American Idol
Season 10
Hosted by	Ryan Seacrest
Judges	Randy Jackson Jennifer Lopez Steven Tyler
Winner	Scotty McCreery
Runner-up	Lauren Alaina
Finals venue	Nokia Theatre L.A. Live
Release
Original network	Fox
Original release	January 19 (2011-01-19)[1] – May 25, 2011 (2011-05-25)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 9 Next → Season 11
List of episodes

The tenth season ofAmerican Idol premiered on theFox television network on January 19, 2011, and concluded on May 25, 2011. The show underwent a number of changes from theninth season including the return ofNigel Lythgoe as executive producer.^[2]Randy Jackson returned as judge for his tenth season, whileJennifer Lopez andSteven Tyler joined the judges' panel after the departures ofSimon Cowell,Ellen DeGeneres, andKara DioGuardi.

Interscope Records, which was part ofUniversal Music Group, replacedSony Music Entertainment asIdol's official partner record label. Interscope's chairmanJimmy Iovine, a songwriter and producer, was named as the in-house mentor to work with the contestants on a weekly basis. He was supported by associated producersRodney Jerkins,Alex da Kid,Tricky Stewart,Don Was,will.i.am, andTimbaland, who all helped the contestants tailor their song choices to their chosen genre of performance, while also producing arrangements for the contestants and offering original material to be performed.Ray Chew replacedRickey Minor as the show's musical director and leader ofIdol's live band.^[3]

Programming changes included a move from Tuesdays and Wednesdays to Wednesdays and Thursdays.^[4] The show also opened up an option for viewers to cast their votes online throughFacebook. Specific changes in the competition itself included extending extra rounds (such as the one inLas Vegas) and a final solo round, while also returning the judges' Wild Card choices. The show also lowered the age of eligibility to fifteen.^[5]

On May 25, 2011, after 122.4 million votes were cast for the finale (and nearly 750 million votes all season),^[6]Scotty McCreery was crowned the winner of the tenth season ofAmerican Idol, withLauren Alaina as the runner-up. Nine contestants from this season were signed to record labels, including McCreery, Lauren Alaina,Haley Reinhart,James Durbin,Casey Abrams,Stefano Langone,Pia Toscano,Naima Adedapo, andJimmie Allen.^[7]

Simon Cowell, who had been a judge since the very first season, announced on January 11, 2010, that he would not return as a judge for this season in order to focus on launching theAmerican version of his British singing competitionThe X Factor.^[8]Ellen DeGeneres officially announced her departure on July 29 after judging for only one season,^[9] andKara DioGuardi announced on September 3 that she would also not return.^[10] On September 22, 2010, it was announced thatJennifer Lopez andSteven Tyler would join the show as the new permanent judges.^[11]

Extra rounds were added in the Hollywood phase of the competition which would narrow the contestants down to 60 finalists. Those who advanced were then taken to Las Vegas, where they were asked to perform a song fromThe Beatles, and then a further solo round inLos Angeles. It was initially planned to reduce the contestants down to 20 by the end of the Hollywood rounds, however, 24 contestants were chosen instead for the semifinals,^[12] and they would perform in two groups of 12, where the public vote determined the top five males and females. The judges were granted three Wild Card picks, bringing the total number of finalists to 13.^[13]

At the end of theninth season,American Idol's affiliation withSony Music Entertainment ended and was replaced withUniversal Music Group. Therefore, the winner would now be signed toInterscope Records. Interscope's sister labels,A&M Records andGeffen Records, were involved in promoting and distributing the albums of the show's finalists.^[14][15] Chairman of theInterscope-Geffen-A&M label group,Jimmy Iovine, worked directly with contestants this season as an in-house mentor.^[15] Additionally, a team of Universal Music-associated producers and songwriters, such asRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins,Timbaland, andAlex da Kid, also worked alongside the contestants to help them take on original arrangement and material.

Auditions were held in the following cities:^[16]

The age minimum this season was reduced to 15; the maximum age, however, still remained at 28.^[16]

In addition to the above cities, contestants were allowed for the first time to audition online viaMyspace,Facebook, orTwitter. To audition, they were required to upload a forty-second audition clip of them singing a pre-approved song.^[23] The on-line auditions who were selected to proceed, includingKaren Rodriguez, were brought to Los Angeles to audition in front of the judges.

