Crisis On Hand: An American Idol Finalists Ranking List

[Crisis]

1 hour ago, anonymouskid_35 said:

@Crisis my guess is Kelly Clarkson for no. 1 and Kath McPhee for no.2

 

I guess this makes sense since these 2 were my all time faves too in Idol. I slightly prefer Kelly though as her being the first Idol winner really had a huge impact.

 

Just realized though that the old AI alums have had more success than the new ones, maybe bc it is really that hard to be in the music industry nowadays? IDK

 

Nice to see they are your Top 2 as well; we'll find out where they place soon enough! I can see why Kelly is preferred based on the reasoning.

 

I think a lot of it has to do with there being more avenues to be discovered today such as the multiple social media sites regarding the older AI alums having more success than the newer ones. Back then AI was a huge platform for undiscovered talent to be noticed; nowadays, it's just one of many.

 

1 hour ago, miss denise said:

Ooh, this could be true for me and a cute guy too, but will have to think about it to be sure.   Yes, love those underdog journeys for both Kris and Elliott.   I love our agreement here! I don't remember this about him performing on the results show though. What did Simon say?  

 

003. Tamyra Gray: Wow that huge gap between RJ and Tamyra.   They are much closer in rank for me, but that's fun trivia to see. Tamyra and Kelly were definitely the powerhouses of the season, even though I had a few other favorites too. She also has the honor of first ever live Idol performance, which is huge.   I agree she had an amazing run of strong performances and was very consistent. I also love Minnie the Moucher and even considered that my top favorite of hers.   I haven't rewatched her performances in forever, so not sure if that may have changed, but it was so good.  Also fun to learn that AHINAH was your favorite performance ever for so long! That is definitely an iconic one from her and i love it too. Ugh, so sad that she had one not as great night and was eliminated for it.  That is definitely up there as one of the most shocking eliminations, even after all this time. "Nonetheless, as the Rolling Stones sang, you can’t always get what you want. "   I also love that Tamyra and Kelly did a song together and it's so powerful!  I've heard a couple other Tamyra songs... I really like both Star and Raindrops Will Fall. It's a shame she didn't release another album.  But I agree, she's still one of Idols best and so talented.

 

Ahhh I could see the Top 2 going either way.... I don't know if guessing Kelly at #1 is a safe choice, but I think I will go with that as my guess. I don't think I'd be shocked if it's Kat though because I always had a feeling you loved her (which you obviously still do even if she's #2, lol). I also can't reallyyy see Kelly at #2 for whatever reason. Ahh this is so hard. I feel like my head is saying Kelly is #1 and my heart is saying it's Katharine.   But okay, I will guess it this way:

 

2. Katharine

1. Kelly

 

@Crisis 

 

Great minds think alike, except you're probably more rational about it than I am!  I'm going off memory here, but Simon acted as if Elliott was still a contestant on the show and was going to say something negative, but instead saying it was a great performance; there may have been more, but I'll have to re-watch to be sure.

 

003. Once again, I pretty much agree with everything said here regarding Tamyra's time on Idol. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I heard You Thought Wrong was inspired by Justin which if true doesn't surprise me all that much.  It is a shame didn't release another album and completely agree she is one of Idol's best.

 

2 minutes ago, ~Tom~ said:

003. Tamyra Gray - One of my favorite divas.  Minnie the Moocher is one of the most fun performances ever on Idol and A House is Not a Home is an outstanding vocal and no one's ever done a better version, I agree! I also loved If I Were Your Woman (loved her lower sultry tones) and a Fool in Love. Pretty much everythign except her top 4 performances, but apparently she wanted to sing Purple Rain for the 80s theme and couldn't.  Still robbed of the finale!

 

003. Oh man, I could imagine her slaying Purple Rain; I guess Prince was being Prince at the time and wouldn't clear it or something.  Agree with pretty much everything written here.

 

Assuming there are no more posts to reply to, #2 will be coming up in my next post. 

[Crisis]

Alright, here we go! Here are the guesses for the order of my Top 2:

 

@anonymouskid_35:

1. Kelly Clarkson

2. Katharine McPhee

 

@Bk1234:

1. Katharine McPhee

2. Kelly Clarkson

 

@blackfield:

1. Kelly Clarkson

2. Katharine McPhee

 

@laumopera:

1. Kelly Clarkson

2. Katharine McPhee

 

@miss denise:

1. Kelly Clarkson

2. Katharine McPhee

 

4 out of 5 have the same order, with Bk1234 being the only one placing Katharine above Kelly. Let's see who's right...

 

So now without any further ado

Let's unveil #2

The one to fall short of the title

Is the original American Idol

 

