The first season of American Idol debuted as a summer replacement show in June 2002 on the Fox network. It was co-hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman
. Kelly Clarkson, season one winner
In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who auditioned. These were cut to 30 for the semifinal, with ten going on to the finals. One of the early favorites to win the show, Tamyra Gray, was eliminated at the top four, the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons. Another surprise elimination was Christina Christian, who was hospitalized before the top six result show due to chest pains and palpitations, and she was eliminated while she was in the hospital. Jim Verraros was the first openly gay contestant on the show. His sexual orientation was revealed in his online journal, however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers who were concerned that it might be unfairly influencing votes.
The final showdown was between Justin Guarini, one of the favorites, and Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson was not initially thought of as a contender, but impressed the judges with some good performances in the final rounds, such as her performance of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman", and Betty Hutton's "Stuff Like That There", and eventually won the crown on September 4, 2002.
In what was to become a tradition, Clarkson performed the coronation song during the finale, and released the song immediately after the season ended. The single, "A Moment Like This", went on to break a 38-year-old record held by The Beatles for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Justin Guarini did not release any song immediately after the show and remains the only runner-up not to do so. Kelly Clarkson has since become a major international recording artist with worldwide album sales of more than 23 million. Clarkson and Guarini, as contractually obligated, made a musical film, From Justin to Kelly, which was released in 2003 but was widely panned.
Starting September 30, 2006, the first season of American Idol was repackaged as "American Idol Rewind" and syndicated directly to stations in the US.
In the audition rounds, 121 contestants were selected from around 10,000 who auditioned. These were cut to 30 for the semifinal, with ten going on to the finals. One of the early favorites to win the show, Tamyra Gray, was eliminated at the top four, the first of several such shock eliminations that were to be repeated in later seasons. Another surprise elimination was Christina Christian, who was hospitalized before the top six result show due to chest pains and palpitations, and she was eliminated while she was in the hospital. Jim Verraros was the first openly gay contestant on the show. His sexual orientation was revealed in his online journal, however it was removed during the competition after a request from the show producers who were concerned that it might be unfairly influencing votes.
The final showdown was between Justin Guarini, one of the favorites, and Kelly Clarkson. Clarkson was not initially thought of as a contender, but impressed the judges with some good performances in the final rounds, such as her performance of Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman", and Betty Hutton's "Stuff Like That There", and eventually won the crown on September 4, 2002.
In what was to become a tradition, Clarkson performed the coronation song during the finale, and released the song immediately after the season ended. The single, "A Moment Like This", went on to break a 38-year-old record held by The Beatles for the biggest leap to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Justin Guarini did not release any song immediately after the show and remains the only runner-up not to do so. Kelly Clarkson has since become a major international recording artist with worldwide album sales of more than 23 million. Clarkson and Guarini, as contractually obligated, made a musical film, From Justin to Kelly, which was released in 2003 but was widely panned.
Starting September 30, 2006, the first season of American Idol was repackaged as "American Idol Rewind" and syndicated directly to stations in the US.