American Idol (season 5)

"AI5" redirects here. For the 1968 Institutional Act Number 5, in Brazil, see AI-5.

American Idol
Season 5
Broadcast from	January 17, 2006–May 24, 2006
Judges	Simon Cowell Paula Abdul Randy Jackson
Host(s)	Ryan Seacrest
Broadcaster	Fox Broadcasting Company
Finals venue	Kodak Theatre
Winner: Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks performs for troops aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, docked at Coronado, California in December 2006
Origin	Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Song	"Do I Make You Proud"
Genre(s)	Soul, blues, blues rock
Runner-up
Katharine McPhee
Chronology
◄ 2006 ►

The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006 and concluded on May 24, 2006. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge, and Ryan Seacrest returned to host. It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise and also with 18 contestants (including all of the top 10 and a few semifinalists) getting record deals - nine of them with major labels. It is the first season with a male winner (Taylor Hicks) and a female runner-up (Katharine McPhee), the second being season 9, and the third being season 10. It was also the first season of the series to be aired in high definition.

Auditions

Auditions were held in seven cities in the summer and fall of 2005.^[1][2] An audition was originally planned for Memphis, Tennessee but that was cancelled due to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort that was taking place in the city,^[3] and replaced by Las Vegas, Nevada and Greensboro, North Carolina.^[4]

Episode Air Date	Audition City	Date	First Audition Venue	Callback Date	Callback Venue	Golden Tickets
January 17, 2006	Chicago, Illinois	September 16, 2005	Soldier Field	September 20, 2005	W Hotel[5]	34
January 18, 2006	Denver, Colorado	September 11, 2005	Invesco Field at Mile High		Colorado Convention Center	37
January 24, 2006	Greensboro, North Carolina	October 3, 2005	Greensboro Coliseum	October 6, 2005	Marriott Downtown	33
January 25, 2006	San Francisco, California	August 18, 2005	Cow Palace		Parc 55 Hotel	18
January 31, 2006	Las Vegas, Nevada	October 10–11, 2005	Las Vegas Convention Center	October 12–13, 2005	Renaissance Las Vegas[6]	11
February 1, 2006	Austin, Texasa	August 25–26, 2005	Frank Erwin Center	September 28, 2005	Parc 55 Hotel, San Francisco	12
February 7, 2006	Boston, Massachusetts	August 31, 2005	Gillette Stadium	October 27, 2005	Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center[7]	28
Total Tickets to Hollywood						175

• ^a Later stages of the Austin auditions were held in San Francisco due to Hurricane Katrina which caused large number of evacuees to be relocated in Texas.^[8] The show however made no mention of the venue switch and presented the Austin audition as having taken place entirely in Austin.^[9]

Unlike Season Four, no guest judges were involved during the auditions. The season used the same rules as season 4.^[10]

One notable auditioner this season was Paula Goodspeed, a fervent fan of Paula Abdul, who auditioned in Austin.^[11] In 2008, Goodspeed hit the headlines when she committed suicide outside Abdul's home.^[12] Abdul later claimed that she had objected beforehand to Goodspeed being at the audition because she knew Goodspeed and had been frightened by her past behavior, but the producers overrode her objection.^[13] The producers Ken Warwick and Nigel Lythgoe however denied being aware of her fears or that they would put her in danger.^[14][15]

In Las Vegas, an auditioner Tora Woloshin gained a golden ticket to Hollywood but was disqualified just before she was due to go to Hollywood for unspecified reason. She later appeared in the first season of X-Factor.^[16]

Hollywood week

The Hollywood rounds were held at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The first round consisted of solo performances with each contestant choosing a song out of the twelve available. 99 contestants made it to the next round for the group performances. Those who did not impress the judges were cut, and the remaining then performed a solo a cappella. After this round, the contestants were separated into 4 groups, and 3 groups went though with 44 contestants chosen. In the Pasadena Civic Center, each were individually taken via elevator to the judges where the verdict if they would be chosen or not was announced. 20 were cut and the final 24, 12 men and 12 woman, selected.

Semi-finals

The semi-finals began on February 21, with the names announced on February 15. There were three shows each week for the three weeks of the semi-finals. There were no format changes from season 4; it featured 12 male singers and 12 female singers (24 total), with two of each being eliminated each week.

The semi-finalists were announced February 15, 2006. The following are semi-finalists who did not reach the finals.

Female semi-finalists

	Ayla Marie Brown (born July 28, 1988) is from Wrentham, Massachusetts and is six feet tall. She attended high school at Noble and Greenough School and was a star basketball player. In 11th grade, she was the 4th woman to have ever scored 1000 points at Noble and Greenough School. During her junior year, she became only the 20th female to have ever scored 2000 points in a career at the high school stage. Her father, Scott Brown, was then-State Senator from Massachusetts, and her mother, Gail Huff, is a local television personality at WCVB-TV. She also has a sister, Arianna Brown. She had a college basketball scholarship at Boston College. She originally auditioned in Boston, singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." After being voted off American Idol on March 9, 2006, she has continued to tour throughout the New England area, and released with singles "Know You Better" and "I Quit" in September followed the album "Forward" in October. She performed the National Anthem at the 2006 Boston Pops July 4 concert.
	Shontai Kinnik Sky Marshall (born May 13, 1977) is from Duluth, Georgia. She auditioned in Greensboro. She was grouped with Nicole Turk, Celeste Scalone and Tyra Schwartz during the group rounds.
	Heather Richelle Cox (born November 16, 1983) is from Jonesville, North Carolina. She auditioned in Denver. Grouped with Halicia Thompson and Kellie Pickler during Hollywood group performances.
	Brenna Mema Gethers (born October 7, 1980) is from Mount Vernon, New York. She auditioned in Boston, and was known for her "catty" attitude. She's now the lead singer for Bomb Squad, a funk-rock band that won an American Music Award for Best New Music in 2003.[17]
	Stephanie "Stevie" Marie Scott (born May 22, 1986 in Fair Oaks, California). She auditioned in Denver. She sang "Emotions" with Hannah Freeman and Paris Bennett during their group performance in Hollywood. She was eliminated on February 23, 2006 along with Becky O'Donohue, Bobby Bennett, and Patrick Hall. She made a cameo appearance on the Top 6 performance show of American Idol on April 25, 2006.
	Rebecca "Becky" Clarise O'Donohue (born July 13, 1980) is from Dobbs Ferry, New York. Her original audition was in Boston with her twin sister (who did not sing due to recent throat surgery). Simon Cowell praised her looks, but said no to her voice. She was let through to Hollywood by Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul.