2. Kelly Clarkson: Season 1 (1st Place)

Taking up the penultimate spot in the overall ranking is the one and only original winner! As far as my S1 favorite is concerned, I often go back and forth between Tamyra and Kelly; however, I’m giving Kelly the slight edge because as brilliant as Tamyra was, Kelly had the better Idol run, let alone the better career. Kelly is one of the most beloved Idol contestants of all-time, and it’s very easy to see why. For starters, she is one helluva singer who can just about sing anything whether it be pop, rock, R&B, country, etc. Furthermore, she has an outstanding personality; she is just this big friendly goofball who you feel you can be friends with regardless of her status, though she also appears to be very business savvy and can be tenacious and fight for what she wants, as her feud with Clive Davis showed. Finally, she is the most important Idol contestant because if she flopped and didn’t become the star she is today, Idol would’ve most likely not become the juggernaut it’s been as well as not having any credibility when it comes to being a launch pad for hopefuls to start careers; also, I’d like to think IDF wouldn’t exist, which is a scary thought.  With all of this said, she has an easy case for being #1; however, there was one contestant who I have above her and will definitely talk about her more in her write-up, but let’s focus on Kelly for now. Although it seems strange now, Kelly wasn’t considered a front runner during the season; in fact, she wasn’t shown at all prior to the semifinals. Eventually, we did see her audition which had a cute moment where she and Randy switched places (Randy would’ve definitely not received a Golden Ticket, for he was pitchy dawg ; as an aside, I forgot how much of a cutie she was back then). The first time we would see her was during Group 2, where she blew the roof off the place with a powerful version of Respect. I was certainly not expecting such a big powerful voice to come from her; in fact, if there was one criticism of Kelly during her time on Idol, it was it felt as if she were yelling her songs and hence, a nickname her detractors gave her was Yelly.  Despite her strong performance, during the judges’ comments Simon said something along the lines of not being able to remember her.  She would be voted into the finals (if I’m not mistaken, she was the only finalist who received no airtime prior to the voting rounds; someone can verify or correct me on it) where she would give a very good performance of You’re All I Need To Get By. At this time, Kelly was considered a dark horse and was someone I definitely kept an eye on to see how she would do during the rest of the season. It would be the following week where Kelly would go from dark horse to legitimate contender thanks to her performance of A Natural Woman, in which she hit that legendary whistle note. At this point, Tamyra was my favorite; however, Kelly was up there with her after this performance. She would follow that memorable performance with a solid version of Don’t Play That Song. The week after she would have yet another legendary moment with one of the most celebrated Idol performances of all-time with Stuff Like That There. I liked how it just started with her and the piano where she was allowed to showcase her voice before kicking into high gear and showcased her personality. That is a very tricky song to sing because of the fast pace and intricate timing, yet Kelly handled herself like a pro throughout the whole thing. It is certainly in my Top 5 if not Top 10 Idol performances of all-time; I’m not sure where I would put it exactly because my Top 2 are pretty much set. I also loved her interview with Ryan and Brian Dunkleman (remember him ) where they asked if she was nervous on stage, and she was all like no because they rehearse enough.  She would follow that with what I felt was her most underrated performance with Walk On By. It is considered to be one of, if not, the weakest performances of hers; however, I thought she did a great job with it and placed it second behind only Tamyra’s A House Is Not A Home. With that said, it’s maybe because I love the song so much. She originally was going to sing Anyone Who Had A Heart (she sounded really good in the rehearsal with Burt Bacharach) but changed it at the last minute; now that I think about it, she did say she felt the end of AWHAH was too high for her and thus switched to Walk On By because it was better suited for her voice, which was absolutely the right thing to do. The last thing I’ll mention about Walk On By was Simon predicting she would become a huge star during his critique; what exactly does that guy know?!  All jokes aside, he certainly did a 180 from when he told her he couldn’t remember her earlier in the season. The following week like Tamyra, Kelly would have her weakest night of the season, though it wasn’t really bad per se; it just wasn’t up to the standard we were used to seeing from her. We would later find out she was sick with a sore throat (I want to say it was strep throat, but I can’t remember if that was the case), yet she would still go out and hold nothing back. Her first performance, It’s Raining Men, was her worst of the season, yet it was still better than two other performances that evening (New Attitude and P.Y.T). Her second performance, I Surrender, was better; however, it was easy to hear the effects of her illness when she sang because her voice sounded rough in parts. With that said, it was still a strong effort from her, and I have no doubt she would’ve absolutely killed it in a good way if she were healthy. It was also the week where she would see her biggest threat eliminated; therefore, barring any major slip-ups or vote anomalies, the crown was pretty much Kelly’s to lose. The subsequent week it sounded as if she was in much better health because she gave two very strong performances with Think Twice and Without You. The former had Kelly display some soft moments as well as a couple of glory notes. The judges weren’t enamored with the song but felt she sang it well. As for the latter, I felt it was the better of the two despite it being a very difficult song to sing. She was definitely the best of the night and would go on to have a showdown with Justin in the finale. Well, the finale was the equivalent of a water gun going up against a cannon, for Justin, though he gave a valiant effort, was clearly outmatched. Kelly was strong on all three of her performances, including the two coronation songs. She would go on to become the first American Idol winner (as an aside, could Ryan have been any less enthusiastic when he announced Kelly’s victory; at least he would get better in the subsequent seasons). Of course, Kelly went on to have a huge career, though one thing I always found interesting was her going the pop/rock route after singing a lot of R&B songs during the season; hey, it obviously worked for her. It is still argued who is the bigger star out of her and Carrie; I would have to say Kelly because she has more crossover appeal and has a much bigger presence internationally, though this is absolutely no slight against Carrie by any means. The last thing I’ll say about Kelly is despite the fame and some hard times (especially now since she’s going through a divorce), she appears not to have changed much and still appears to be the goofball most of us have come to love from Day 1. Kelly is someone who most likely will continue to be an all-time favorite of mine both during and post-Idol.

 

002. Kelly Clarkson

 

Season Favorites:

 

S01: Kelly Clarkson

S02: Kimberley Locke

S03: LaToya London

S04: Bo Bice

S05: Katharine McPhee

S06: Haley Scarnato

S07: David Cook

S08: Allison Iraheta

S09: Crystal Bowersox

S10: Pia Toscano

S11: Elise Testone

S12: Candice Glover

S13: Jessica Meuse

S14: Quentin Alexander

S15: La'Porsha Renae

S16: Jurnee

S17: Laci Kaye Booth

S18: Jovin Webb

 

And then there was one! It looks like @Bk1234 got the order correct! It may come as a surprise for some, but seeing how I've ranked some of the other finalists, this may not be the most surprising result in this thread.  As I mentioned in her write-up, Kelly has many reasons to be #1; however, there is one who I have ranked ahead of her. I'm not sure when her write-up will be in; I've started on it already and would estimate I have about 1/3 of it written. I'll update everyone tomorrow where I'm at regarding it and give a possible time when it'll be posted. 

[Bk1234]

5 hours ago, Crisis said:

002. Kelly Clarkson

Wow, I actually got it right!  Sorry, but I just didn’t think that you’d go with Kelly as #1 because that’s so predictable and boring. I’m happy to see Katharine at the top because she is probably my favorite out of your top 10.  

 

Kelly Clarkson- Definitely one of the best American Idol contestants of all time. That whistle note at the end of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman was legendary. While I don’t get all the hype that Stuff Like That There gets, I will admit that it was a very good performance.  Without You is another one of my favorites since I love the song, and I feel that she showed amazing vocal ability during it. Even though she is not an all-time favorite (though she is pretty close to being one), I have listened to her post-Idol stuff more than I probably have for some all-time favorites (album soon Hollie? ). I used to listen to her album Thankful a lot, even when I was reading. What began to happen was that I started to associate songs that I listened to with events that happened in the book, just because I heard them while reading a part of the story! I’m glad to see that Kelly’s career is branching out to other things besides music (I wish she would judge on American Idol ). It really is a true Idol success story, and in terms of the Carrie Underwood comment, I would have to agree, since Kelly has a more international fan base. 

[Bk1234]

Forgot to say... 
Happy Birthday Alejandro Aranda!

Edited August 11, 2020 by Bk1234

[blackfield]

damn you I almost had a clean slate.. never mind..

I agree with you on what you wrote on being more successful than carrie because of her international crossover. talking about international, you should listen to her new single "I dare you" sung in 6 languages!! so brilliant. 

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by blackfield

[Crisis]

9 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

Wow, I actually got it right!  Sorry, but I just didn’t think that you’d go with Kelly as #1 because that’s so predictable and boring. I’m happy to see Katharine at the top because she is probably my favorite out of your top 10.  

 

Kelly Clarkson- Definitely one of the best American Idol contestants of all time. That whistle note at the end of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman was legendary. While I don’t get all the hype that Stuff Like That There gets, I will admit that it was a very good performance.  Without You is another one of my favorites since I love the song, and I feel that she showed amazing vocal ability during it. Even though she is not an all-time favorite (though she is pretty close to being one), I have listened to her post-Idol stuff more than I probably have for some all-time favorites (album soon Hollie? ). I used to listen to her album Thankful a lot, even when I was reading. What began to happen was that I started to associate songs that I listened to with events that happened in the book, just because I heard them while reading a part of the story! I’m glad to see that Kelly’s career is branching out to other things besides music (I wish she would judge on American Idol ). It really is a true Idol success story, and in terms of the Carrie Underwood comment, I would have to agree, since Kelly has a more international fan base. 