The Hollywood phase of the competition was held at thePasadena Civic Center. There were 327 contestants in the first round, which lasted over two days. The contestants emerged in groups of ten and each performed individuallya cappella. After the whole group had finished their performances, those who failed were immediately cut and 168 advanced to the next round, where the contestants performed in groups. Out of the 168, only 100 advanced to the next round. In the next round, the contestants performed solo, accompanied by a band or an instrument. The contestants were then separated into four rooms, with two of the four rooms containing eliminated contestants and the other two containing contestants who made it into the next round. Only 61 of the 100 remaining contestants advanced.

This year, due to the large number of contestants, two more rounds were added. The 61 remaining contestants proceeded toLas Vegas, where they performed songs from The Beatles as duos and trios in theLove theater atThe Mirage. After that, 41 contestants advanced to a final round in Los Angeles. In that round, each contestant performed a song of their own choice atHoward Hughes'Spruce Goose aircraft hangar.^[24] The top 24 were then selected from the remaining 41 for the semifinals.

The semifinal round began on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. 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:

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

After the ten singers who advanced on Thursday, March 3, 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.

From left to right:Scotty McCreery,Lauren Alaina,Haley Reinhart,James Durbin,Jacob Lusk, andCasey Abrams

From left to right:Stefano Langone,Paul McDonald,Pia Toscano, Naima Adedapo, andThia Megia

• Scotty McCreery (born October 9, 1993) was fromGarner, North Carolina, and was 17 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in Milwaukee withJosh Turner's "Your Man" andTravis Tritt's "Put Some Drive in Your Country." He performed "Your Man" in Hollywood, but forgot the words toLee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance." For his final solo, he performed Josh Turner's "Long Black Train."

• Lauren Alaina (born November 8, 1994) was fromRossville, Georgia, and was 16 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Nashville withFaith Hill's "Like We Never Loved at All" and Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," which she also sang in Hollywood. She also performed "Unchained Melody" twice, once for the first solo in Hollywood and again for the final solo. She performed "Hello, Goodbye" for the Las Vegas round with Scotty McCreery and Denise Jackson.

• Haley Reinhart (born September 9, 1990) was fromWheeling, Illinois, and was 20 years old at the time of the show. She originally auditioned in Chicago in theninth season, but did not advance to the Hollywood round. She auditioned in Milwaukee withThe Beatles' "Oh! Darling." She performedCorinne Bailey Rae's "Breathless" in the first solo round. In Hollywood, she performedBillie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." In the Las Vegas round, she performedthe Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" with Naima Adedapo and Jacob Lusk. For her final solo, she performedthe Shirelles' "Baby It's You."

• James Durbin (born January 6, 1989) was fromSanta Cruz, California, and was 22 years old at the time of the show. He originally auditioned in theeighth season, but was not selected. He auditioned in San Francisco withMuddy Waters's "You Shook Me" andAerosmith's "Dream On." He performedthe Beatles' "Oh! Darling" for his solo in Hollywood, Queen's "Somebody to Love" in the group round, andSam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" for his final solo.

• Jacob Lusk (born June 23, 1987) was fromCompton, California, and was 23 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in Los Angeles.Randy Jackson considered his performance ofBillie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" in Hollywood the best ever seen onIdol. He also performedthe Temptations' "Get Ready" withNaima Adedapo, andLeon Russell's "A Song for You" for his final solo. In the top 24 round, he earned a standing ovation for his performance of "A House Is Not a Home" byLuther Vandross.