Male semi-finalists

	Gedeon Luke McKinney (born October 1, 1988) was from Memphis, Tennessee. He intended to audition in Memphis, but the auditions there were canceled due to the city's role in relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina. He raised funds to travel to the Chicago auditions by putting on a benefit concert. His elimination was a surprise to many, including Simon Cowell, who had criticized him previously. McKinney's father, Tony McKinney, also a performing artist, died in December 2005 before the show aired.
	William John "Will" Makar (born March 2, 1989 in The Woodlands, Texas) is of Ukrainian/English descent. Will attended high school at The Woodlands College Park High School. In high school, Will starred in several musical productions, including The Woodlands College Park High School Musical in January 2006, the performance of which began the day after the airing of the his American Idol audition and was covered by local media. He has also performed for Presidents Clinton and Bush and with singer Celine Dion as part of the Houston Children's Chorus. He has performed the National Anthem at many sporting events and was also a member of the band Last Born. During the Hollywood rounds, he performed Fly Me to the Moon with David Radford and Kevin Covais. Will was signed to Double Deal Brand Records, which also signed fellow top 16 semi-finalist Ayla Brown, and released his debut single titled "I Won't Make It Out" on iTunes on Friday, April 27, 2007. Will began attending Berklee College of Music in 2009. His band is Will Makar and The Red Line. In February 2010, he joined the a cappella group at the college called Pitch Slapped and won an award for his performance of "Got to Get You into My Life" International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella.[citation needed]
	José "Sway" Penala (born January 23, 1978) is from South San Francisco, where he also had his audition for the show. He was the only Asian-American who made it to the semi-finals that season. He's performed with such groups as DnH and 6th Day. When he competed, on stage, Penala often wore a Fedora hat and coat and military dog tags. He developed friendships with Elliott Yamin, Taylor Hicks and Chris Daughtry during the season. Elliott was also his Hollywood Week group mate and later his roommate. Penala now sings back-up vocals in Yamin's band, and has toured with them on several occasions.
	David William Radford (born March 22, 1988 in Crystal Lake, Illinois) is a high school senior at Crystal Lake Central High School.[18] In addition to singing, David plays the trumpet. He originally auditioned in Chicago.
	Patrick Aaron Hall (born September 24, 1977 is from Gravette, Arkansas and was seen for the first time in Hollywood. During the Hollywood rounds, Simon Cowell called him 'very likeable', and compared him to Clay Aiken. He received many positive comments during these rounds. To separate himself from the Clay Aiken comparison, however, he chose to perform Come to My Window on the first week of the Top 24. He was eliminated that week.
	Bobby Bennett, Jr. born (June 4, 1986) is from Denver and also auditioned there. He is most known for his rousing rendition of the Manilow classic "Copacabana" and was named the "showman" of the semifinalists. He also made an appearance in the March 21 episode on which Barry Manilow performed. He has gone on to perform in night clubs and most notably at "lannies Clock Tower Cabaret" in Denver and has sold out four consecutive times. He also does charity work for the organization "Denver Kids Inc" and mentors young children and adults. He was the headlining performer at the Denver Rotary Club Branch Rickey Awards in 2007. He now resides in Hollywood California and plans to perform his successful night club act in the area.

Top 24

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Mandisa	"Never"(Heart)	Safe
2	Kellie Pickler	"How Far"(Martina McBride)	Safe
3	Becky O'Donohue	"Because the Night"(Patti Smith)	Eliminated
4	Ayla Brown	"Reflection"(Christina Aguilera)	Safe
5	Paris Bennet	"Midnight Train to Georgia"(Cissy Houston)	Safe
6	Stevie Scott	"To Where You Are"(Josh Groban)	Eliminated
7	Brenna Gethers	"You Are the Sunshine of My Life"(Stevie Wonder)	Safe
8	Heather Cox	"When You Tell Me That You Love Me"(Diana Ross)	Safe
9	Melissa MeGhee	"When the Lights Go Down"(Faith Hill)	Safe
10	Lisa Tucker	"I Am Changing"(Jennifer Holiday)	Safe
11	Kinnik Sky	"Get Here" (Oleta Adams)	Safe
12	Katharine McPhee	"Since I Fell for You" (Ella Johnson)	Safe

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Patrick Hall	"Come to My Window"(Melissa Etheridge)	Eliminated
2	David Radford	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"(Queen)	Safe
3	Bucky Covington	"Simple Man"(Lynyrd Skynyrd)	Safe
4	Will Makar	"I Want You Back"(The Jackson 5)	Safe
5	Sway Penala	"Reasons"(Earth Wind & Fire)	Safe
6	Chris Daughtry	"Wanted Dead or Alive"(Bon Jovi)	Safe
7	Kevin Covais	"One Last Cry"(Brian McKnight)	Safe
8	Gedeon McKinney	"Shout"(The Isley Brothers)	Safe
9	Elliott Yamin	"If You Really Love Me"(Stevie Wonder)	Safe
10	Bobby Bennet	"Copacabana"(Barry Manilow)	Eliminated
11	Ace Young	"Father Figure" (George Michael)	Safe
12	Taylor Hicks	"Levon" (Elton John)	Safe

Top 20

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Kinnik Sky	"Here for the Party"(Gretchen Wilson)	Bottom 3
2	Katharine McPhee	"All in Love Is Fair"(Stevie Wonder)	Safe
3	Lisa Tucker	"Who's Lovin' You"(The Miracles)	Safe
4	Melissa Mcghee	"Why Haven't I Heard from You"(Reba McEntire)	Safe
5	Heather Cox	"Hero"(Mariah Carey)	Eliminated
6	Brenna Gethers	"Last Dance"(Donna Summer)	Eliminated
7	Paris Bennett	"Wind Beneath My Wings"(Roger Whittaker)	Safe
8	Ayla Brown	"I Want You to Need Me"(Celine Dion)	Safe
9	Kellie Pickler	"Something to Talk About"(Bonnie Raitt)	Safe
10	Mandisa	"Cry"(Angie Aparo)	Safe

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Taylor Hicks	"Easy"(The Commodores)	Safe
2	Elliot Yamin	"Moody's Mood for Love"(James Moody)	Safe
3	Ace Young	"If You're Not the One"(Daniel Bedingfield)	Safe
4	Sway Penala	"Overjoyed"(Earth Wind & Fire)	Eliminated
5	Bucky Covington	"The Thunder Rolls"(Garth Brooks)	Safe
6	Kevin Covais	"I Heard It Through the Grapevine"(The Miracles)	Bottom 3
7	Will Makar	"Lady"(Kenny Rogers)	Safe
8	Gedeon McKinney	"A Change Is Gonna Come"(Sam Cooke)	Safe
9	David Radford	"The Way You Look Tonight"(Fred Astaire)	Eliminated
10	Chris Daughtry	"Hemorrhage (In My Hands)"(Fuel)	Safe