 

Now now, we can't have predictability and tedium, can we?  In all seriousness, Katharine is legitimately my all-time favorite Idol contestant, and I didn't rank Kelly second just to be unconventional. Speaking of whom...

 

Kelly: Pretty much agree with a lot of what was written here. I'm happy to see her branching out to other things as well. She has certainly transcended from being just another Idol contestant. I would've liked to see her be a judge on Idol as well, though I don't know if she would fit in now because it's all about positivity with the current judges and Kelly is known not to have much of a filter.  I've seen her a couple of times on The Voice and it appears she cares more about her contestants than the other judges outside of maybe Blake.

 

5 hours ago, blackfield said:

damn you I almost had a clean slate.. never mind..

I agree with you on what you wrote on being more successful than carrie because of her international crossover. talking about international, you should listen to her new single "I dare you" sung in 6 languages!! so brilliant. 

 

 

I'm happy to oblige! 

 

I'll definitely give her a new single a listen in all six languages. Of course, I'll listen to the English version first. 

 

As for Katharine's write-up, I'm currently working on it some during my lunch break and should have another update tonight. 

 

[Bk1234]

9 minutes ago, Crisis said:

Now now, we can't have predictability and tedium, can we?  In all seriousness, Katharine is legitimately my all-time favorite Idol contestant, and I didn't rank Kelly second just to be unconventional. Speaking of whom...

I’m excited for your write-up! I’m curious to see why you put Katharine at number one over all the other great contestant ranked.  

[Bk1234]

So excited for Queen Kat’s write-up! 

Edited August 11, 2020 by Bk1234

[Crisis]

5 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

I’m excited for your write-up! I’m curious to see why you put Katharine at number one over all the other great contestant ranked.  

 

3 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

So excited for Queen Kat’s write-up! 

 

First,  at that gif.

 

Second, speaking of Queen, now I feel under pressure to have an epic write-up for her.  I'm getting close to finishing it and may be able to post it tonight; if not, it'll definitely be up tomorrow evening. I'll let everyone know within a couple of hours.

 

The last thing I want to mention was there was something I completely forgot regarding Jason Castro's write-up and am kicking myself for just now remembering; I'll just write it now. One huge reason I believe he was safe during Top 5 Week was because Paula channeled her inner Nostradamus and critiqued his second performance BEFORE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!  I remember the damage control Randy, Simon, and Ryan were trying to do, but Paula wasn't having any of it and doubled down on her critiques.  Maybe that played a part as to why she left after the following season.  Regardless, seeing how it was such a huge deal back in the day, I can't believe I omitted such a detail. 

 

If there are any more of these, I'll post them throughout the thread.

[Bk1234]

22 minutes ago, Crisis said:

The last thing I want to mention was there was something I completely forgot regarding Jason Castro's write-up and am kicking myself for just now remembering; I'll just write it now. One huge reason I believe he was safe during Top 5 Week was because Paula channeled her inner Nostradamus and critiqued his second performance BEFORE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED!  I remember the damage control Randy, Simon, and Ryan were trying to do, but Paula wasn't having any of it and doubled down on her critiques.  Maybe that played a part as to why she left after the following season.  Regardless, seeing how it was such a huge deal back in the day, I can't believe I omitted such a detail. 

 

If there are any more of these, I'll post them throughout the thread.

Now that you bring up Jason Castro and I have finished watching Season 7 (Top 12 onward) I must comment on him!
 

Jason Castro- I loved Jason!  He just conveyed such a relaxed, chill atmosphere that I loved! I think an underrated performance from him would be Michelle. I felt that the goofiness shown in the song and on Jason’s face worked so well for him! Plus, he spoke French quite well! Now, near the end of his run, it seemed that he started to slack off a bit which I was disappointed to see, since I really liked him. After he outlasted Brooke and Carly I started to get a teensy bit annoyed, and the laziness during Top 4 week only fueled that fire... Also, Paula’s confusion and mistake during Top 5 week was hilarious! Anyway, despite the laziness near the end of his run, Jason is still one of my favorite contestants from Season 7.

[CarmenSandiego]

Sorry I was so late, but here’s my comment on Elliott (I’ll get to Tamyra and Kelly later):

 

Elliott wasn’t a huge favorite of mine but I liked him more than Chris Daughtry (again, blame my dislike of rock music.). He deserved to make the Final 3 but he was the weakest of the Final 3 the night he was eliminated, so he left.

[miss denise]

On 8/10/2020 at 8:57 PM, Crisis said:

Great minds think alike, except you're probably more rational about it than I am!  I'm going off memory here, but Simon acted as if Elliott was still a contestant on the show and was going to say something negative, but instead saying it was a great performance; there may have been more, but I'll have to re-watch to be sure.

 

003. Once again, I pretty much agree with everything said here regarding Tamyra's time on Idol. I'm not sure if this is true or not, but I heard You Thought Wrong was inspired by Justin which if true doesn't surprise me all that much.  It is a shame didn't release another album and completely agree she is one of Idol's best.

 

Maybe, maybe not.  Ooooh wow, definitely don't remember this, but that's interesting.   

 

Inspired by Justin? I don't know if I heard that before but I sure hope not.  

 

Ugh, I should have gone with my gut and guessed Katharine at #1. I can never forgive myself.   I always felt you loved her a lot and she would be someone you're really protective of (like Haley), which we'll find out soon with the write-up. I was also thinking you don't do things the predictable way, which also backed up my feeling of Kat possibly topping the list, but still felt safer going with Kelly. Oh well.  

 

002. Kelly Clarkson:  Of course I LOVE Kelly too.   Your comment reminds me that another reason I predicted Kelly at #1 was that I didn't think her and Tamyra would be back to back. I didn't see them as being so interchangeable for you.   They're both super talented, of course, but I do prefer Kelly.  I agree she is extremely versatile and definitely has the best personality! Even after all this time, she remains the same.  Funny that as I'm typing this, I'm also seeing her judge on America's Got Talent right now.  Anyway, I love everything you said about her here and so true that Idol would likely not have become what it did without her success. OMG the "Yelly" nickname. I never heard that before.  She definitely had a great and consistent run on the show as well, and really delivered to make herself known (even if Simon did originally say he wouldn't remember her   ) Especially love Natural Woman and Stuff Like That There.. Such legendary performances.   I agree with the majority of your thoughts on all her performances, although I seem to enjoy the Justin/Kelly match-up more than you.   Obviously still Team Kelly though, without question. "could Ryan have been any less enthusiastic when he announced Kelly’s victory"  I have never thought this before, but I can easily play it back in my mind and see what you meant.   Kelly is another Idol who is not only one of my all-time favorite contestants, but music artists in general. I have and love all her albums. I love the pop/rock style on her, although she did go back to a more pop R&B & soul sound on her most recent album - Meaning of Life. And now I'm realizing that was three years ago, so wow, we're really due for a new one. 

