On May 16, 2013,Candice Glover was crowned the winner, defeatingKree Harrison, who was the runner-up. In a series first, Glover's debut album,Music Speaks, was available for preorder immediately following the finale broadcast. Both Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj left after this season, having only served on the judges panel for one season, to focus on their music careers.[2][3]
After a sharp drop in ratings during theeleventh season,Fox entertainment presidentKevin Reilly announced that the show would undergo "some creative tweaking" for the following season.[4] After two seasons, judgesJennifer Lopez andSteven Tyler announced their exits from the series on July 12 and 13, 2012, respectively.[5][6] On July 23,Mariah Carey was announced as a judge for the twelfth season.[7] On September 16, returning judgeRandy Jackson and new hiresNicki Minaj andKeith Urban were confirmed to also serve on the judges panel.[8][9] On December 31, 2012, it was announced thatRyan Seacrest had signed on to remain the host for at least two more seasons.[10]
ProducerNigel Lythgoe indicated on January 9, 2013, that during the Hollywood rounds, the men and women would perform on separate weeks, and be matched in equal number right up until the top 10 live shows.[11] He also announced that there would be no Wild Cards.[12] Instead, he instituted a brand new "sudden death" round in which the top 40 had to perform in front of a live audience, and then the judges would choose five out of the ten contestants per show to proceed to the top 20. The number of finalists was limited to ten for the first time since thefirst season.
This season also introduced the "SuperVote," where viewers were able to cast fifty votes at once online or through the newAmerican Idol app, in addition to the regular voting methods.[13] Voters were able to allocate any number of votes to one contestant or multiple contestants, for a total of fifty votes, across all online voting destinations.
In an attempt to refresh the show's audition process, new means to audition were announced. First was the "American Idol Small Town Audition Bus Tour": a ten-town nationwide tour that gave hopefuls who couldn't make it to one of the large audition cities a chance to try out. These cities includedIdaho Falls, Idaho;Billings, Montana;Casper, Wyoming;Rock Rapids, Iowa;Iowa City, Iowa;Bowling Green, Kentucky;Clarksdale, Mississippi;Joplin, Missouri;Dodge City, Kansas; andGrand Junction, Colorado.American Idol also began a "Nominate an Idol" program, which allowed friends and family of individuals they think could be the nextAmerican Idol to nominate said person in secret by filling out an online form and submitting a video of their nominee singing solo anda cappella. The chosen nominees would then be surprised on location by a film crew and given an opportunity to advance to the next round. Finally, online auditions for the twelfth season were open from August 1 to 14, 2012,[1][14] and October 12 to November 4, 2012.[15]
Auditions took place in the following cities:[16][17]
For the first time, the Hollywood rounds were held in theValley Performing Arts Center inNorthridge, California.[26] The contestants were separated by gender, with the men performing in the first week and the women the next. There were three rounds each week: ana cappella performance, a group performance, and a solo performance.[27] Unlike previous seasons, the groups were chosen by the producers, although each group was able to select a song from a list of twenty songs to perform. The men performed on February 6 and 7 and the women performed on February 13 and 14. The judges selected 20 men and 20 women to perform in front of a live studio audience atLove by Cirque De Soleil atThe Mirage inLas Vegas. Only twenty contestants moved on from this round. The contestants were divided into four gender-separated groups of ten, with the women's performances airing on Wednesdays and the men's performances airing on Thursdays. Contestants performed in front of the judges and a studio audience, and received critiques from the judges at the end. After all of the contestants had performed, they were called one at a time to face the judges, who decided whether they would move on to the semifinals or not.
Color key:
This contestant was chosen by the judges to move on to the semifinals.
The top 20 semifinalists performed in front of a live studio audience atLove by Cirque De Soleil atThe Mirage inLas Vegas. The three-night event marked the first week viewers were allowed to cast votes. The women performed on the first night and the men on second night. On the third night, the show moved back to Los Angeles, and the top five men and top five women were announced. As each contestant walked out on stage, they performed their victory song. After the results were announced,Ryan Seacrest revealed that there would be a sing-off the next week between the sixth-place man and the sixth-place woman to determine who would be invited to join the top 10 on the 2013 summer.[28]
Color key:
This contestant was chosen by the public and moved on to the live shows.
This contestant was eliminated.
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Aubrey Cleland and Charlie Askew each finished in sixth place, so they faced off against each other on March 14 to determine who would be invited to join the top 10 on the 2013American Idol summer tour.
Kree Harrison (born May 17, 1990) was fromWoodville, Texas. She auditioned in Oklahoma City. She performed "Sin Wagon" in Hollywood. Harrison performed "Stars" as her final solo in Hollywood, where she received praise from the judges. She then sang "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)" in the sudden death round and "Stronger" at the semifinals.
