American Idol (season 11)

Regional auditions

Auditions took place in the following cities:

^Note a The New Jersey audition episode was not aired due to scheduling changes.

The New Jersey audition was a late addition to the schedule, the audition was held although the attendance was reportedly low. However, the audition episode was not shown, the first time that a scheduled audition that had taken place was not shown. Contestants known to have auditioned in New Jersey were listed as having auditioned elsewhere on the official American Idol website, for example Alex Wong who auditioned in New Jersey has San Diego listed as his audition city on the official website.

Hollywood week and Vegas rounds

The Hollywood rounds of auditions were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium starting December 12, 2011. There were 309 contestants at the start of Hollywood Week. The contestants performed solo for the first round, and 185 made the cut. Amongst those sent home included actor/comedian Jim Carrey's daughter, Jane Carrey. Another contestant, Symone Black, collapsed and fell on stage, but made the cut. The second round involved group performances, and a number of contestants became ill and collapsed in the auditorium. 98 contestants moved on to the third and final round, which were solo performances accompanied by a band or instrument. The contestants were then separated into four rooms, where one room of 28 contestants were all eliminated, while the 70 contestants in the other three rooms all advanced to the Las Vegas round.

After Hollywood, the contestants went to Las Vegas for a challenge round where they performed traditional late 1950s song in groups with Elvis Presley "Viva, Elvis!" show as the backdrop. 28 of the 70 contestants were eliminated. Next came a solo round accompanied by an instrument at the stage for Le Rêve at the Wynn Las Vegas. After the 42 remaining contestants sang their last solo at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, they were called one by one to hear the final judgement. Twelve guys and twelve girls were initially announced as the semi-finalists; however, the judges announced plans to add a thirteenth male semi-finalist between Jermaine Jones, Richie Law, Johnny Keyser and David Leathers Jr. The following week, after the male performances, Jermaine Jones was revealed to be the thirteenth performer.

Semi-finalists

The following is a list of semi-finalists who failed to reach the finals:

Semi-finals

The semi-finals round started on February 28. Below are the two semi-final groups (males and females) with contestants listed in their performance order. The top five males and top five females, along with the three wild card choices by the judges, advanced to the finals. The males started the semifinal round, and the females continued on following night's episode, the contestants perform songs of their choice (there was no particular theme). This season, long-time vocal coach Debra Byrd was replaced by Jimmy Iovine's own team in the live shows.

Wild Card round

Following those ten singers advancing on Thursday, March 1, six of the remaining 25 semi-finalists were selected by the judges to compete in the Wild Card round. The Wild Card round immediately began, following the announcement of the ten finalists. Following another performance by each Wild Card contender, the judges then selected three contestants to advance to the final group of 13.

Finalists

Phillip Phillips (born September 20, 1990) is from Leesburg, Georgia. He attended Lee County High School. He graduated Albany Technical College, but had to miss the graduation ceremony due to being on American Idol. He auditioned in North Charleston, singing "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" with the guitar. He performed "I Only Have Eyes For You" with Heejun Han, Neco Starr, and Jairon Jackson during Hollywood Week. Many people have compared his vocal style to that of Dave Matthews, whom he has also noted as an influence. Phillips was announced the winner on May 23. Philips' coronation song, "Home", was a great success with sales 4 million copies in the U.S.

Jessica Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is from San Diego, California. Sanchez auditioned in San Diego. She performed "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" with DeAndre Brackensick and Candice Glover in Las Vegas. During the Sing For Your Life green mile round, Sanchez performed "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli. Before Idol, she was known for her appearance on the first season of America's Got Talent where she was brought back by judge Brandy during the show's wildcard round. Sanchez also participated in the YouTube edition of "We Are the World" along with 56 other YouTube artists, including American Idol season 10 finalist Thia Megia. She was saved from elimination by the judges after receiving the lowest number of votes in the top seven round, making her the first female contestant to be saved by the judges. Sanchez was announced the runner-up on May 23, 2012.

Joshua Ledet (born April 9, 1992) is from Westlake, Louisiana. He writes songs and lyrics for and attends the House of Prayer Holiness Church. He auditioned in Houston, Texas. He originally auditioned for American Idol season 10, but he did not make it past the audition stage. He was dubbed "Mantasia" (as being the male version of American Idol season three winner Fantasia Barrino) during the semi-finals. He performed "Blue Suede Shoes" with Shannon Magrane, Amber Holcomb, and Curtis Finch Jr. His musical influences are his mother, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Fantasia Barrino, James Brown, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder and Elton John. He was eliminated on May 17, coming in third place.