 

It's a hard decision, but I'm going to have to now predict Katharine at #1 @Crisis Sure hope I'm right and get the trophy.   

[Crisis]

2 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

Now that you bring up Jason Castro and I have finished watching Season 7 (Top 12 onward) I must comment on him!
 

Jason Castro- I loved Jason!  He just conveyed such a relaxed, chill atmosphere that I loved! I think an underrated performance from him would be Michelle. I felt that the goofiness shown in the song and on Jason’s face worked so well for him! Plus, he spoke French quite well! Now, near the end of his run, it seemed that he started to slack off a bit which I was disappointed to see, since I really liked him. After he outlasted Brooke and Carly I started to get a teensy bit annoyed, and the laziness during Top 4 week only fueled that fire... Also, Paula’s confusion and mistake during Top 5 week was hilarious! Anyway, despite the laziness near the end of his run, Jason is still one of my favorite contestants from Season 7.

 

Jason: I liked him well enough in the beginning; however, I was super annoyed when he started slacking off and not putting much effort into his performances, which is the main reason he's ranked where's he at. If not for that, he would've definitely been in my Top 100, possibly Top 80s. I was definitely not fond of him outlasting Brooke because as much as the pressure of Idol was getting to her, at least she was still trying her hardest as far as her performances were concerned (maybe too hard). I'm pretty sure she would've had a better Top 4 showing than he did although I mentioned it was probably best for her to be eliminated when she was.

 

2 hours ago, CarmenSandiego said:

Sorry I was so late, but here’s my comment on Elliott (I’ll get to Tamyra and Kelly later):

 

Elliott wasn’t a huge favorite of mine but I liked him more than Chris Daughtry (again, blame my dislike of rock music.). He deserved to make the Final 3 but he was the weakest of the Final 3 the night he was eliminated, so he left.

 

Fair enough about Elliott.

 

3 minutes ago, miss denise said:

Inspired by Justin? I don't know if I heard that before but I sure hope not.  

 

Ugh, I should have gone with my gut and guessed Katharine at #1. I can never forgive myself.   I always felt you loved her a lot and she would be someone you're really protective of (like Haley), which we'll find out soon with the write-up. I was also thinking you don't do things the predictable way, which also backed up my feeling of Kat possibly topping the list, but still felt safer going with Kelly. Oh well.  

 

002. Kelly Clarkson:  Of course I LOVE Kelly too.   Your comment reminds me that another reason I predicted Kelly at #1 was that I didn't think her and Tamyra would be back to back. I didn't see them as being so interchangeable for you.   They're both super talented, of course, but I do prefer Kelly.  I agree she is extremely versatile and definitely has the best personality! Even after all this time, she remains the same.  Funny that as I'm typing this, I'm also seeing her judge on America's Got Talent right now.  Anyway, I love everything you said about her here and so true that Idol would likely not have become what it did without her success. OMG the "Yelly" nickname. I never heard that before.  She definitely had a great and consistent run on the show as well, and really delivered to make herself known (even if Simon did originally say he wouldn't remember her   ) Especially love Natural Woman and Stuff Like That There.. Such legendary performances.   I agree with the majority of your thoughts on all her performances, although I seem to enjoy the Justin/Kelly match-up more than you.   Obviously still Team Kelly though, without question. "could Ryan have been any less enthusiastic when he announced Kelly’s victory"  I have never thought this before, but I can easily play it back in my mind and see what you meant.   Kelly is another Idol who is not only one of my all-time favorite contestants, but music artists in general. I have and love all her albums. I love the pop/rock style on her, although she did go back to a more pop R&B & soul sound on her most recent album - Meaning of Life. And now I'm realizing that was three years ago, so wow, we're really due for a new one. 

 

It's a hard decision, but I'm going to have to now predict Katharine at #1 @Crisis Sure hope I'm right and get the trophy.   

 

I don't know; it's just something I heard though I'm not sure I put much credence in it.

 

Admittedly I can be protective of Katharine, though not as much as Haley Scarnato (just to clarify which Haley I'm talking about ). I guess the main reason is because despite having many detractors, Katharine still has a huge fanbase and number of supporters so I don't have to be as protective, whereas Haley sadly to this day is still talked about negatively but doesn't appear to have many supporters. It's understandable for people to think Kelly would be the safe pick, so I don't blame anyone for thinking she would be my all-time favorite.

 

002. Yeah, some days I preferred Tamyra and others I preferred Kelly but decided to place Kelly ahead of her. That's right, she is judging AGT right now because Simon is recovering from his back surgery. Again, I agree with pretty much everything written here. I liked that she went back to a more pop/R&B/soul sound with Meaning of Life. I'm ready for a new album as well; however, I think Kelly unfortunately has other things to deal with before entertaining another album. Maybe she can use what's she going through to fuel her for some new material should she make another one.

 

I'll have to think about the trophy...

 

I finished my Katharine write-up and it should be my next post unless someone posts something and I reply to it.

  

[Crisis]

It's been a long journey, but after nearly four months and over 200 contestants (including the S18 group), we have finally reached #1! Without any further ado, let's introduce my all-time favorite finalist...

 

Now the time has finally come

To reveal who's #1

Atop a multi-colored arc

This finalist stole my heart 

 

1. Katharine McPhee: Season 5 (2nd Place)

Coming in at the top spot is Katharine Hope McPhee. I was infected and came down with a serious case of McPheever during S5.  Why do I love Katharine, or Kat so much?   Does anyone have enough time to sit and read?  Honestly, I could write a novel on her; however, for the purpose of this write-up, I’m going to cut out some things and try (emphasis on try ) to keep it as short as possible. For starters, she has such a beautiful voice, especially in her lower and middle registers where it’s pure ear candy. When she was on her A-game, she was capable of creating magical moments.  Next, I just adore her personality; she appears to be a bit of a dork, which now that I think about it is similar to Kelly in a way. Speaking of whom, I know Simon compared her to Kelly at one point during the season although as much as I love Kat, Kelly is in her own stratosphere. Also regarding her personality, she had absolutely no poker face, which made her a lot of fun to watch because you could see how she was feeling whenever she was on TV; I know if I were to play poker with her, I’m pretty confident I would be able to wipe her out easily.  Moreover, she was my biggest Idol crush, which makes sense seeing as she was/is incredibly gorgeous; she may very well be the most beautiful woman to ever set foot on the Idol stage, though I think if more Carrie fans followed this thread, they would argue it’s her (for the record, they are my top two regarding this category with Pia coming in third). Finally, way back in the thread, @Elliott mentioned Blake was the reason for his Idol obsession; well, Kat is that person for me (I don’t know whether to love her or hate her for that ). Though I’ve had favorites from previous seasons, she was the first contestant I ever voted for, and she was the first contestant I’ve truly made an effort to follow post-Idol as well as my interest in following other Idol-related subjects. With all of this said, Kat wasn’t an impeccable angel by any means. For starters, as beautiful as her lower and middle registers were, her upper register was underdeveloped and could be strident, even screechy, at times; this was evident when she would try to sing some songs fit for bigger voices, which resulted in her being inconsistent during her time on the show. Another criticism of her was as much as I love her personality, it was an issue for others. It was often thought she came across as spoiled, entitled, and arrogant, just to name a few; in fact, some names she was called included McB****, McPhony, and McSl*t, which I wasn’t too fond of needless to say.  With this rather lengthy intro out of the way, it’s on to her Idol run.

