American Idol
Season 9
Hosted by	Ryan Seacrest
Judges	Simon Cowell Ellen DeGeneres Kara DioGuardi Randy Jackson
Winner	Lee DeWyze
Runner-up	Crystal Bowersox
Finals venue	Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	January 12 (2010-01-12) – May 26, 2010 (2010-05-26)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 8 Next → Season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season ofAmerican Idol premiered onFox on Tuesday, January 12, 2010, and concluded on Wednesday, May 26, 2010.^[1]Simon Cowell,Kara DioGuardi, andRandy Jackson returned as judges and were joined byEllen DeGeneres, who was brought on as a replacement forPaula Abdul after a series of guest judges filled in during the auditions.Idol Gives Back also returned on April 21, 2010.^[2] The top 24 semifinal format used in thefourth throughseventh seasons also returned this season.^[3] Cowell, DioGuardi, and DeGeneres all left the show after this season, although only Cowell's departure was announced in advance.^[4][5][6]

Lee DeWyze, afolk rocker fromMount Prospect, Illinois, won the competition, beating out fellow folk rockerCrystal Bowersox, who was the runner-up. Multiple contestants from this season were signed to record deals, including DeWyze, Bowersox,Casey James,Michael Lynche, andSiobhan Magnus. Several contestants who did not even make it to the semifinals would eventually break through in the music industry, includingTori Kelly,Lauren Daigle andTasha Layton.

Paula Abdul did not return to the judges panel, having announced in the beginning of August 2009 that she was leaving the show due to unresolved contract negotiations.^[7]Victoria Beckham,Mary J. Blige,Shania Twain,Katy Perry,Avril Lavigne,Joe Jonas,Neil Patrick Harris, andKristin Chenoweth were brought on as guest judges during the auditions.^{[8][9][10][11]}

After making the decision to utilize guest judges in Abdul's absence, Fox chairman Peter Rice stated that they would find a permanent fourth judge before the season premiere in January 2010.^[12]Ellen DeGeneres confirmed on September 9, 2009, that she would be joining the show as the new permanent fourth judge for the rounds held atCBS Television City for Hollywood Week and thereafter.^[13]

Additionally,Simon Cowell announced shortly before the ninth season began that it would be his last season onAmerican Idol. Cowell left the show to begin preparations for anAmerican version of his singing competitionThe X Factor.^[14] Ellen DeGeneres also announced on July 29, 2010, that she would not return to the judges panel because it was not the "right fit" for her.^[15] Kara DioGuardi also announced on September 3, 2010, that she would not return as a judge for the tenth season.^[16]

Auditions began on June 14, 2009, less than a month after the previous season's finale. During this stage, a series of guest judges filled in on the judging panel.^[17] Auditions were held in the following cities.^[18]

Held at theKodak Theatre for the second straight year, the first day of Hollywood Week featured the 181 contestants from the auditions round^[27] singing solo with the option of playing an instrument.^[28]Ellen DeGeneres made her first appearance as a judge at this time. 96 contestants advanced. The next round required the contestants to split into groups and perform. 71 advanced to the final round of Hollywood requiring a solo performance. 46 made it to the final round, where the judges spoke to the contestants one-by-one to tell them whether they had made the final 24.^[29]

The semifinal format used during the fourth through seventh seasons was revived for this season. Starting with twelve women and twelve men, the women and men performed weekly on separate shows, each performing aBillboard Hot 100 song, and on the results show, the bottom two contestants from each group were eliminated from the competition. The semifinals took place over three weeks, meaning that six men and six women were eliminated, leaving the other six men and six women to form the top 12. The women performed on the first night, and the males the next night. However, the men and women switched on March 2 and March 3, becauseCrystal Bowersox had been hospitalized due to complications fromdiabetes.^[30][31]

Color key:

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

From left to right:Lee DeWyze,Crystal Bowersox,Casey James,Michael Lynche, andAaron Kelly

From left to right:Siobhan Magnus,Tim Urban,Katie Stevens,Andrew Garcia, andDidi Benami