Top 16

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Paris Bennett	"Conga"(Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine)	Safe
2	Melissa McGhee	"What About Love"(Heart)	Safe
3	Kinnik Sky	"If I Ain't Got You"(Alicia Keys)	Eliminated
4	Lisa Tucker	"Here's Where I Stand"(Tiffany Taylor)	Safe
5	Katharine McPhee	"Think"(Aretha Franklin)	Safe
6	Ayla Brown	"Unwritten"(Natasha Bedingfield)	Eliminated
7	Mandisa	"I'm Every Woman"(Chaka Khan)	Safe
8	Kellie Pickler	"I'm the Only One"(Melissa Etheridge)	Safe

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Bucky Covington	"Wave on Wave"(Pat Green)	Safe
2	Chris Daughtry	"Broken"(Seether)	Safe
3	Will Makar	"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"(Marvin Gaye)	Eliminated
4	Kevin Covais	"Vincent"(Don McLean)	Safe
5	Gedeon McKinney	"When a Man Loves a Woman"(Percy Sledge)	Eliminated
6	Taylor Hicks	"Takin' It to the Streets"(The Doobie Brothers)	Safe
7	Elliott Yamin	"Heaven"(Bryan Adams)	Safe
8	Ace Young	"Butterflies"(Michael Jackson)	Safe

Top 12 finalists

Taylor Hicks Taylor Reuben Hicks is from Birmingham, Alabama. He is gray-haired and performed "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke at his original audition in Las Vegas. At the first audition, the judges were surprised by his appearance. He performed Bill Withers' Ain't No Sunshine in the Hollywood round. He is one of the six winners in American Idol history to never be in the bottom three. He won the competition on May 24.

Katharine McPhee Katharine Hope McPhee's mother is a vocal coach. She auditioned in San Francisco with Billie Holiday's God Bless the Child, and Randy Jackson said her audition was the best he'd heard yet that season. In the Hollywood round she performed Dionne Warwick's I'll Never Love This Way Again, and I Can't Help Myself for the group round, My Funny Valentine for the last solo. At the end of the first semi-final round, Simon Cowell said that he had heard four very good singers that evening and that McPhee was the best among them. She is from Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California. McPhee was the runner-up on American Idol as announced on the May 24 finale.

Elliott Yamin Efraym Elliott Yamin was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He started singing at the age of five and did not have any formal training. He auditioned for American Idol in Boston. In the Hollywood week, he performed Rascal Flatts' Bless the Broken Road for the first solo, The Shoop Shoop Song for the group round. After his first semi-final performance, Simon Cowell said that he was potentially the best male vocalist in American Idol history, reprising his praise on Top 6 week after Yamin's "A Song for You", calling it a vocal masterclass; also, in the second round of the semi-finals, Randy Jackson gave Yamin a standing ovation after his rendition of "Moody's Mood for Love". Yamin finished in third place in one of the closest outcomes in Idol history where less than 1% separated the votes of all top three contestants.

Chris Daughtry Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry is a former car service worker from McLeansville, North Carolina. During the audition round, he was profiled as a "Rocker Dad." He originally auditioned in Denver with Joe Cocker's The Letter (originally by The Box Tops). In the Hollywood week he performed Samantha Sang's Emotion in the group round. He was eliminated at Top 4 in a surprise result, but had considerable success as a recording artist after the show.

Paris Ana'is Bennett , from Fayetteville, Georgia, is the granddaughter of Grammy Award winner Ann Nesby. Her mother and grandmother are apart of the Grammy-winning group, Sounds of Blackness. She sang "Cowboy Take Me Away" by The Dixie Chicks at her original audition in Greensboro. In the Hollywood rounds, she performed LeAnn Rimes's Can't Fight the Moonlight for her solo, and Samantha Sang's Emotion for the group round.

Kellie Pickler Kellie Dawn Pickler is from Albemarle, North Carolina. She was profiled as a roller-skating waitress. Her mother left when she was two and her father has had numerous legal problems; he is now free. Pickler lived with her grandfather and originally auditioned in Greensboro. She was never in the bottom three until she was eliminated.

Ace Young Brett Asa "Ace" Young (who goes by his middle name) is from Denver where he auditioned. At that time, Randy Jackson called him one of the best he'd seen so far this season. In the Hollywood week, he performed Shai's If I Ever Fall in Love for the solo, and with Daughtry in the group round Samantha Sang's Emotion. In the semifinals, after he sang "Father Figure", Simon Cowell said that Young had the 'X-Factor' (a reference to another RTL talent show, in the UK). Young had been singing since age nine and had voice lessons.

Bucky Covington William Joel "Bucky" Covington is from Rockingham, North Carolina. He auditioned in Greensboro. He has an identical twin brother named Rocky.

Mandisa Mandisa (born Mandisa Lynn Hundley) is from Antioch, Tennessee. She had a successful original audition in Chicago where she performed Alicia Keys's Fallin'. Afterwards Simon Cowell made jokes about her size, but he later apologized after being confronted by Miss Hundley. In the Hollywood week, She performed Freda Payne's Band of Gold in the group round. Like Pickler, she was never in the bottom 3 until her elimination.

Lisa Tucker Lisa Gabrielle Tucker was 16 years old at the time of the show, and is the youngest finalist of this season. She is from Anaheim, California, and she auditioned in Denver with Whitney Houston's One Moment in Time. Simon Cowell called her the "best 16-year-old" ever to audition on the show at the time of her original Denver audition. She was also a runner-up on Star Search but lost to Tiffany Evans. A week after her elimination she appeared in an episode of The O.C.

Kevin Covais Kevin Patrick Covais was 16 years old at the time of the show, and is from Levittown, New York. For his audition in Boston, he sang "You Raise Me Up". In the Hollywood round he performed Shai's If I Ever Fall in Love in the solo. Viewers gave him the nickname "Chicken Little."

Melissa McGhee Melissa Christine McGhee is from Tampa, Florida. She auditioned in Denver. She sang "Can't Fight the Moonlight" by LeAnn Rimes for her audition. She had not sung on camera until her first week in the top 24.