After all I’ve said about her, this may come as a surprise to some; however, I wasn’t a Kat fan at the beginning of the season. I thought she had one of the best auditions the show has ever had, but it wasn’t enough for me to keep an eye out for her. In fact, when the semifinals came around, I was more interested in Paris and Mandisa. Finally, this may also be somewhat of a shock, but I actually became a fan of Elliott before Kat. Regardless, she started off nicely with a solid performance of Since I Fell For You. I wasn’t all that enamored with it at first, but it has definitely grown on me over time. Unfortunately, her second semifinals performance All In Love Is Fair was on the boring side, which is what usually happens with that song if not sung all that well. She came back the following week with Think, which was a really fun performance and actually made me really pay attention to Kat for the first time (OK, her dancing and bouncing around in that tight black shirt certainly helped). She definitely didn’t have the soul to really do that song justice, but I enjoyed it a lot. She would move on to the finals where she would sing Until You Come Back To Me, and it was this performance where I was bitten by the McPheever bug and me becoming a Kat fan; it is definitely one of my favorites of hers. She came back the following week with Come Rain Or Come Shine, which was another great performance; the opening look she made at the camera almost made me want to take a cold shower. There were some complaints about the last note being screechy, but it didn’t really bother me at the time. Kat would unfortunately take a step back the following week with The Voice Within. This was the first time I really started to notice the flaws in her voice. While the low parts were good, she didn’t have anywhere near the power to handle the high notes; as maligned and messy Christina Aguilera has been over the years, the girl can seriously blow and not many have the range she has, which unfortunately Kat proved on this performance. Even I, a die-hard McPhan, thought the judges were on something when they not only praised it as much as they did, but Simon even went as far as saying it was just as good as the original; he would eventually backtrack the following night and say it wasn’t as good as he originally thought.  Speaking of that night, the voters obviously disagreed with the judges because Kat would find herself in the B2. That was the moment where my Idol fandom went to the next level. To quote Emerson Cod after seeing Kat in the B2: oh, hell no! Prior to that, I had never voted for an Idol contestant; however, from that point on, I decided to vote for Kat for the rest of the season and became one of those power voters who would be on the phone for the full two hours (I voted for Elliott as well, but the majority of my votes went to Kat). Kat would come back the following week with a fun performance of Bringing Out The Elvis despite not being a fan of the song or the artist for that matter; I guess I just really liked how her voice sounded on it. After the performance she got Simon to admit he didn’t like country music, which caused some controversy if I’m not mistaken. Simon was in a bad mood all night and complaining about the songs as he normally did during country themed nights, so I didn’t mind someone finally saying something about it. It obviously worked because Bucky went after her to close the show, and Simon said something along the lines of not caring for the song but liking the performance to him (Bucky) afterwards. Kat managed to avoid the B3 the next night, though I secretly kind of wished she were there just so I could ogle her some more (that outfit with the sleeveless shirt, short shorts, and cowboy boots was certainly a sight to behold). Shallowness aside, the following week she would sing Who Wants To Live Forever. Initially, she was going to sing Don’t Stop Me Now; however, she switched to WWTLF since Mandisa was eliminated and that was the song she (Mandisa) was planning to sing had she survived. I wished Kat would’ve sung DSMN because it’s a fun song and would’ve probably brought out a different and fun side to her. Also, as I’ve said before, WWTLF is not a song that can be done justice on Idol due to the limited time the contestants have to sing. With that said, I don’t think Kat did too poorly on it, all things considered. She struggled on the big notes, but I felt this is one of her more underrated performances. She would follow that with a much better performance the subsequent week with Someone To Watch Over Me, which was another of my personal favorites. If there was one word to describe it, it would be exquisite. With that said, the one negative thing I could say about it was I wasn’t a fan of the outfit. She still looked beautiful, but it looked like she was on her way to a business meeting, whereas Paris and Kellie wore dresses.  Regardless, Kat would go on to have her most infamous performance of the season with the much discussed I Have Nothing. First, there was the yellow dress with the wardrobe malfunction which exposed some things I don’t think Kat wanted others to see.  Next, there was the song itself; when she said she was going to sing this song, I had my reservations because Kat isn’t the type of singer who could pull that song off. With that said, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. She sounded really nice on the verses, but she predictably struggled with the huge chorus. The judges were pretty harsh on her afterwards, with the most memorable criticism coming from Simon when he said by singing that song Kat thought she was better than Whitney, but she wasn’t. Randy and Simon apologized to her the following night, yet Paula stuck to her guns although to be fair, Paula probably gave the most sound advice she has ever given to any contestant when she (Paula) told her (Kat) to stick to her intimate vocals because that was where her strength was. Despite the controversy, Kat was among the Top 2 vote getters that week along with Chris. The following week she would have an up and down night. The down was her first performance Against All Odds. I remember being disappointed with the song choice because there were certainly better songs for her to choose from in terms of her birth year. Sadly, she had one of her weakest performances with it. It didn’t look like she was comfortable with the song at all. Fortunately, she would make up for it with a great performance of Black Horse And The Cherry Tree later on that evening. It was fun, sexy, and my favorite of the night. Perhaps the biggest thing the performance did was show how much of an impact Idol could have on the music industry in general. Prior to it being performed on Idol, BHatCT wasn’t on too many radars; however, after the performance, the song shot up the charts on iTunes and more people became more familiar with KT Tunstall (who is all sorts of awesome BTW). It looked like BHatCH would be a turning point for Kat in the competition, but the subsequent week said otherwise. Kat was thought to have had the worst night of everyone, though I personally didn’t think she was that bad (then again, my McPheever bias may be speaking ). I thought her first number, a Hound Dog/All Shook Up medley, was fun and sexy as well as her trying to work the stage more. She did well on the Hound Dog parts; however, she was all shook up when she incorporated the second song and had a part where she blanked on the lyrics (I thought it was cute when she turned around to try to cover up her flub ). I think she thought she got away with it until Randy called her on it. Her second song, Can’t Help Falling In Love, started off lovely; however, when she got to the “like a river flows” part, for some reason the band progressively got louder to the point where she had to shout to be heard over the music and thus, the performance got out of hand. The judges didn’t care for either of her performances and sensing she was in danger, the McPhans - including yours truly - probably went into overdrive to ensure she would last another week. Though she was B2, she still managed to hang on and Chris was the casualty in what was considered to be one of the most shocking eliminations in Idol history although as I mentioned in Chris’ write-up, I saw it coming at the time. The best part was Kat’s jaw dropping after it was announced because she clearly expected it to be her. I could do a write-up on the elimination alone; however, this is Kat’s write-up, so let’s bring the focus back to her. Unfortunately, Kat would be the recipient of some serious hate because it was thought she “robbed” Chris, who was considered to be a favorite to win the title; it certainly was not a fun time to be a McPhan then.  Kat would have an up-and-down night during Top 3. Her first performance, I Believe I Can Fly, was the weakest of the three, though it’s a terrible song to begin with. The main thing I remember about it was Randy criticizing the song choice and Katharine defending herself saying she didn’t pick it, to which I say good for her. Her second performance was some little number known as Somewhere Over The Rainbow, which only became one of the most iconic performances in Idol history.  This may surprise some, but I thought as good as the performance was, I felt it was on the overrated side at the time. Over the years, however, I’ve come to appreciate how great it is and why it’s one of the most celebrated Idol performances. She definitely sang her heart out on that one and it’s the one performance where her voice was highlighted in the best light possible. Her last performance, I Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues, is one of her most, if not the most, underrated performances of the season; I guess it’s because it came after SoTR. I thought she sounded strong and confident on it and didn’t get enough credit for it, not to mention she looked extremely hot with the short black dress and black boots. Regardless, she managed to make it to the finale where she once again became public enemy #1 because Elliott was eliminated. There were some thoughts she was smiling during Elliott’s elimination; however, I thought it was clear she was smiling after Ryan announced she and Taylor were the Top 2 and not at Elliott’s elimination. Nevertheless, I knew she had a steep uphill to climb if she had any shot at winning because of Taylor’s massive support and the ire from Chris and Elliott’s fan who probably planned to vote for Taylor just to spite her. Unfortunately, as much as it really hurts me to say this, Kat didn’t give herself a fighting chance during the finale.  Her reprise of BHatCT, while decent enough, wasn’t anywhere near as fun as the first time around. Somewhere Over The Rainbow was good, though it lacked the magic the first performance did. Also, I thought it was a mistake for her to reprise it the week after; a better choice would’ve been Someone To Watch Over Me or even Since I Fell For You. Her would be coronation song My Destiny was epically tragic. The song itself was pure Velveeta; with that said, it certainly didn’t help that Kat didn’t sing it all that well. The one positive thing I can say about it was she looked absolutely stunning. Later, it was revealed Kat had vocal cord issues and had to get a shot just to be able to sing that evening, which may explain why she sounded so rough. Despite all of this, I voted for her the full three hours knowing it was a serious long shot. Predictably, Kat would fall short to Taylor the following night; it wouldn’t surprise me if Taylor’s victory was a huge landslide. Regardless, Kat has done really well for herself in both music and acting despite not being a mega star or anything. I still own and listen to all of her albums, and watched every episode of Smash mainly because of her (yet I have not watched a single episode of Scorpion; I’m a bad McPhan, I know ). I still keep track of her though not as obsessively as I did when she first started her post-Idol career, and I have to say I’m loving the videos she and David Foster are doing together during the quarantine. As I reminisce her Idol run, I think Kat could’ve been one of the greatest Idol contestants of all time if she were more consistent with her song choices and her voice although she is still one of the more beloved and well-known ones. Having said that, her inconsistency is what made her interesting and intriguing to me as well as kept me on her toes because you never knew what was coming from her next. To bring everything back full circle, as I said in the beginning, the two easiest rankings were my all-time favorite and least favorite, and Katharine Hope McPhee – unless either another contestant comes along and steals my heart (which is highly doubtful, but you never know) or she does something that is completely terrible and unforgivable, for which I would cry (maybe not) – will always be my all-time favorite Idol contestant.  