Angie Miller
Angie Miller (born February 17, 1994) was fromBeverly, Massachusetts. She auditioned in New York City with "Mamma Knows Best." She stated at her audition that she was partially deaf with twenty percent hearing loss in her right ear and forty percent in her left ear. Miller performed her original composition, "You Set Me Free," as her final solo in Hollywood, where she received a standing ovation from the judges. She sangJessie J's "Nobody's Perfect" in Las Vegas and "Never Gone" at the semifinals.
Amber Holcomb (born March 17, 1994) was fromHouston, Texas. She had originally auditioned in the eleventh season, but was cut in the Las Vegas round. She performed "My Funny Valentine" in Las Vegas, where she received a standing ovation from the judges. Holcomb performed "I Believe in You and Me" at the semifinals, where she also received a standing ovation from the judges.
Paul Jolley (born January 27, 1990) was fromPalmersville, Tennessee. He auditioned in Baton Rouge with "I Won't Let Go". He sang Carrie Underwood's "Blown Away" in Hollywood, "Tonight I Wanna Cry" in Las Vegas, and "Just a Fool" in the semifinals.
Curtis Finch, Jr. (born January 16, 1988)[29] was fromSt. Louis, Missouri. He had previously auditioned in thefourth andeleventh seasons. He performed "Jar of Hearts" as his final solo in Hollywood and "Superstar" in Las Vegas. He performed "I Believe I Can Fly" in the semifinals.
There were ten weeks of the finals and ten 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." The judges ultimately did not save anyone this season, and one week featured a non-elimination as a result.
Color key:
This contestant was saved by America's vote.
This contestant was in the top three.
This contestant was in the bottom two or three, but was saved by America's vote.
Before the results were announced, Charlie Askew and Aubrey Cleland, who each finished in 6th place in the semifinals, were each given a chance to perform, vying for the opportunity to join the top 10 on the 2013 summer. The following week, it was announced that Aubrey Cleland won the sing-off and was invited to join the tour.
Smokey Robinson served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed two songs each: one solo and either one duet with a fellow contestant or one trio with two fellow contestants. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Contestants performed two songs each: one solo and either one duet with a fellow contestant or one trio with two fellow contestants. Ballads were not permitted this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Each contestant performed three songs: two solos and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed. There was no elimination this week, because the judges had not used their "judges' save" before it expired. The votes cast for this week were combined with the following week's votes.
Harry Connick, Jr. served as a guest mentor this week.[31] Each contestant performed three songs: onehit song from 2013, one song from theGreat American Songbook, and one song with all four contestants. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by mentorJimmy Iovine, one chosen by the judges, and one chosen by the producers. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
^The week of April 25 featured a non-elimination round. Votes from that week were carried over to the next week.
^abAubrey Cleland and Charlie Askew faced off to determine who would be invited to join the top 10 finalists on the summer tour. Aubrey won this sing-off.
A video was leaked toTMZ in October 2012 which showedNicki Minaj erupting in a tirade againstMariah Carey during the audition inCharlotte, North Carolina.[32] It was also claimed that Minaj was heard saying off-camera, "If I had a gun, I would shoot that bitch."[33][34] Minaj, however, denied that she had made the threat.[35]Ryan Seacrest said that the dispute "went a little too far,"[36] whileKeith Urban jokingly said "I was theUN,"[37] and the feud elicited a comment from PresidentBarack Obama that Carey and Minaj would "sort it out."[38] In an interview withBarbara Walters onThe View that aired on January 7, 2013, Carey said that due to Minaj's threats, it "felt like an unsafe work environment," and claimed that she had boosted her personal security.[39] Minaj stated that Barbara Walters never attempted to contact her for any comment regarding her side of the story.[40] Carey also said that she has since made up with Minaj. Carey's then-husbandNick Cannon claimed that the feud was used byAmerican Idol producers to generate interest and ratings.[41] ProducerNigel Lythgoe, however, denied that he was responsible for leaking the video or that it was a publicity stunt, and said that he had no plans to use the footage in advance of or during the season.[42][43] Fox executiveMike Darnell described the buzz due to the feud as being great.[44] The aired episode of the Charlotte audition did not show the tirade and what was shown appeared to have no real linear connection with the leaked footage.[45]
In April 2013, Carey noted during an episode ofAmerican Idol that Minaj had not had a number-one song on the USBillboard Hot 100. The next day, Minaj took toTwitter to post what have been described as "extremely harsh" insults against Carey. She labeled the singer "insecure" and "bitter," while also referencing a widely spread rumor that the producers ofAmerican Idol wanted to bringJennifer Lopez back to the judges panel after a significant decline in ratings this season. "All dem #1s but JLo phone ringin? Lol. I guess having a personality, being a secure woman, and giving genuine critique still trumps that," Minaj tweeted.[46][47][48][49] In November 2013, Carey stated that "American Idol was like going to work every day in hell with Satan."[50]
The Wednesday episodes had an average viewer number of 15.04 million with a 4.6 rating in the 18/49 demo, while the Thursday episodes had an average viewer number of 14.64 million and a 4.3 in 18/49 demo.[51] The average figure represents a 23% drop from the previous year.[52]
