realizing that she would not be scheduled to sing a song she would have to sing again minutes later if she were announced as the winner, she correctly deduced that she had lost and Fantasia had won.
At the time of the finale many celebrities voiced their support for Fantasia: Frankie Muniz, Sharon Osbourne, Ray Romano, Amy Yasbeck, Nicole Kidman, Lori Loughlin, Patti LaBelle, Andy Richter, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Holly Robinson Peete, Giuliana Rancic, Toni Braxton, Ben Stiller, Redman (TV Guide), Method Man (TV Guide) Richard Schiff, Kate Hudson (On The Tonight Show), Lea Thompson and Mo'Nique.
Henry Winkler said "You've got incredible judges, Simon speaks the truth, I always agree with him. And Ryan is really good at what he does, but Fantasia," he smiles, "there's something in her that is bigger than anything. We voted for her about 250 times!"
Kelly Clarkson is quoted in the June 14, 2004 People Magazine as saying she voted for Fantasia: "I just hit redial, redial."
Prior to the results show, the governors of Georgia and North Carolina—the home states of DeGarmo and Barrino respectively—announced a friendly bet between them over which state's resident would prevail, each wagering a VIP NASCAR ticket package and a shipment of his state's signature fruit. The bet participants were Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue, a Republican, and North Carolina Governor Mike Easley, a Democrat.[17]
Elimination chart
| Did Not Perform | Top 32 | Wild Card | Top 12 | Winner |
| Safe | Bottom 3 | Bottom 2 | Eliminated |
| Stage: | Semi-Finals | Wild Card | Finals | ||||||||||||||
| Week: | 2/11 | 2/18 | 2/25 | 3/3 | 3/10 | 3/17 | 3/24 | 3/31 | 4/7 | 4/151 | 4/21 | 4/28 | 5/5 | 5/12 | 5/19 | 5/26 | |
| Place | Contestant | Result | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fantasia Barrino | 1st | Bottom 2 | Bottom 2 | Winner | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Diana DeGarmo | 2nd | Bottom 3 | Bottom 3 | Bottom 3 | Runner-Up | |||||||||||
| 3 | Jasmine Trias | 2nd | Bottom 2 | Bottom 3 | Bottom 2 | Elim | |||||||||||
| 4 | LaToya London | 1st | Bottom 3 | Bottom 3 | Elim | ||||||||||||
| 5 | George Huff | 3rd Wild Card |
Top 12 | Bottom 2 | Elim | ||||||||||||
| 6 | John Stevens | 1st | Bottom 2 | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 7 | Jennifer Hudson | Wild Card | Top 12 | Bottom 2 | Bottom 2 | Elim | |||||||||||
| 8 | Jon Peter Lewis | 3rd Wild Card |
1st | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 9 | Camile Velasco | 1st | Bottom 2 | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 10 | Amy Adams | 2nd | Bottom 3 | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 11 | Matthew Rogers | 2nd | Elim | ||||||||||||||
| 12 | Leah LaBelle | Wild Card | Top 12 | Elim | |||||||||||||
| 13–16 | Elizabeth LeTendre | Wild Card | Elim | ||||||||||||||
| Matthew Metzger | 3rd Wild Card |
||||||||||||||||
| Suzy Vulaca | Wild Card | ||||||||||||||||
| Katie Webber | Wild Card | ||||||||||||||||
| 17–32 | Heather Piccinni | Elim | |||||||||||||||
| John Preator | |||||||||||||||||
| Tiara Purifoy | |||||||||||||||||
| Lisa Wilson | |||||||||||||||||
| Charly Lowry | Elim | ||||||||||||||||
| Jonah Moananu | |||||||||||||||||
| Eric Yoder | |||||||||||||||||
| Lisa Leuschner | 3rd | ||||||||||||||||
| Marisa Joy | Elim | ||||||||||||||||
| Kara Master | |||||||||||||||||
| Briana Ramirez-Rial | |||||||||||||||||
| Jesus Roman | |||||||||||||||||
| Noel Roman | |||||||||||||||||
| Marque Lynche | Elim | ||||||||||||||||
| Ashley Thomas | |||||||||||||||||
| Erskine Walcott | |||||||||||||||||
Paul Anka made an appearance in the Season Finale.
^Note 1 : During the week of April 14, the week got delayed for White House press conference on Tuesday, April 13, 2004. The performance show was moved to Wednesday, April 14. Jon Peter Lewis was sent home on Thursday, April 15.
Controversies
Both Jennifer Hudson and LaToya London, part of final twelve, were eliminated, despite high praises from the judges. After Hudson was eliminated, Elton John, who was a mentor for that season, criticized the vote as 'incredibly racist' in a press conference.[18]
The elimination of both Hudson and London has been pointed out as a classic demonstration of vote-splitting in the American Idol vote, in which the presence of similar choices reduces the votes for each of the similar choices. Hudson, London and Barrino (who would eventually go on to win the competition) were female, African-American, highly praised singers—all appealing to the same demographic bloc of voters. All three of these previously popular singers ended up in the "bottom three" the night Hudson was eliminated—the three having the lowest individual vote counts.[19]
Questions were nevertheless raised about the inadequacy of the phone voting system when it was revealed that the state of Hawaii with a population of just 1.2 million managed to log more calls than every other state apart from New York and California.[20] Jasmine Trias' and Camile Velasco's fans from Hawaii, which is on its own time zone, enjoyed a far less crowded calling period and were able to get more of their votes through.