• Casey Abrams (born February 12, 1991) was fromIdyllwild, California, and was 20 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in Austin withRay Charles' "I Don't Need No Doctor." He impressed the judges with his performance of "Georgia on My Mind" in Hollywood. He also performedElla Fitzgerald's "Lullaby of Birdland,"the Temptations' "Get Ready" in Hollywood, "A Hard Day's Night" in the Las Vegas round, andKansas Joe McCoy's "Why Don't You Do Right?" for his final solo. He played thedouble bass andmelodica on the show.
• Stefano Langone (born February 27, 1989) was fromKent, Washington, and was 22 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in San Francisco withMarvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." He performedStevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" in Hollywood, "Get Back" in Las Vegas, and his own composition, "Come Home," for his final solo.
• Paul McDonald (born August 29, 1984) was fromHuntsville, Alabama, and was 26 years old at the time of the show. He auditioned in Nashville withRod Stewart's "Maggie May." He performedFleetwood Mac's "Landslide" and his own composition, "American Dreams," for his final solo.
• Pia Toscano (born October 14, 1988) was fromHoward Beach, New York, and was 22 years old at the time of the show. She had auditioned forIdol four times before and made it through to Hollywood in thesixth season, but did not continue further. She auditioned in East Rutherford. She andKaren Rodriguez sang together the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" in Las Vegas. She also performedBruno Mars's "Grenade" in Hollywood andAlicia Keys's "Doesn't Mean Anything" for her final solo.
• Naima Adedapo (born October 5, 1984) was fromMilwaukee, Wisconsin, and was 26 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Milwaukee withDonny Hathaway's "For All We Know." She performed the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" withJacob Lusk andHaley Reinhart in Las Vegas, andCorinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" for her final solo.
• Thia Megia (born January 30, 1995) was fromMountain House, California, and was 16 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Milwaukee withAdele's "Chasing Pavements." She performed "Summertime" fromPorgy and Bess andLouis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in Hollywood, "Here Comes the Sun" in Las Vegas, andSecret Garden's "You Raise Me Up" for her final solo.
• Karen Rodriguez (born March 22, 1989) was fromNew York City, New York, and was 21 years old at the time of the show. She was one of theMyspace auditions, who then auditioned in front of the judges in Los Angeles withWhitney Houston's "You Give Good Love." She performedJennifer Lopez's "If You Had My Love," Bruno Mars's "Just the Way You Are" in Hollywood, andSelena's "No Me Queda Más" in the final round.
• Ashthon Jones (born February 27, 1986) was fromGoodlettsville, Tennessee, and was 24 years old at the time of the show. She auditioned in Nashville. She sang "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" fromDreamgirls,Blu Cantrell'sHit 'Em Up Style (Oops!) in Hollywood, andWhitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" for her final solo.

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."

Color key:

Contestants performed one song each from their own personal idols, and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestants each performed one song from the year they were born, and are listed in the order they performed.

Marc Anthony served as a guest mentor this week, although this was not explicitly mentioned on the show.^[25] Contestants are listed in the order they performed. The judges chose to use their "judges' save" whenCasey Abrams was announced as the performer to be eliminated. As a result, no one was eliminated this week.

Contestants performed one song each fromElton John's discography, and are listed in the order they performed. Two contestants were eliminated.

will.i.am served as a guest mentor this week, alongside in-house mentorJimmy Iovine duringdress rehearsals.Russell Brand did not mentor them individually, but did entertain them as a group, while coaching them on stage presence and confidence. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

will.i.am served as a guest mentor this week, alongside in-house mentorJimmy Iovine duringdress rehearsals.Rob Reiner did not mentor individually, but did give the top eight a group pep talk. Contestants chose songs featured in movies, and are listed in the order they performed.

Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Babyface served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs from theCarole King discography: one solo and one duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Sheryl Crow served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one from the new millennium and one from the 1960s. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Lady Gaga served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs, one of which was written by songwriting duoJerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Beyoncé served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by the contestant, one chosen by mentorJimmy Iovine, and one chosen by the judges. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Lauren Alaina damaged hervocal cords while rehearsing for the finale, but she was treated and cleared to continue in the competition.^[26] Breaking from tradition, the judges did not offer their critiques of the performances until after both contestants had sung both of their opening songs, and then the critiques were delivered to both contestants at the same time.^[27] Each contestant performed three songs, one of which was chosen by their personal musical idol. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Color key:

American Idol ended the 2010–2011 television season as the number one and number two show in Total Viewers, and the number one and number three show in Adults 18–49. The Wednesday performance shows earned an average of 25.864 million viewers and an 8.8/24 rating in the Adults 18–49 demographic, while the Thursday results show earned an average of 23.798 million viewers and a 7.7/22 rating in the Adults 18–49 demographic.^[28] The show's success helped Fox network achieve the longest winning streak in broadcast history of seven consecutive season in the Adult 18–49 demo.^[29]

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2011

• Official website

• American Idol seasons
• 2011 American television seasons

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