The fourth season premiered on January 18, 2005; this was the first season of the series to be aired in high definition, although the finale of season 3 was also aired in high definition. The number of auditioners by now had increased to over 100,000 from the 10,000 of the first season. The age limit was raised to 28 in this season to increase the variety of contestants.
Carrie Underwood, season four winner
Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice, "the two rockers" of the show. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants inspired more rock musicians to audition in later seasons, such as Chris Daughtry in season five.
The top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez, but he dropped out citing 'personal reasons' and was replaced by Nikko Smith. Later, an employee of Freemantle Media which produces the show sued the company for wrongful termination, claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behavior by Mario Vazquez toward him during the show.
At top 11, due to a mix-up with the contestants' telephone number, the voting was repeated on what was normally the result night, with the result reveal postponed until the following night.
In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes. The winner was Carrie Underwood, with Bo Bice the runner-up. Both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice released the coronation song "Inside Your Heaven". Carrie Underwood has since become the most successful Idol contestant in the U.S. in terms of album sales, selling over 12 million units.
Among those who benefited from this new rule were Constantine Maroulis and Bo Bice, "the two rockers" of the show. The presence of more rock-oriented contestants inspired more rock musicians to audition in later seasons, such as Chris Daughtry in season five.
The top 12 finalists originally included Mario Vazquez, but he dropped out citing 'personal reasons' and was replaced by Nikko Smith. Later, an employee of Freemantle Media which produces the show sued the company for wrongful termination, claiming that he was dismissed after complaining about lewd behavior by Mario Vazquez toward him during the show.
At top 11, due to a mix-up with the contestants' telephone number, the voting was repeated on what was normally the result night, with the result reveal postponed until the following night.
In May 2005, Telescope announced that the fourth season had a total of approximately 500 million votes. The winner was Carrie Underwood, with Bo Bice the runner-up. Both Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice released the coronation song "Inside Your Heaven". Carrie Underwood has since become the most successful Idol contestant in the U.S. in terms of album sales, selling over 12 million units.