Top 12 - Stevie Wonder

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Ace Young	"Do I Do"	Bottom 3
2	Kellie Pickler	"Blame It on the Sun"	Safe
3	Elliott Yamin	"Knocks Me Off My Feet"	Safe
4	Mandisa	"Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing"	Safe
5	Bucky Covington	"Superstition"	Safe
6	Melissa McGhee	"Lately"	Eliminated
7	Lisa Tucker	"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"	Bottom 2
8	Kevin Covais	"Part-Time Lover"	Safe
9	Katharine McPhee	"Until You Come Back to Me"	Safe
10	Taylor Hicks	"Living for the City"	Safe
11	Paris Bennett	"All I Do"	Safe
12	Chris Daughtry	"Higher Ground"	Safe

Top 11 - 1950s

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Mandisa	"I Don't Hurt Anymore"(Hank Snow)	Safe
2	Bucky Covington	"Oh, Boy!"(Buddy Holly)	Bottom 2
3	Paris Bennett	"Fever"(Little Willie John)	Safe
4	Chris Daughtry	"I Walk the Line"(Johnny Cash)	Safe
5	Katharine McPhee	"Come Rain or Come Shine"(Sy Oliver)	Safe
6	Taylor Hicks	"Not Fade Away"(The Crickets featuring Buddy Holly)	Safe
7	Lisa Tucker	"Why Do Fools Fall in Love?"Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers)	Bottom 3
8	Kevin Covais	"When I Fall in Love"(Doris Day)	Eliminated
9	Elliott Yamin	"Teach Me Tonight"(The DeCastro Sisters)	Safe
10	Kellie Pickler	"Walkin' After Midnight"(Patsy Cline)	Safe
11	Ace Young	"In the Still of the Night" (The Five Satins)	Safe

Top 10 - 2000s

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Lisa Tucker	"Because of You"(Kelly Clarkson)	Eliminated
2	Kellie Pickler	"Suds in the Bucket"(Sara Evans)	Safe
3	Ace Young	"Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)"(Train)	Bottom 3
4	Taylor Hicks	"Trouble"(Ray LaMontagne)	Safe
5	Mandisa	"Shackles (Praise You)"(Mary Mary)	Safe
6	Chris Daughtry	"What If"(Creed)	Safe
7	Katharine McPhee	"The Voice Within"(Christina Aguilera)	Bottom 2
8	Bucky Covington	"Real Good Man"(Tim McGraw)	Safe
9	Paris Bennett	"Work It Out"(Beyoncé)	Safe
10	Elliott Yamin	"I Don't Want to Be"(Gavin DeGraw)	Safe

Top 9 - Country

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Taylor Hicks	"Take Me Home, Country Roads"(John Denver)	Safe
2	Mandisa	"Any Man of Mine"(Shania Twain)	Eliminated
3	Elliott Yamin	"If Tomorrow Never Comes"(Garth Brooks)	Bottom 2
4	Paris Bennett	"How Do I Live"(LeAnn Rimes)	Bottom 3
5	Ace Young	"Tonight I Wanna Cry"(Keith Urban)	Safe
6	Kellie Pickler	"Fancy"(Bobbie Gentry)	Safe
7	Chris Daughtry	"Making Memories of Us"(Keith Urban)	Safe
8	Katharine McPhee	"Bringing Out the Elvis in Me"(Faith Hill)	Safe
9	Bucky Covington	"Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning)"(Vertical Horizon)	Safe

Top 8 - Queen

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Bucky Covington	"Fat Bottomed Girls"	Eliminated
2	Ace Young	"We Will Rock You"	Bottom 3
3	Kellie Pickler	"Bohemian Rhapsody"	Safe
4	Chris Daughtry	"Innuendo"	Safe
5	Katharine McPhee	"Who Wants To Live Forever"	Safe
6	Elliott Yamin	"Somebody To Love"	Bottom 3
7	Taylor Hicks	"Crazy Little Thing Called Love"	Safe
8	Paris Bennett	"The Show Must Go On"	Safe

Top 7 - Great American Songbook

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Chris Daughtry	"What a Wonderful World"(Louis Armstrong)	Bottom 2
2	Paris Bennett	"These Foolish Things"(Billie Holiday)	Bottom 3
3	Taylor Hicks	"You Send Me"(Sam Cooke)	Safe
4	Elliott Yamin	"It Had To Be You"(Sam Lanin and his Orchestra)	Safe
5	Kellie Pickler	"Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered"(Vivienne Segal)	Safe
6	Ace Young	"That's All"(Nat King Cole)	Eliminated
7	Katharine McPhee	"Someone to Watch Over Me"(Gertrude Lawrence)	Safe

Top 6 - Love Songs

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Katharine McPhee	"I Have Nothing"(Whitney Houston)	Top 2
2	Elliott Yamin	"A Song for You"(Leon Russell)	Safe
3	Kellie Pickler	"Unchained Melody"(Todd Duncan)	Eliminated
4	Paris Bennett	"The Way We Were"(Barbra Streisand)	Bottom 2
5	Taylor Hicks	"Just Once"(James Ingram)	Safe
6	Chris Daughtry	"Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"(Bryan Adams)	Top 2

Top 5 - Year Of Birth/Current Billboard Top 10

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Elliott Yamin	"On Broadway"(The Crystals)	Bottom 2
2	Paris Bennett	"Kiss"(Prince and The Revolution)	Eliminated
3	Chris Daughtry	"Renegade"(Styx)	Safe
4	Katharine McPhee	"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)"(Phil Collins)	Safe
5	Taylor Hicks	"Play That Funky Music"(Wild Cherry)	Safe
6	Elliott Yamin	"Home"(Michael Bublé)	Bottom 2
7	Paris Bennett	"Be Without You"(Mary J. Blige)	Eliminated
8	Chris Daughtry	"I Dare You"(Shinedown)	Safe
9	Katharine McPhee	"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"(KT Tunstall)	Safe
10	Taylor Hicks	"Something"(The Beatles)	Safe

Top 4 - Elvis Presley

Order	Contestant	Song	Result
1	Taylor Hicks	"Jailhouse Rock"	Safe
2	Chris Daughtry	"Suspicious Minds"	Eliminated
3	Elliott Yamin	"If I Can Dream"	Safe
4	Katharine McPhee	"Hound Dog" / "All Shook Up"	Bottom 2
5	Taylor Hicks	"In the Ghetto"	Safe
6	Chris Daughtry	"A Little Less Conversation"	Eliminated
7	Elliot Yamin	"Trouble"	Safe
8	Katharine McPhee	"Can't Help Falling in Love"	Bottom 2

Top 3 - Clive Davis's choice/Judges' choice/Contestants' choice

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Elliot Yamin	"Open Arms"(Journey)	Eliminated
2	Katharine McPhee	"I Believe I Can Fly"(R. Kelly)	Safe
3	Taylor Hicks	"Dancing in the Dark"(Bruce Springsteen)	Safe
4	Elliot Yamin	"What You Won't Do For Love"(Bobby Caldwell) Paula Abdul's song choice	Eliminated
5	Katharine McPhee	"Over the Rainbow"(Judy Garland) Simon Cowell's song choice	Safe
6	Taylor Hicks	"You Are So Beautiful"(Billy Preston) Randy Jackson's song choice	Safe
7	Elliot Yamin	"I Believe to My Soul"(Ray Charles)	Eliminated
8	Katharine McPhee	"I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues"(Duke Ellington)	Safe
9	Taylor Hicks	"Try a Little Tenderness"(Val Rosing and The Ray Noble Orchestra)	Safe