Hollie Cavanagh (born July 5, 1993) is originally from Liverpool, Merseyside, England but grew up in McKinney, Texas. She originally auditioned for season 10, but she was eliminated in the green mile round and was encouraged by Jennifer Lopez that she could win the competition in a couple of years with practice. Hollie sang "Mr. Sandman" with Naomi Gillies and Marissa Pontecorvo in Las Vegas. Hollie's only appearance in season 11 was during the Top 42 green mile round. She sang "Change" by American Idol season four winner Carrie Underwood for the Sing for Your Life round. She was eliminated on May 10, coming in fourth place. She auditioned in Galveston.

Skylar Laine (born February 1, 1994) is from Brandon, Mississippi. She is the second finalist to hail from Mississippi, with the previous one being Jasmine Murray from season eight. She auditioned in Galveston, singing "Hell on Heels" by Pistol Annies. In Las Vegas, she performed "Dedicated to the One I Love" with Colton Dixon, Chase Likens, and Cari Quoyeser. Her musical influences include George Jones, Waylon Jennings, and Miranda Lambert. She was eliminated on May 3, coming in fifth place.

Elise Testone (born July 29, 1983) is from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. She auditioned in North Charleston with the song "Get It While You Can" by Janis Joplin. Prior to Idol, she was a voice instructor in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and she performed regularly, either solo or with one of several bands, in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2011, her band, the Freeloaders, won the Funk/Soul/R&B Artist of the Year award in the Charleston City Paper’s Music issue. Testone received additional recognition from the Charleston City Paper in 2011, winning the staff pick for Best Tribute for Elise Testone’s James Brown Dance Party. She has performed as an opening act for various other artists, including Snoop Dogg, Nappy Roots, Seven Mary Three, and Kevin Costner’s band, Modern West. She was eliminated on April 26, coming in sixth place. Her debut album, In This Life was released on February 11, 2014.

Colton Dixon (born October 19, 1991) is from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He auditioned in North Charleston with his younger sister, Schyler. He originally auditioned for season 10 along with Schyler in the Nashville, Tennessee, auditions, but she was cut in the group round and then he was cut in the green mile round. Dixon returned in season 11, however he did not plan to audition, initially planning to simply accompany his sister Schyler to her audition. The judges implored Dixon to audition as well, where he sang David Cook's "Permanent". Colton performed "Dedicated to the One I Love" with Skylar Laine, Chase Likens, and Cari Qouyeser in Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Schyler was eliminated, bringing Colton to tears. He performed the Coldplay song "Fix You", and dedicated it to his sister. He was eliminated on April 19, coming in seventh place. Prior to his elimination, Dixon had never been in the Bottom 3. His debut album A Messenger was released on January 29, 2013.

DeAndre Brackensick (born October 21, 1994) is from San Jose, California. He auditioned in San Diego, California. He originally auditioned for American Idol season 10, but he was cut in the green mile round. He performed "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" with Jessica Sanchez and Candice Glover in Las Vegas. He is an active participant in Oak Grove High School's Theater Arts program and is the president of the school's Polynesian Club. He was eliminated on April 5, coming in eighth place.

Heejun Han (born April 20, 1989 in Anyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea) is from Flushing, New York. He and his family migrated to Queens, New York when he was a child and then moved to Flushing, Queens, New York during his teenage years. Before American Idol, he was a non-profit organizer, working with children with special needs. He has spoken of suffering from emotional depression and credited the children that he worked with for helping him to recover from his illness. He has also said that the children motivated him to audition for American Idol. He auditioned in Pittsburgh with "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You". His audition brought Jennifer Lopez to tears, and Steven Tyler stated "I think you are really great. I think you could be the American Idol". He is the first Korean American to make the finals on American Idol. He was eliminated on March 29, coming in ninth place.

Erika Van Pelt (born December 12, 1985) is from South Kingstown, Rhode Island. She auditioned in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with song "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" by The Shirelles. She draws her influences anywhere from Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Joss Stone, Jill Scott, and Kim Burrell. She has a passion for rhythm and blues, soul, country, jazz, rock and classical. She was eliminated on March 22, coming in tenth place. Her debut album, My Independence was released on October 8, 2013.

Shannon Magrane (born October 21, 1995) is from Tampa, Florida. She is the daughter of Tampa Bay Rays broadcaster and former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joe Magrane. She auditioned in North Charleston, South Carolina, with the song "Something's Got a Hold on Me" by Etta James. She was eliminated on March 15, coming in eleventh place.

Jermaine Jones (born November 18, 1986) is from Pine Hill, New Jersey. He auditioned in Portland, Oregon. He attended Overbrook High School. Before Idol, he worked as a vocal instructor at Highest Praise Performing Arts Center. Jones was not originally chosen for the semi-finals, but he was called back after the top 24 selection filming, making him the 25th semi-finalist and thirteenth male semi-finalist. Standing 6 feet 8 and a half inches tall, he was dubbed "The Gentle Giant" on the show. His musical influences are his mother and John Legend. On March 13, he was disqualified for concealing arrests and outstanding warrants. He is the second Idol contestant to be disqualified during the finals, as Corey Clark was disqualified in the second season, and he came in twelfth place.