 

001. Katharine McPhee

 

Updated season favorites:

S01: Kelly Clarkson

S02: Kimberley Locke

S03: LaToya London

S04: Bo Bice

S05: Katharine McPhee

S06: Haley Scarnato

S07: David Cook

S08: Allison Iraheta

S09: Crystal Bowersox

S10: Pia Toscano

S11: Elise Testone

S12: Candice Glover

S13: Jessica Meuse

S14: Quentin Alexander

S15: La'Porsha Renae

S16: Jurnee

S17: Laci Kaye Booth

S18: Jovin Webb

 

A recap of all of the S1-S17 finalists:

198. Lazaro Arbos

197. Jim Verraros

196. A.J. Gil

195. Daniel Seavey

194. Gianna Isabella

193. Heejun Han

192. Corey Clark

191. Wade Cota

190. Curtis Finch, Jr.

189. Carmen Rasmusen

188. JAX

187. Gabby Barrett

186. Cade Foehner

185. Kevin Covais

184. Lee Jean

183. Andrew Garcia

182. Dexter Roberts

181. Stefano Langone

180. Tim Urban

179. Tristan McIntosh

178. Ace Young

177. Chris Richardson

176. Constantine Maroulis

175. Scott Savol

174. Jon Peter Lewis

173. Chris Sligh

172. EJay Day

171. Danny Gokey

170. Matthew Rogers

169. Ashthon Jones

168. Jermaine Jones

167. MK Nobilette

166. Julia DeMato

165. Scott MacIntyre

164. Karen Rodriguez

163. Jasmine Murray

162. Maddie Walker

161. Leah LaBelle

160. Ada Vox

159. Walker Burroughs

158. Kristen O'Connor

157. Lacey Brown

156. Brandon Rogers

155. Charles Grigsby

154. Shannon Magrane

153. Jorge Nuñez

152. Jeremy Rosado

151. Catie Turner

150. Mikalah Gordon

149. MacKenzie Bourg

148. Lil Rounds

147. Jacob Lusk

146. Sanjaya Malakar

145. Paul Jolley

144. Michael Sarver

143. Camile Velasco

142. Lindsey Cardinale

141. Ramiele Malubay

140. Ben Briley

139. Qaasim Middleton

138. Olivia Rox

137. Amanda Overmyer

136. Michelle Sussett

135. Aaron Kelly

134. Vanessa Olivarez

133. Paul McDonald

132. Paige Miles

131. Nick Fradiani

130. Devin Velez

129. John Stevens

128. Thia Megia

127. Kellie Pickler

126. Colton Dixon

125. Jasmine Trias

124. Bucky Covington

123. Anthony Fedorov

122. Jason Castro

121. Malaya Watson

120. Caleb Lee Hutchinson

119. Casey James

118. Justin Guarini

117. Ryan Starr

116. Alyssa Raghu

115. Lisa Tucker

114. Sam Woolf

113. Dalton Rapattoni

112. Lauren Alaina

111. Amy Adams

110. Josh Gracin

109. CJ Harris

108. Gina Glocksen

107. Scotty McCreery

106. Alejandro Aranda

105. Lee DeWyze

104. Burnell Taylor

103. Adanna Duru

102. Laine Hardy

101. Majesty Rose

100. Emily Piriz

099. DeAndre Brackensick

098. Katie Stevens

097. Madison VanDenburg

096. Dimitrius Graham

095. Chikezie

094. Nikki McKibbin

093. Tyanna Jones

092. James Durbin

091. Jessica Sanchez

090. Kristy Lee Cook

089. Sonika Vaid

088. Melissa McGhee

087. Jessica Sierra

086. Blake Lewis

085. Alexis Grace

084. David Hernandez

083. Christina Christian

082. Stephanie Edwards

081. Taylor Hicks

080. RJ Helton

079. Joey Cook

078. Rickey Smith

077. Rayvon Owen

076. Uché

075. Amber Holcomb

074. Anwar Robinson

073. Siobhan Magnus

072. Matt Giraud

071. Phil Stacey

070. Jena Irene

069. Diana DeGarmo

068. Alex Preston

067. Michael J. Woodard

066. Casey Abrams

065. Michael Lynche

064. Kimberly Caldwell

063. Janelle Arthur

062. Michael Johns

061. Sarina-Joi Crowe

060. Carly Smithson

059. Adam Lambert

058. LaKisha Jones

057. Joshua Ledet

056. Phillip Phillips

055. Anoop Desai

054. Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon

053. Laci Kaye Booth

052. Clay Aiken

051. Kris Allen

050. Skylar Laine

049. Nikko Smith

048. Naima Adedapo

047. Didi Benami

046. Megan Joy

045. David Archuleta

044. Angie Miller

043. Jordin Sparks

042. Avalon Young

041. George Huff

040. Syesha Mercado

039. Trent Harmon

038. Maddie Poppe

037. Mandisa

036. Trenyce

035. Dennis Lorenzo

034. Paris Bennett

033. Kree Harrison

032. Jurnee

031. Clark Beckham

030. Hollie Cavanagh

029. Jennifer Hudson

028. Caleb Johnson

027. Carrie Underwood

026. Nadia Turner

025. Erika Van Pelt

024. Ruben Studdard

023. Vonzell Solomon

022. Haley Reinhart

021. Fantasia

020. Chris Daughtry

019. Bo Bice

018. La'Porsha Renae

017. Allison Iraheta

016. Melinda Doolittle

015. Haley Scarnato

014. Brooke White

013. Pia Toscano

012. Jessica Meuse

011. Candice Glover

010. Quentin Alexander

009. Kimberley Locke

008. Elise Testone

007. Crystal Bowersox

006. David Cook

005. LaToya London

004. Elliott Yamin

003. Tamyra Gray

002. Kelly Clarkson

001. Katharine McPhee

 

Some final thoughts in the next post...

[Crisis]

Since my Katharine McPhee write-up was pretty lengthy, I’ll create a separate post for this.  