Top 2 - Previous Song/Another Previous Song/Winning Song

Order	Contestant	Song (original artist)	Result
1	Katharine McPhee	"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"(KT Tunstall)	Runner-Up
2	Taylor Hicks	"Living for the City"(Stevie Wonder)	Winner
3	Katharine McPhee	"Over The Rainbow"(Judy Garland)	Runner-Up
4	Taylor Hicks	"Levon" (Elton John)	Winner
5	Katharine McPhee	"My Destiny"(Katharine McPhee)	Runner-Up
6	Taylor Hicks	"Do I Make You Proud"(Taylor Hicks)	Winner

Song themes

• Top 12 ~ Stevie Wonder
• Top 11 ~ 1950s
• Top 10 ~ 2000s
• Top 9 ~ Country
• Top 8 ~ Queen
• Top 7 ~ Great American Songbook
• Top 6 ~ Love songs
• Top 5 ~ Songs from Birth Year/Current Billboard Top 10
• Top 4 ~ Elvis Presley (2 songs each)
• Top 3 ~ Clive Davis's choice/Judges' choice/Contestants' choice
• Top 2~ Song previously performed by contestant/Another song previously sung by contestant/Original Song for American Idol 5: "My Destiny" (McPhee) or "Do I Make You Proud" (Hicks)

Performers on results shows

• March 15 ~ Stevie Wonder
• March 22 ~ Barry Manilow
• March 29 ~ Shakira and Wyclef Jean
• April 5 ~ Kenny Rogers
• April 12 ~ Final 8 sing a medley of Queen
• April 19 ~ Rod Stewart
• April 26 ~ Andrea Bocelli and David Foster
• May 3 ~ Top 5 perform "Together We Are One" (originally written and sung by Australian singer Delta Goodrem for the 2006 Commonwealth Games)
• May 10 ~ Top 4 perform a medley of Elvis songs
• May 17 ~ Each contestant of the Top 3 performs the song they will be singing on the American Idol Season 5: Encores CD.

Elimination song

A new feature this year, the show now uses a special song to make a tribute to an eliminated contestant's journey on the show, as opposed to before when various different melodic music compositions were played. This year, the song used for an eliminated contestant's flashback tribute was "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter.

The finale

On the finale, Carrie Underwood sang "Don't Forget to Remember Me" solo along with the song "Through the Rain" with the 12 finalists. Also, the finalists performed two medleys: one medley was for the female finalists and the other for the male finalists. Several special guests performed with one of the top five Idols: Al Jarreau (Paris Bennett), Live (Chris Daughtry), Meat Loaf (Katharine McPhee), Mary J. Blige (Elliott Yamin) and Toni Braxton (Taylor Hicks). Clay Aiken performed with lookalike auditioner Michael Sandecki, who resembled Aiken circa his 2005 audition. Also, Prince performed without an Idol. Towards the end of the program, the finalists performed "That's What Friends Are For" with Dionne Warwick as well as other songs in the Burt Bacharach canon, with Burt Bacharach playing the piano. Several auditioners from the first round returned to accept "Golden Idol" awards, and to sing. A parody of Brokeback Mountain (though there was no mention of homosexuality) called "Brokenote Mountain," featuring a group of three failed auditioners (Layne Johnson, Michael Evans, and Matthew Buckstein) was replayed from the Hollywood round. The trio "The Brokenote Cowboys" then performed the Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys". In a pre-taped segment, finalist Kellie Pickler ate lunch with Wolfgang Puck at his brasserie as a way of making fun of Kellie's admitted lack of culinary savvy. Finally, just before the results were announced, Hicks and McPhee performed "(I've Had) The Time of My Life". The chairman of TeleScope Inc., the company which manages the American Idol results, came at the end of the show with the result card. 63.5 million votes were cast in the finale,^[19] and Taylor Hicks was named the winner, the second American Idol winner from the city of Birmingham, Alabama (the first being Ruben Studdard), and the fourth finalist with close ties to the city.

Elimination chart

Stage:		Semi-Finals			Finals
Week:		2/23	3/2	3/9	3/15	3/22	3/29	4/5	4/12	4/19	4/26	5/3	5/10	5/17	5/24
Place	Contestant	Result
1	Taylor Hicks														Winner
2	Katharine McPhee						Btm 2				Top 2		Btm 2		Runner-Up
3	Elliott Yamin							Btm 2	Btm 3			Btm 2		Elim
4	Chris Daughtry									Btm 2	Top 2		Elim
5	Paris Bennett							Btm 3		Btm 3	Btm 2	Elim
6	Kellie Pickler										Elim
7	Ace Young				Btm 3		Btm 3		Btm 3	Elim
8	Bucky Covington					Btm 2			Elim
9	Mandisa							Elim
10	Lisa Tucker				Btm 2	Btm 3	Elim
11	Kevin Covais		Btm 3			Elim
12	Melissa McGhee				Elim
13-16	Gedeon McKinney			Elim
	Ayla Brown
	Will Makar
	Kinnik Sky		Btm 3
17-20	José "Sway" Penala		Elim
	David Radford
	Heather Cox
	Brenna Gethers
21-24	Patrick Hall	Elim
	Stevie Scott
	Bobby Bennett
	Becky O'Donohue

DialIdol

Main article: DialIdol

DialIdol is both the name of a computer program for Microsoft Windows and its associated website that began tracking contestants during Season 4 and sprang to prominence at the start of Season 5. The program allows users to automatically vote for the American Idol contestants of their choice using their PC's phone modem. The program then reports back to the main website, which keeps track of the results based on the percentage of calls for each contestant that result in a busy signal. Based on the data received, the website then predicts which contestants may be eliminated or may be in danger of being eliminated. As of May 25, 2006, its predictions for Season 5 were 87% accurate.^[20]

This was the first season in which the free U.S. public service website, Zabasearch.com, started to openly present voting results (starting with the top 12 and onward) that it claims are from Cingular and American Idol. It has experienced controversy over the fact that its results change throughout the day until (and often through) the results show.