Jeremy Rosado (born March 24, 1992) is from Valrico, Florida. Rosado previously auditioned for American Idol four times. He was eliminated on March 8, coming in thirteenth place. He is the fourth wild card finalist to be the eliminated first in the finals, with his female predecessors being Leah LaBelle (season three), Jasmine Murray (season eight), and Ashthon Jones (season ten). His musical influences are Francesca Battistelli, Kirk Franklin, and Israel Houghton. His debut single, Don't be Afraid was released on April 2, 2013.

Finals

In this season, maintaining the previous season's format, there are 12 weeks of the finals and 13 finalists, with one finalist eliminated per week based on the American public's votes (exceptions include Top 13-week, where the judges were able to decide who would go home based on the lowest votes between the male and female contestants, and Top 12-week, where Jermaine Jones was disqualified). Previous season's winner Scotty McCreery recorded the Tim McGraw song "Please Remember Me" as the send-off song played when a contestant is eliminated. Jimmy Iovine resumed duties as a weekly mentor to the contestants, frequently assisted by guest mentors. This season, the fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and Soyon An were employed as image advisers for the Top 10 finalists.

Top 13 – Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder

Guest mentor: Mary J. Blige

On March 7, 2012, the women performed Whitney Houston songs and the men performed Stevie Wonder songs. Ryan Seacrest stated that it will be a competition between the male and female contestants. As a result, the bottom three of each gender, as well as the male and female contestant who received the lowest number of votes amongst their gender, were announced the next night, and the judges chose who went home. However, this will not count as the supposed "Judges' Save" which can only be used once in the competition before the Top 5. Between Jeremy Rosado and Elise Testone, each of whom received the lowest number of votes for their respective gender groups, the judges used the Top 13 Save on Elise Testone and chose to eliminate Jeremy Rosado from the competition.

Group performance: "As"

Top 11 – Year They Were Born

Guest mentor: will.i.am

Due to a hidden criminal past, Jermaine Jones was disqualified prior to the Wednesday performance show. Footage of executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick confronting Jones was shown in what would have been his performance slot, in between Van Pelt's and Laine's performances. A clip of his rehearsal, singing "Somewhere Out There", was shown after his removal from the competition. Voting continued as scheduled with one of the remaining 11 contestants eliminated in addition to Jones, unlike the season 2 disqualification of Corey Clark.

Top 10 – Billy Joel

Guest mentor: Diddy

Group performance: "The Longest Time"

Joe Perry with group: "Happy Birthday to You" (to Steven Tyler)

Top 9 – Their Personal Idols

Mentor: Stevie Nicks

Top 8 – Songs from the 1980s

Guest mentors: Gwen Stefani & Tony Kanal

Top 7 (first week) – Songs from the 2010s

Guest mentor: Akon

Group performance: "Raise Your Glass"

Top 7 (second week) – Songs from Now & Then

Each contestant performed two songs: a Billboard number-one hit from the 21st century and a song from the classic soul era. Normally two finalists would be eliminated the week after using the judges' save, however, only one finalist was eliminated.

Group performance: "Dancing in the Street"

Top 6 – Queen / Contestant's Choice

Brian May & Roger Taylor with group on performance night: "Fat Bottomed Girls" / "Another One Bites the Dust" / "We Will Rock You" / "We Are the Champions"

Top 5 – Songs from the 1960s / British Pop

Guest mentor: Steven Van Zandt

Top 4 – Music of California / Songs They Wish They'd Written

Group performance: "California Dreamin'"

Top 3 – Judges' Choice / Contestant's Choice / Jimmy Iovine's Choice

Group performance: "Got to Get You into My Life"

^Note 1 : The 'Top 13' results featured 'Bottom 3' groups for each gender, with Testone and Rosado receiving the least votes among their respective genders. The judges subsequently opted to save Testone, thereby eliminating Rosado from the competition.
^Note 2 : Jones was disqualified for failing to disclose his full criminal history prior to the voting rounds commencing.
^Note 3 : Due to the judges using their one 'Judges' Save' per season, in order to save Sanchez, the 'Top 7' remained intact for another week.

Disqualification of Jermaine Jones

On March 14, finalist Jermaine Jones was disqualified for concealing arrests and outstanding warrants. Jones, however, denied that he had concealed his previous arrests, as he admitted his arrests when he signed up for Idol. A police official in a New Jersey town where he was the target of two arrest warrants said that "the case wasn't big enough to merit going after him in California", and a New Jersey legislator commented that for the show "to expose, embarrass and interrogate a young man without an attorney in front of 40 million viewers was an outrage". Critics suggested that the show may have staged the disqualification to boost ratings. When asked about speculations that producers had prior knowledge of his criminal past and that the producers were simply out to exploit him on-air, Jones replied that "I haven’t even taken my mind into that and why they did what they did, because then I’ll drive myself crazy".