I want to thank everyone who followed and commented in this thread as I ranked all of the finalists from S1-S17 as well as the Top 21 from S18. I have a confession to make: this thread was completely accidental. I had the opening post typed up but had zero intention of actually posting it. However, as I was planning on going back, I accidentally hit the Submit Topic button. I was planning on contacting a mod to lock or delete the topic but decided to wait overnight to see what would happen. When I woke up the following morning, I was a nervous wreck because for some reason I was expecting the worst; it mainly had to do with me still being relatively new and not really knowing anyone despite being a long time lurker at IDF. However, when I finally worked up the courage to open the thread, I saw that the first post had someone wish me luck and the poster stated he/she would follow the thread (though I haven’t seen said poster since…). That was enough for me to decide to push forward. After that, others wished me luck and planned on following the thread and I knew right then and there I planned on finishing this thing, though admittedly as I mentioned before, I thought about quitting. I guess my biggest fear was being ridiculed or flamed for not ranking certain contestants to the liking of some posters; however, for the most part mostly everyone has been respectful of my opinions, which is what they only are, even if there were some disagreements, and that’s all I could really ask for. Once again, I want to thank everyone who supported me as I took on this endeavor, and I had an absolute blast doing it although I won’t be doing another finalist rankings list in the near future ; maybe when Idol is off the airwaves for good.

 

With all of that said, though this ranking is complete, I would still like to see this thread active though it’s understandable if it isn’t. I would like to see some rankings of other posters, something like their Top 10 or 20 so we could compare. Also, I’m willing to be open to any Q & A about this thread. Finally, for anyone who didn’t comment or want to catch up, I’ll do my best to read and reply. I don't know where I'll go from here; I have some other ideas in mind, but I'm still working them out and deciding what to do from there.

Edited August 12, 2020 by Crisis

[Bk1234]

4 hours ago, Crisis said:

001. Katharine McPhee

If there’s one contestant that isn’t an all-time favorite, but is the closest to being one, it is Katharine McPhee. I’ll go out and say that she was the most beautiful finalist to ever step foot on the Idol stage.  Her performance of Since I Fell For You was so great because I loved how she used different vocal techniques to illustrate different moods. I also really liked her performance of Come Rain Or Come Shine and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, with the latter being legendary! I haven’t followed Kat as much as I would’ve liked to post-Idol, but I’m working on that.  I do know that Nick Merico had a huge crush on Katharine McPhee, and I also remember one of the stage people on Idol coming after Kat performed in Season 15 saying they gave kids at their school cupcakes if they promised to vote for her! Needless to say, Katharine is definitely a well-loved Idol contestant, and well-deserving of the number one spot.

 

4 hours ago, Crisis said:

Since my Katharine McPhee write-up was pretty lengthy, I’ll create a separate post for this.  I want to thank everyone who followed and commented in this thread as I ranked all of the finalists from S1-S17 as well as the Top 21 from S18. I have a confession to make: this thread was completely accidental. I had the opening post typed up but had zero intention of actually posting it. However, as I was planning on going back, I accidentally hit the Submit Topic button. I was planning on contacting a mod to lock or delete the topic but decided to wait overnight to see what would happen. When I woke up the following morning, I was a nervous wreck because for some reason I was expecting the worst; it mainly had to do with me still being relatively new and not really knowing anyone despite being a long time lurker at IDF. However, when I finally worked up the courage to open the thread, I saw that the first me luck and the poster stated he/she would follow the thread (though I haven’t seen said person since…). That was enough for me to decide to push forward. After that, others wished me luck and planned on following the thread and I knew right then and there I planned on finishing this thing, though admittedly as I mentioned before, I thought about quitting. I guess my biggest fear was being ridiculed or flamed for not ranking certain contestants to the liking of some posters; however, for the most part mostly everyone has been respectful of my opinions, which is what they only are, even if there were some disagreements, and that’s all I could really ask for. Once again, I want to thank everyone who supported me as I took on this endeavor, and I had an absolute blast doing it although I won’t be doing another finalist rankings list in the near future ; maybe when Idol is off the airwaves for good.

 

With all of that said, though this ranking is complete, I would still like to see this thread active though it’s understandable if it isn’t. I would like to see some rankings of other posters, something like their Top 10 or 20 so we could compare. Also, I’m willing to be open to any Q & A about this thread. Finally, for anyone who didn’t comment or want to catch up, I’ll do my best to read and reply. I don't know where I'll go from here; I have some other ideas in mind, but I'm still working them out and deciding what to do from there.

This was all an accident?! Wow, I’m glad you clicked that “Submit Topic” button because this has been such a fun and exciting ride. I might make a list of my favorites to rank and compare, but I’ll need to watch a couple more seasons first.