Controversy

Main article: American Idol controversy

• In January 2006, twins Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were charged with forgery and theft after allegedly using a false identity to purchase a car. This occurred after the "Hollywood" portion of the show was filmed, and the twins were subsequently disqualified.^[21]
• Simon Cowell said that he did not like "last year's winner" as much as Kellie Pickler. He has since said that it was a heat of the moment thing, as Carrie Underwood had performed on the show the week before and was not very fond of the performance.
• In January 2006, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) expressed concern about the show's portrayal of some contestants: "The real offense here was in the producer's decision to add insult to injury by turning a contestant's gender expression into the butt of a joke." Damon Romine, Entertainment Media Director, on January 20.^[22]
• In January 2006 The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, NAAFA accused the show of being discriminatory towards its plus sized contestants.
• In February 2006, it was discovered that José "Sway" Penala was reportedly signed to E-Real Records with his band 6th Day, at the time of his audition.
• Two rumors about finalist Katharine McPhee circulated during early March and throughout the season. The first was that she was quitting the show and would not show up for the March 7th airing. The second was sparked by the loose fitting blouses she had been wearing, leading viewers to suspect she was pregnant. Katharine denied both rumors when interviewed by host Ryan Seacrest on the March 7th show.^[23]
• During the March 28 show while Mandisa Hundley was singing, her name and phone number came up, but changed for a few seconds and showed Taylor Hicks' name and phone number. At the end of the show the numbers were right.^[24]
• Mandisa Hundley was voted out after country week, whereby her rendition of "Any Man of Mine" was not well received as a good song choice. The reason behind her elimination was speculated to be what she said before she began to sing her rendition of "Shackles (Praise You)" by Mary Mary: "This song goes out to everybody that wants to be free. Your addiction, lifestyle and situation may be big, but God is bigger." Many viewers believed that the "lifestyle" stated was regarding the homosexual lifestyle, which she denied, clarifying that the lifestyle she was referring to was her lifestyle of addiction to food. Mandisa is a former employee of the Southern Baptist Convention, having joined the Convention in 2000 as a telephone sales representative for their LifeWay book division, and later in their women's enrichment events area, and later Beth Moore's Living Proof Live events. (Moore's books are published by LifeWay.)^[25]
• On the April 25 show, the theme of which was Greatest Love Songs and featured guest coaches Andrea Bocelli and David Foster, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe forced contestant Taylor Hicks to change his song a day before air time (and the same day as the dress rehearsal). Hicks' chosen song was "Try a Little Tenderness," but Lythgoe, in a radio interview, claimed the song was more appropriate for a Blues Brothers week and was not a song that Andrea Bocelli would sing. Hicks changed his song at the last minute to "Just Once" (James Ingram) and appeared very uncomfortable on stage. Hicks fans were distressed, feeling that a) Hicks' original choice of song was very appropriate to the theme; b) The producers changed the song at the last minute even though they must have known Hicks' choice the previous week as they must obtain clearance for all songs; c) Lythgoe's statement that it was not a song Andrea Bocelli would sing was dubious, as other song choices that were approved were songs sung by Bryan Adams ("Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman," sung by Chris Daughtry) and Donny Hathaway ("A Song for You," sung by Elliott Yamin).^[26]
• During the East Coast transmission of the May 2 show, Paris Bennett was bleeped while singing Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" at the exact point where an obscenity appears in the lyrics. However, Fox confirmed that the song was not bleeped when it was broadcast on the West Coast. Forum posters on the West Coast said Bennett sang the radio edit of the song which excludes the obscenity, leaving viewers nationwide wondering why Bennett was precensored during the earlier live transmission. Paris was eliminated in the results show the day after.^[27]
• Following Chris Daughtry's elimination, many Idol fans claimed calls they dialed to Daughtry's line during the first few minutes of voting were misdirected. According to them, the first of his two numbers was answered by a recording of Katharine McPhee (who was also in the bottom two that night) giving thanks for their vote rather than Daughtry.^[28] Others reported similar behavior dialing other lines, such as dialing Elliott Yamin's line and hearing a recording of Daughtry giving thanks for their vote.^[29]
• On Top 5 night (May 3), Elliott Yamin performed first, with Taylor Hicks going out last. Next week (May 10) Katharine McPhee went out last. It was expected that Yamin would go out last on Top 3 night (May 17), but he was again the first one to sing, losing what is called the "pimp spot", while Hicks was the last one to perform that night. Yamin's fans were distressed stating it was Yamin's right to go out last, while Hicks should have been first, and that the show producers arranged it to have Yamin eliminated next night (May 18), which actually happened.

US Nielsen ratings

American Idol was the top-rated show for the 2005-2006 TV season and occupied the top two positions. The number of viewers for its Tuesday episodes averaged 31.17 million and for the Wednesday episodes 30.16 million.^[30] It is still the most-watched of all seasons with an overall average number of viewers of 30.6 million per episode. Click on "show" below to see the rating details.

Episode list

Show Episode Air date Week rank Rating/Share 18-49 rating/Share Viewers (millions) 1 "Chicago Auditions"[31] January 17, 2006 3 19.3 / 28 15.3 / 34 35.53 2 "Denver Auditions"[31] January 18, 2006 4 17.8 / 27 13.0 / 33 31.65 3 "Greensboro Auditions"[32] January 24, 2006 1 19.6 / 29 15.1 / 35 34.96 4 "San Francisco Auditions"[32] January 25, 2006 2 18.2 / 28 13.0 / 33 32.44 5 "Las Vegas Auditions"[33] January 31, 2006 5 17.4 / 27 12.4 / 31 30.18 6 "Austin Auditions"[33] February 1, 2006 6 16.9 / 25 12.5 / 32 30.40 7 "Boston Auditions"[34] February 7, 2006 1 17.6 / 26 12.9 / 32 31.15 8 "Hollywood Round 1"[34] February 8, 2006 2 16.3 / 24 11.4 / 29 28.74 9 "Hollywood Round 2"[35] February 14, 2006 2 16.5 / 25 11.4 / 29 26.96 10 "Hollywood: Top 24 Revealed"[35] February 15, 2006 1 15.5 / 24 11.9 / 30 28.78 11 "Top 12 Women Perform"[36] February 21, 2006 2 16.9 / 24 13.0 / 30 30.16 12 "Top 12 Men Perform"[36] February 22, 2006 1 18.2 / 27 13.5 / 33 31.69 13 "Top 24 Results"[36] February 23, 2006 7 13.3 / 20 9.9 / 24 23.38 14 "Top 10 Women Perform"[37] February 28, 2006 2 17.0 / 25 12.4 / 31 30.09 15 "Top 10 Men Perform[37] March 1, 2006 4 16.6 / 26 12.2 / 31 29.64 16 "Top 20 Results[37] March 2, 2006 5 15.2 / 23 10.9 / 27 26.32 17 "Top 8 Women Men Perform"[38] March 7, 2006 2 16.7 / 25 11.8 / 31 28.56 18 "Top 8 Men Perform"[38] March 8, 2006 1 17.2 / 27 12.4 / 32 30.38 19 "Top 12 Revealed"[38] March 9, 2006 4 15.4 / 24 10.8 / 28 26.63 20 "Top 12 Perform"[39] March 14, 2006 1 18.5 / 27 13.7 / 33 32.77 21 "Top 12 Results"[39] March 15, 2006 1 16.3 / 25 11.5 / 27 28.09 22 "Top 11 Perform"[40] March 21, 2006 1 19.2 / 28 13.6 / 33 33.36 23 "Top 11 Results"[40] March 22, 2006 2 15.9 / 24 11.4 / 27 27.68 24 "Top 10 Perform"[41] March 28, 2006 1 18.0 / 27 13.0 / 33 31.71 25 "Top 10 Results"[41] March 29, 2006 2 15.9 / 24 11.3 / 27 27.66 26 "Top 9 Perform"[42] April 4, 2006 1 16.6 / 23 11.6 / 32 28.83 27 "Top 9 Results"[42] April 5, 2006 2 15.7 / 23 10.8 / 26 26.23 28 "Top 8 Perform"[43] April 11, 2006 1 14.2 / 22 12.0 / 33 29.65 29 "Top 8 Results"[43] April 12, 2006 3 12.0 / 19 9.2 / 24 22.64 30 "Top 7 Perform"[44] April 18, 2006 1 16.6 / 26 11.4 / 32 28.44 31 "Top 7 Results"[44] April 19, 2006 2 16.5 / 25 11.3 / 30 27.63 32 Top 6 Perform"[45] April 25, 2006 1 16.7 / 26 11.5 / 30 28.67 33 "Top 6 Results"[45] April 26, 2006 2 16.6 / 25 11.6 / 28 28.27 34 "Top 5 Perform"[46] May 2, 2006 2 16.6 / 26 11.4 / 31 28.58 35 "Top 5 Results"[46] May 3, 2006 1 16.9 / 25 11.7 / 28 29.26 36 "Top 4 Perform"[47] May 9, 2006 1 16.8 / 26 11.6 / 31 28.85 37 "Top 4 Results"[47] May 10, 2006 2 16.1 / 24 11.2 / 27 27.88 38 "Top 3 Perform"[48] May 16, 2006 1 16.6 / 26 11.0 / 30 28.33 39 "Top 3 Results"[48] May 17, 2006 2 16.6 / 26 10.7 / 25 27.67 40 "Top 2 Perform"[49] May 23, 2006 2 18.2/ 29 12.3 / 34 31.78 41 Season 5 Finale"[49] May 24, 2006 1 20.5 / 32 14.2 / 35 36.38