Jennifer Lopez music video

The music video of Jennifer Lopez's song, "Dance Again", which aired on the program, was criticized as inappropriate for younger viewers. Dan Gainor of the Culture and Media Institute wrote, "Even the supposedly family-friendly TV shows like American Idol are never safe in the hands of Hollywood," and went as far as saying her "skanky new video shows how desperate she is to retain her fame despite her fading relevance. Such sexualized videos aren't appropriate for any children to watch, including Lopez's own twins." Jenna Hally Rubenstein from MTV Buzzworthy also commented about the video's content not being appropriate for a family show, "we thought "Idol" was a family show? This video is less "sit on the couch and chill with dad" and more "call your boyfriend over immediately." Ed Masley from AZ central.com said that the video was on the verge of being too "steamy" for the show.

Gender and ethnic biases

Phillip Phillips became the fifth consecutive white male to win the show, which led to some viewers and critics accusing American Idol of having gender and ethnic biases. The bias towards the so-called "white guy with guitar" (WGWG) has been widely commented on before and after the result was known, with some complaining about the predictability of the likely winner. The string of white guitar-playing male winners includes David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, and Scotty McCreery who won seasons 7, 8, 9, and 10 respectively. Just hours before the finale, Richard Rushfield, author of the book American Idol: The Untold Story, said, “You have this alliance between young girls and grandmas and they see it, not necessarily as a contest to create a pop star competing on the contemporary radio, but as…who’s the nicest guy in a popularity contest,” he says, “And that has led to this dynasty of four, and possibly now five, consecutive, affable, very nice, good-looking white boys.”

Season 12 contestants

Thirteen of the contestants from season 11 auditioned for the subsequent season and made into the Top 40. Ten of them made into the voting rounds. On March 8, 2013, only Janelle Arthur, Candice Glover, Curtis Finch, and Amber Holcomb made into the Top 10 and have guaranteed a spot on the Summer Live Tour. Aubrey Cleland later made it as well.

Amber Holcomb – auditioned in Houston, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds

Aubrey Cleland – auditioned in Portland, cut at the Top 24 selection

Bryant Tadeo – auditioned in San Diego, cut on the last day of Hollywood week

Candice Glover – auditioned in Savannah, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds,and won the twelfth season.

Cortez Shaw – auditioned in Houston, cut at the Top 24 selection

Curtis Finch, Jr. – auditioned in St. Louis, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds

Elijah Liu – auditioned in San Diego, cut on the group day of Hollywood week

Janelle Arthur – auditioned in Houston, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds

Johnny Keyser – auditioned in St. Louis, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds, however, Keyser was called for a surprise twist along with three eliminated hopefuls including Jermaine Jones, but Jones took the final spot

Mathenee Treco – auditioned in Aspen, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds

Nick Boddington – auditioned in New Jersey, called back for the judges in Portland, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds

Tenna Torres – auditioned in Pittsburgh, cut on the performance challenge in the Las Vegas rounds

Vincent Powell – auditioned in Houston, cut on the last day of Hollywood week

Season 13 contestants

Three of the contestants from season 11 auditioned for the subsequent season and made into the Top 30.

Caleb Johnson – auditioned in Savannah, cut at the Top 24 selection, and won the thirteenth season.

George Lovett – auditioned in Savannah, cut at first day of Hollywood Week.

Neco Starr – auditioned in Savannah, cut at the Top 24 selection

Season 15 contestants

Stephany Negrete - Cut during Hollywood Round 3/Final Solo Round.

U.S. Nielsen ratings

The premiere was watched by 21.93 million viewers. While at the time it drew the second largest audience of any entertainment program in the television season, it was down 16 percent from the previous year's premiere, which was watched by 26.23 million viewers. After seven consecutive years as the most watched program on primetime television (eight years in the 18/49 demo), the eleventh season of American Idol came in second place to NBC Sunday Night Football in total viewers, as well as in the 18/49 demo. The Wednesday episode (ranked second for the year) averaged 19.811 million while the Thursday episode (placing fourth during the same year) averaged 18.332 million. The show's continued strengths in its Wednesday and Thursday timeslots, however, helped Fox attain its eight consecutive season in its winning streak in the 18-49 demographics, the most in U.S. television history.

^Note a This episode was shown on Sunday, January 22, 2012, after the NFC Championship Game, but was repeated on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 with ratings of 5.7/9 overall and 3.4/9 for the 18/49 demographic. Overall, the episode averaged 9.64 million viewers.

^Note b Episode was bumped out of primetime due to the NFC Championship Game going into overtime, therefore it was not included in the weekly rankings.