US Nielsen ratings
This season the show was ranked second overall in total viewer for the 2003-2004 TV seasons, with its Tuesday episodes taking the top spot, averaging 25.73 million viewers, while the Wednesday episodes ranked third with 24.31 million.[21] It became the top-rated show for the 18-49 demographic for the season,[22] a position it has held for all subsequent years up to and including 2011.
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Note 1: The Top 8 shows were shifted to Wednesday and Thursday due to a presidential address on Tuesday.
Music releases
Major releases
- American Idol Season 3: Greatest Soul Classics
- "I Believe" (Fantasia Barrino)
- "Dreams" (Diana DeGarmo)
- Free Yourself (Fantasia Barrino)
- Blue Skies (Diana DeGarmo)
- My Christmas EP! (George Huff)
- "Come Fly with Me" (John Stevens)
- Red (John Stevens)
- "Love Ko 'To" (Jasmine Trias)
- Jasmine Trias (Jasmine Trias)
- Love & Life (LaToya London)
- "Appreciate/Every Part of Me/All By Myself" (LaToya London)
- Miracles (George Huff)
- Fantasia (Fantasia Barrino)
- Stories from Hollywood (Jon Peter Lewis)
- "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (Jennifer Hudson)
- "Spotlight" (Jennifer Hudson)
- Jennifer Hudson (Jennifer Hudson)
- "All Dressed in Love" (Jennifer Hudson)
- Break the Silence (Jon Peter Lewis)
- George Huff (George Huff)
- Back to Me (Fantasia Barrino)
- TBA (Leah LaBelle)
Minor or independent releases
(This list does not include pre-Idol releases)
- Love, Lipstick and Poetry (Kiira Bivens)
- Love, Lana (Lana Phillips)
- Sing Me Home (Lisa Leuschner)
- Reality (Lisa Leuschner)
- Str8up Band (Dina Lopez)
- I'll Be Seeing You (John Preator)
- This Is Next Time (Alan Ritchson)
- Sun Shiney Day (Lisa Wilson)
- "If I Go Away" / "Man Like Me" (single) (Jon Peter Lewis)
- Just Like Magic (Donnie Williams)
See also
References
- ↑ "News | Pharrell Williams & Jermaine Dupri Partner to Launch Leah Labelle". Singersroom. 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
- ↑ "American Idol auditions". idolonfox.msn.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2003. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ↑ "Idol Chatter". Fox News. 2003-09-03. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑
- ↑ "Making the cut is 'American Idol' dream". Houston Chronicle. 2003-08-16. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "'American Idol' hopefuls go before Simon, Paula and Randy". Houston Chronicle. September 5, 2003. Archived from the original on September 6, 2003. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ "'Idol 3' auditions plan September stop in state | The Honolulu Advertiser | Hawaii's Newspaper". The Honolulu Advertiser. 2003-07-31. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "He's a loser, baby - today > entertainment - Reality TV - TODAY.com". MSNBC. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "William Hung 'Bangs' Latin Lovers, R. Kelly Cover On Inspiration". MTV. 2004-03-29. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "Top 24 American Idols of All Time". Billboard. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
- ↑ "Donnie Williams pulled from 'Idol' following arrest, replaced by George Huff". Reality TV World. 2004-02-26. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ Michele Amabile Angermiller. "'American Idol' Season 3 Alum Marque 'Tate' Lynche Dead at 34". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "Tarantino Facts". Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ↑ "Christina Christian performs Forever or Never on AI3" (Video). Youtube. American Idol. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
- ↑ "> News > Features - Governors place bets on 'American Idol' winner". SignOnSanDiego.com. 2004-05-25. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ Archived April 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "American Idol voting the VoteFair way". Votefair.org. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "Calls Waiting: 'Idol' Voters Finally Get Through to Fox". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "Disney | ABC Press". Abcmedianet.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "Jasmine Trias exits 'American Idol', Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo to compete in final showdown". Reality TV World. 2004-05-20. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 3 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 Susman, Gary (2004-02-04). "Super Bowl, reality shows dominate ratings race". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 3 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-02-11. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 Susman, Gary (2004-02-19). "CBS, NBC, ''Idol'' divvy up ratings pot". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Alphabet Scoop". EW.com. 2004-03-12. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 3 "The 'Idol' of its competitors - 'American Idol' continues to lead in the ratings". EW.com. 2004-03-19. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-03-17. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-03-24. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 Susman, Gary (2004-03-30). "''Idol,'' CBS win reality-driven ratings race". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 3 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-04-07. Archived from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- ↑ "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-04-14. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-04-21. Archived from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 Susman, Gary (2004-04-28). "''Idol,'' ''Friends'' top ratings chart". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 3 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-05-12. Archived from the original on 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-05-19. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 3 4 "Wednesday". Medialifemagazine.com. 2004-05-26. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
- 1 2 Susman, Gary (2004-06-03). "''Idol'' drives Fox to weekly ratings victory". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.