Post Idol

This is the first season that a majority of finalists have major label recording contracts after Idol. Of them - Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler are distributed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Bucky Covington by Universal Music Group; Ace Young and Mandisa by EMI. One other contestant that did not even make the top 24 (Brooke Barrettsmith) was also picked up by Sony BMG, and Universal also picked up Brianna Taylor who also did not make the top 24. Two finalists have a deal with an independent labels - Paris Bennett and Lisa Tucker.^[50] The remaining two finalists are unsigned - Kevin Covais, and Melissa McGhee. (Covais, however, has begun an acting career and McGhee has taken part in charity events for Idol Gives Back ^[51]) Also, five semi-finalists have deals and albums with independent labels - Ayla Brown, Heather Cox, Patrick Hall, Will Makar, Stevie Scott and David Radford. In addition, at least one contestant who was cut before the semi-finals - Bobby Bullard - has also been signed and recorded with a small label.

Taylor Hicks first post-Idol single, "Do I Make You Proud", would debut at #1 and be certified gold.^[52] Hicks' album, Taylor Hicks, has sold 703,000 copies. He later parted with Arista Records. His follow-up album, "The Distance," was released March 10, 2009 on his own record label Modern Whomp Records.

The fifth-season contestant with the most commercial success is fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry, now lead singer of the band Daughtry. Their eponymous debut album has sold over 5 million copies to date—surpassing former winners Studdard and Fantasia's respective two-album totals—and produced two top-ten singles. The album, which spent two weeks at #1 in the US, is also the fastest-selling debut rock album in Soundscan history.^[53]

As of November 2008: Runner-up Katharine McPhee's debut album has sold 374,000 copies; she has two Top 40 Billboard hits. Also notable: sixth-place finisher Kellie Pickler, whose Small Town Girl reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and was certified gold. To date it has sold over 815,000 copies. Third-place finisher Elliott Yamin's eponymous debut album was certified gold and produced a platinum-selling single. Eighth-place finisher Bucky Covington's self-titled debut album has sold over 400,000 copies and generated a top 20 and two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Ninth-place finisher Mandisa's True Beauty album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007.

Season five is the season from the first ten seasons of American Idol with the with the most number of finalists who have made it onto the Billboard charts.^[54]

Major releases

Compilations

The compilation album for this season was performed by the top twelve finalists.

Information	Digital Downloads
American Idol Season 5: Encores Released: May 23, 2006 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: - #3 (US) RIAA Certification: - Gold U.S. sales: - 381,075	Alphabetical order by song title "Father Figure" (#108 US) "Midnight Train to Georgia" (#52 US Pop) "Moody's Mood for Love" (#73 US Pop, #76 US Digital) "Takin' It to the Streets" (#69 US, #42 US Digital) "Think" (#121 US, #90 US Pop) "Wanted Dead or Alive" (#43 US, #11 US Digital, #37 US Pop)

Albums

Artist	Information
Chris Daughtry	Daughtry Released: November 21, 2006 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #1 (US), #1 (Rock), #1 (Digital), #1 (Comprehensive), #1 (Internet) RIAA Certification: 4x Platinum U.S. sales: 4,788,000
Kellie Pickler	Small Town Girl Released: October 31, 2006 Label: BNA Records Chart Positions: #1 (US Top Country), #9 (Billboard 200), #12 (Canada Top Country Albums) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 854,000
Taylor Hicks	Taylor Hicks Released: December 12, 2006 Label: Arista Records Chart Positions: #2 (US Billboard 200), #43 (Canada) RIAA Certification: Platinum U.S. sales: 704,000
Elliott Yamin	Elliott Yamin Released: March 20, 2007 Label: Hickory Records Sony RED Distribution Chart Positions: #3 (Billboard 200), #1 (Top Independent Albums), #11 (Top R&B albums) RIAA Certification: Gold U.S. sales: 527,000
Bucky Covington	Bucky Covington Released: April 17, 2007 Label: Lyric Street Records Hollywood Records Chart Positions: #4 (Billboard 200), #1 (US Top Country) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 405,000
Katharine McPhee	Katharine McPhee Released: January 30, 2007 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #2 (US Billboard 200), #23 (Canada) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 381,000
Mandisa	True Beauty Released: July 31, 2007 Label: Sparrow Records Chart Positions: #43 (Billboard 200), #1 (Hot Christian Albums) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 219,000
Mandisa	It's Christmas Released: October 14, 2008 Label: Sparrow Records Chart Positions: #64 (Billboard Hot 200) #1 (Billboard Top Christmas Albums) #5 (Billboard Top Christian Albums) RIAA Certification: not certified U.S. sales:26,000
Mandisa	Freedom Released: March 24, 2009 Label: Sparrow Records Chart Positions: #83 (US Billboard 200), #4 (US Billboard Top Christian Albums) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 132,000
Elliott Yamin	Fight for Love Released: May 5, 2009 Label: Hickory Records Chart Positions: #26 (US Billboard 200), #4 (US Billboard Independent Albums) RIAA Certification: Uncertified U.S. sales: 49,000
Chris Daughtry	Leave This Town Released: July 14, 2009 Label: RCA Records Chart Positions: #1 (US Billboard 200), #1 (Rock) RIAA Certification: Platinum U.S. sales: 1,225,000

