The Final Season of American Idol
Written by Tyler Elliott, Former Student on Tuesday, January 19, 2016
The beloved singing competition, American Idol, has been scouring America to find the greatest singers for the show's final farewell season. American Idol started back in 2001 with Ryan Seacrest as the host, and Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell as the judges, with Kelly Clarkson as the first winner.
For each of the 14 seasons, a new winner arises, and is awarded a recording contract. Many greats who we know today got their start from American Idol, such as Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Philip Phillips, and many more.
“My favorite winner I would have to say is Phillip Phillips for his great coronation song ‘Home’," said senior Paolina Shoop.
The show's massive fan base is no secret, and many students at SHS are part of it. “[I’ve been a fan] since Kelly Clarkson won," said junior Kensey Klein.
American Idol goes from city to city searching for talent. They most recently visited Seattle on June 18, 2015.
The two-night season premiere of season 15 was on Wednesday, January 6 and Thursday, January 7 of this year. It featured auditions in Denver, CO , Savannah, GA, Little Rock, AK, and San Francisco, CA. The talent was great, and featured all types of people, including kids as young as 15 trying to get a golden ticket to Hollywood.
Many have expectations for a massive and well-rounded finale. “I hope the judges this final season are a bit tougher than they have been, and that this season's winner takes it to another level and becomes recognized,” said Klein.
“[I want to see] a finally with most of the winners, a cool concert perhaps," said junior Jacob Bodin.
The original judges are long gone from the show, but are confirmed to make appearances at some point in the season. “Simon Cowell is by far my far my favorite," said junior Kincaid Norris.
Simon went on to form his own show, The X-Factor, a few years back, and Abdul soon joined him. Steven Tyler stepped in to join Randy along with Jennifer Lopez. Randy ended up leaving too after one or two more seasons. The current judges are country singer Keith Urban, pop-singer Jennifer Lopez, and singer/actor Harry Connick Jr.
“I liked Jennifer Lopez. I thought she had [a] very supportive angle to the judging with her input, and I think she has such a bubbly personality," said Shoop.
Ryan Seacrest is still hosting after fifteen seasons. So far, it is looking to be a great final season.
”I expect that this season will be the best season yet!” said Norris.