• Lee DeWyze (born April 2, 1986, inMount Prospect, Illinois; 23 years old at the start of the show) was from Mount Prospect, and auditioned in Chicago withBill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." He performedThe Fray's "You Found Me" in Hollywood.
• Crystal Bowersox (born August 4, 1985, inElliston, Ohio; 24 years old at the start of the show) was from Elliston, and auditioned in Chicago withErma Franklin's "Piece of My Heart." Her Hollywood performance ofAretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" impressed the judges and fellow contestants alike. She was diagnosed withType 1 diabetes when she was six, and while on the show, she suffered diabetic complications and was hospitalized, which resulted in the top 20 performance nights for the male and female contestants to switched.
• Casey James (born May 31, 1982, inPrinceton, Texas; 27 years old at the start of the show) was fromFort Worth, Texas, and auditioned inDenver withJohn Mayer's "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room."
• Michael Lynche (born May 31, 1983; 26 years old at the start of the show) was fromSt. Petersburg, Florida, and auditioned in Orlando withTodd Duncan's "Unchained Melody." His daughter was born during the Hollywood round, and the unfolding drama of his wife's labor was heavily featured while he performedJohn Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change."
• Aaron Kelly (born April 2, 1993, inDavenport, Florida; 16 years old at the start of the show) was fromSonestown, Pennsylvania, and auditioned in Orlando withMiley Cyrus's "The Climb." He performedSarah McLachlan's "Angel" in Hollywood, where he forgot his words.
• Siobhan Magnus (born March 15, 1990, inBarnstable, Massachusetts; 19 years old at the start of the show) was fromCape Cod, Massachusetts,^[32] and auditioned in Boston withQueen's "Love of My Life." She performedStevie Wonder's "Living for the City" in Hollywood.
• Tim Urban (born May 1, 1989, inTacoma, Washington; 20 years old at the start of the show) was fromDuncanville, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas withMatt Nathanson's "Bulletproof Week." He performedDavid Cook's "Come Back To Me" in Hollywood. He did not initially qualify for the semifinals, but was chosen as a replacement when Chris Golightly was disqualified from the competition.
• Katie Stevens (born December 8, 1992, inSouthbury, Connecticut; 17 years old at the start of the show) was fromMiddlebury, Connecticut, and auditioned in Boston withGlenn Miller's "At Last." She performed Jean DuShon's "For Once in My Life" in Hollywood, whereKara DioGuardi considered her a potential winner.
• Andrew Garcia (born October 8, 1985, inMoreno Valley, California; 24 years old at the start of the show) auditioned in Los Angeles withMaroon 5's "Sunday Morning." He impressed the judges with his performance ofPaula Abdul's "Straight Up" in Hollywood.
• Didi Benami (born October 25, 1986, inNew York City, New York; 23 years old at the start of the show) was fromKnoxville, Tennessee, and auditioned in Los Angeles withThe Beatles' "Hey Jude." She performedKatharine McPhee's "Terrified" – penned by Kara DioGuardi – in Hollywood.
• Paige Miles (born September 26, 1985; 24 years old at the start of the show) was fromNaples, Florida, and auditioned in Dallas. She performedStevie Wonder's "Living for the City" in Hollywood.
• Lacey Brown (born August 13, 1985; 24 years old at the start of the show) was fromAmarillo, Texas, and auditioned in Orlando withJudy Garland's "Over the Rainbow." She had previously made it to the Hollywood round in theeighth season ofAmerican Idol.Ryan Seacrest noted that her performance of "What a Wonderful World" byLouie Armstrong had a major part in her advancing into the top 24.

There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve 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."

Color key:

Contestants performed one song each from theRolling Stones discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Miley Cyrus served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from the list ofBillboard number one hits, and are listed in the order they performed.

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

Contestants chose songs from theLennon–McCartney discography, and are listed in the order they performed. The judges chose to use their "judges' save" whenMichael Lynche was announced as the performer to be eliminated. As a result, no one was eliminated this week.

Adam Lambert served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from theElvis Presley discography, and are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated.

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

Shania Twain served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each fromher discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Harry Connick, Jr. served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from theFrank Sinatra discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Jamie Foxx served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Each contestant performed two songs: one chosen by the judges and one chosen by the contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Each contestant performed three songs, one of which was chosen by producerSimon Fuller, and are listed in the order they performed.

Color key:

Chris Golightly was originally selected as semi-finalist. According to reports, Golightly was disqualified on February 17, 2010, after already being told he was in the top 24, over an old contract. The contract had expired by the time the top 24 began to tape, but they disqualified him because he was under contract at the time of the tryouts, in violation ofIdol rules. He was later replaced byTim Urban at the last minute of the last part of Hollywood Week.^[33]

Ryan Seacrest was criticized byTheWrap and MSNBC Entertainment for "critiquing the judges’ comments" and becoming more aggressive.^[34][35] Ratings for this season dropped significantly compared to the previous two seasons,^[36] leading to speculation that it might be coming to a close.^[37] It was speculated that reasons for the decline might have included the pending departure ofSimon Cowell and the more unpredictable behavior of Ryan Seacrest.^[38]

Michael Slezak of EW stated, "So you’d think by season 9 — during the inconsequential semifinals, no less — it would be easy to brush off the bad judgment of speed-texting tweens, to process the way-too-early exits of Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly, and Alex Lambert (plus the sort-of-maybe-too-early ouster of Todrick Hall), and move on. So why do the ritual killings of the dreams of four indisputably flawed semifinalists feel like they’re part of something bigger, a shifting of the tectonic plates at the core of the Idol universe?"

This season ofAmerican Idol was the top show for the 2009–10 season of broadcast primetime shows. Its Tuesday and Wednesday episodes occupied the top two spots of the season. Viewership for the Tuesday episodes averaged 22.974 million, while the Wednesday episodes averaged 21.951 million.^[39]

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010

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