Minor & independent releases

Artist	Information
Bobby "Bluu Suede" Bullard	The Bluu Suede Project Released: 2007 Label: Stres Entertainment Inc.
Ayla Brown	Forward (LP) Released: October 17, 2006 Label: Double Deal Brand Records [55] U.S. sales: 3,200
Paris Bennett	Princess P (LP) Released: May 8, 2007 Label: 306 Entertainment U.S. sales: 22,000
Ace Young	"Scattered (Digital Download)" Released: October 20, 2006 Label: Freeman Records U.S. sales: -
Elliott Yamin	"This Christmas (Digital Download)" Released: December 6, 2006 Label: Pulse Recording and Three Ring Projects Chart Positions: #167 (Hot Digital Songs) U.S. sales: - 87,000
Katharine McPhee	"I Lost You"/"Dangerous" (Wal-Mart) Released: December 19, 2006 Label: RCA Records U.S. sales: -
Patrick Hall	One for the Ages (LP) Released: February 2007 Label: Ni-Fi Records U.S. sales: -
Josh Royse	Memories Released: 2009 Label: Independent
David Radford	Swing on By (LP) Released: 2007 Label: independent
Stevie Scott	Stevie Scott (EP) Released: July 29, 2008 Label: Heat Rocc Entertainment U.S. sales: -
Brianna Taylor	Brianna Taylor (EP) Released: June 3, 2008 Label: Chamberlain Records U.S. sales: 60,000[56]
Stephanie White	Knee Deep InSanity (CD Baby) Released: October 12, 2007 Label: independent U.S. sales: - 1,000+ as of April 2008 Notes: lead singer of her band, Stephanie White and the New Jersey Philth Harmonic[57][58]
Ace Young	Ace Young Released: July 15, 2008 Label: Pazzo Music U.S. sales: 10,000

Nominations

In 2006, American Idol also became the most nominated unscripted show ever, and has several nominations in the 2006 Emmy Awards for Season 5:^[59]

• Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
• Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety, Music Program or Special - Episode #519
• Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program - Bruce Gowers
• Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming (Large team entries - Primarily Multi-Camera Productions) - "Audition City: Greensboro"
• Outstanding Lighting Direction - "American Classics Songbook with Rod Stewart"
• Outstanding Lighting Direction - "Finale"
• Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special or Animation - "American Classics Songbook with Rod Stewart"
• Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series - Episode #530

See also

• American Idols LIVE! Tour 2006

References

1. ^ Fox announces 'American Idol' 5 audition dates and locations
2. ^ These auditions included many who returned to later seasons, such as Melissa Sgambelluri.
3. ^ 'American Idol 5' auditions in Memphis canceled due to relief efforts
4. ^ 'American Idol 5' adds audition sites in Las Vegas and Las Vegas
5. ^ Chicago 'Idol'
6. ^ One hotel GM’s Vegas renaissance — thanks to ‘Idol’
7. ^ Jenny Anderson took the stage in Hollywood
8. ^ "Idol in Austin? Not quite". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on February 4, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070204105045/http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/020406dnglidol.20a9816a.html. Retrieved September 18, 2011. 
9. ^ Think You Know Everything About 'American Idol'? Part 3
10. ^ Archive copy at the Wayback Machine
11. ^ Paula Goodspeed Myspace!
12. ^ Obsessive Fan of Paula Abdul Commits Suicide
13. ^ Paula Abdul Lashes Out at Idol Producers
14. ^ 'Idol': Producer responds to Paula's claims, previews new season
15. ^ Nigel Lythgoe Responds To Paula Abdul’s ‘Idol’ Allegations
16. ^ Tora Tora Tora! Is The X Factor’s Tora Woloshin a Fallen Idol?
17. ^ Idol's Almost Famous - THE LITTLE DIVA - American Idol : People.com
18. ^ http://www.tvguide.com/news/Whos-American-Idol-38683.aspx
19. ^ "Telescope Inc". Telescope.tv. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080216190533/http://www.telescope.tv/press_idol_06.html. Retrieved August 25, 2010. 
20. ^ Predictions for elimination of contestants
21. ^ 'Idol' Twins Booted for Alleged ID Theft
22. ^ Some Online Media Inaccurately Report GLAAD's Concerns About American Idol
23. ^ Rumors Circulate That Katharine McPhee Quit American Idol
24. ^ More American Idol Phone Number Madness, Wrong Number For Mandisa
25. ^ Mandisa, off 'Idol,' says fans' prayers will have 'full force'
26. ^ Lythgoe on the radio
27. ^ American Idol: Will Bleep Controversy Send Paris Bennett Home?
28. ^ http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12748906
29. ^ Elliott's votes going to Chris on DI
30. ^ I.T.R.S. Ranking Report
31. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 1
32. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 2
33. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 3
34. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 4
35. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 5
36. ^ ^{a b c} AI Week 6
37. ^ ^{a b c} AI Week 7
38. ^ ^{a b c} AI Week 8
39. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 9
40. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 10
41. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 11
42. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 12
43. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 13
44. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 14
45. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 15
46. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 16
47. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 16
48. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 18
49. ^ ^{a b} AI Week 19 2006
50. ^ http://www.compoundent.com/artists/lisa-tucker
51. ^ http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/2954/
52. ^ "Deep in the bowels of J Records". Gray Charles: The Official Taylor Hicks Weblog. 2006-09-29. http://www.graycharles.com/index.php/2006/09/29/goldplaque/. Retrieved 2006-12-21. 
53. ^ Posted by IrishJrsyGirl (2010-08-17). "Daughtry News + Blog | The Official Daughtry Site". Daughtryofficial.com. http://www.daughtryofficial.com/news/daughtry-soars-1-spot-billboard-top-200. Retrieved 2010-08-25. 
54. ^ 'American Idol' and Billboard: James Durbin, Haley Reinhart Become 55th and 56th Finalists on Charts
55. ^ http://www.double-deal.com/index.html
56. ^ http://www.mm-agency.com/blog/mtv-real-world/brianna-taylor-real-world-hollywood-top-20-itunes/3288/
57. ^ PhilthHarmonic on purevolume
58. ^ MySpace.com - Stephanie White & The New Jersey Philth Harmonic - Verona/Caldwell, New Jersey - Soul / Rock / R&B - www.myspace.com/philthharmonic
59. ^ Fox 2006 Emmy nominations

External links

• Official American Idol Contestants Website
• American Idol (Season 5) at the Internet Movie Database
• American Idol (Season 5) at TV.com