[x3 because of u]

Yay, loved reading this list (even though I lurked sometimes). Disagree with Kat at the top but I can sense your love in the writeup. LOL She is definitely one of the Idol greats though. I saw Waitress on Broadway (with Jordin, of course) and I wish I could've seen Kat in it too. I have her version of "She Used to Be Mine" saved on my Spotify and I LOVE IT.

[Bk1234]

4 minutes ago, x3 because of u said:

I have her version of "She Used to Be Mine" saved on my Spotify and I LOVE IT.

Believe it or not, I actually prefer Margie Mays’ version and now cannot listen to another version unless it is on par with Margie’s or is even better...

[Crisis]

3 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

If there’s one contestant that isn’t an all-time favorite, but is the closest to being one, it is Katharine McPhee. I’ll go out and say that she was the most beautiful finalist to ever step foot on the Idol stage.  Her performance of Since I Fell For You was so great because I loved how she used different vocal techniques to illustrate different moods. I also really liked her performance of Come Rain Or Come Shine and Somewhere Over the Rainbow, with the latter being legendary! I haven’t followed Kat as much as I would’ve liked to post-Idol, but I’m working on that.  I do know that Nick Merico had a huge crush on Katharine McPhee, and I also remember one of the stage people on Idol coming after Kat performed in Season 15 saying they gave kids at their school cupcakes if they promised to vote for her! Needless to say, Katharine is definitely a well-loved Idol contestant, and well-deserving of the number one spot.

 

This was all an accident?! Wow, I’m glad you clicked that “Submit Topic” button because this has been such a fun and exciting ride. I might make a list of my favorites to rank and compare, but I’ll need to watch a couple more seasons first.

 

I pretty much agree with everything written regarding Kat. If Nick Merico had a huge crush on Kat, then he had great taste, and it may be enough to bump him up from being last in my S18 ranking.  I do remember that stage person from S15 confessing that Kat was his favorite during the season and him giving kids cupcakes if they promised to vote for her. 

 

Yes, it was all an accident ; however, it turned out to be not as bad as I imagined. I'm glad you enjoyed the ride and should you make a list, I'll definitely look at it! 

 

53 minutes ago, x3 because of u said:

Yay, loved reading this list (even though I lurked sometimes). Disagree with Kat at the top but I can sense your love in the writeup. LOL She is definitely one of the Idol greats though. I saw Waitress on Broadway (with Jordin, of course) and I wish I could've seen Kat in it too. I have her version of "She Used to Be Mine" saved on my Spotify and I LOVE IT.

 

I'm happy to see you loved reading it! Fair enough about Kat. Regarding Waitress, that's right she ended up leaving because her father passed away.   Speaking of whom, I remember when the cameras would show him in the audience crying whenever Kat performed; it was pretty obvious to see how proud he was of her.  Also, it was pretty cool to see her mother and sister as vocal coaches during the Hollywood Rounds for a few seasons (I'm not sure if they still are).

[Bk1234]

11 minutes ago, Crisis said:

I'm glad you enjoyed the ride and should you make a list, I'll definitely look at it! 

If I do it, I’ll put it in this thread do we can compare. It’ll just be a quick numbered list with a couple of notes on the side, nothing much!

[blackfield]

congratulations on finishing  your task!! 

 

as for Kat.. well like you mentioned season 5 we were on different sides completely as I was  a chris daughtry fan. I was totally outraged of his elimination and got myself banned twice from the official idol board on fox site. that was when I had enough of idol and stopped watching.. (till next season which was so dull and lackluster i gave up pretty early) then season 7 happened when i joined idolforums and a very nice person helped me get a copy of michael johns original album.. 

anyways i didn't like anything about kat at the time. didn't find anything special in her voice and didn't like her style. the only performance i enjoyed of her was BHATCT which she showed something different. it was only couple of years ago that i got to watch few episodes of smash which was really good. and i liked the duet she did with casey james on the farewell season finale. 

 

 

 

[Bk1234]

31 minutes ago, blackfield said:

as for Kat.. well like you mentioned season 5 we were on different sides completely as I was  a chris daughtry fan. I was totally outraged of his elimination and got myself banned twice from the official idol board on fox site.

Wow, you must have been mad... I hope you didn’t say anything mean about Katharine...  (If you did, I’m guessing you regret it...)

Edited August 12, 2020 by Bk1234

[x3 because of u]

4 hours ago, Bk1234 said:

Believe it or not, I actually prefer Margie Mays’ version and now cannot listen to another version unless it is on par with Margie’s or is even better...

I listened to Margie's because I love the song but I just can't really get into it. I have Kat's, Sara Bareilles', and Jessie Mueller's from the soundtrack. Now if only Jordin would record a version...

4 hours ago, Crisis said:

I'm happy to see you loved reading it! Fair enough about Kat. Regarding Waitress, that's right she ended up leaving because her father passed away.   Speaking of whom, I remember when the cameras would show him in the audience crying whenever Kat performed; it was pretty obvious to see how proud he was of her.  Also, it was pretty cool to see her mother and sister as vocal coaches during the Hollywood Rounds for a few seasons (I'm not sure if they still are).

Her dad was the best. I love Idol parents. He's up there with Elliott's mom for me.

[Bk1234]

32 minutes ago, x3 because of u said:

I listened to Margie's because I love the song but I just can't really get into it.

Interesting. I felt that Kat and Sara’s were a little bland, but maybe I just have to give them another listen (this happens to me a lot, I listen to a song once, don’t really feel it, then listen to it again, and love it )! 

[Crisis]

4 hours ago, blackfield said:

congratulations on finishing  your task!! 

 

as for Kat.. well like you mentioned season 5 we were on different sides completely as I was  a chris daughtry fan. I was totally outraged of his elimination and got myself banned twice from the official idol board on fox site. that was when I had enough of idol and stopped watching.. (till next season which was so dull and lackluster i gave up pretty early) then season 7 happened when i joined idolforums and a very nice person helped me get a copy of michael johns original album.. 

anyways i didn't like anything about kat at the time. didn't find anything special in her voice and didn't like her style. the only performance i enjoyed of her was BHATCT which she showed something different. it was only couple of years ago that i got to watch few episodes of smash which was really good. and i liked the duet she did with casey james on the farewell season finale. 

 

 

 

 

Thank you! 

 

Yowza at being so outraged at Chris' elimination it caused two bans from the official Idol message board!  Although it appears you may not be that much of a fan at Kat's, at least you've come around on her some. I liked the duet she did with Casey at the Farewell Season Finale as well; my only complaint was it was too short. 

 

1 hour ago, x3 because of u said:

Her dad was the best. I love Idol parents. He's up there with Elliott's mom for me.

 

Yeah, he was; it's too bad both of them are no longer here.  I've noticed for the most part the adult Idol parents were pretty cool; unfortunately, the same can't be said for some of the parents of the minors. Some that come to mind are Diana's mom, Archie's dad, and Brielle's mom...

 

I know I said I'm open to a Q&A; however, I'll ask a question. What was everyone's favorite write-up, not just based on favorite contestants but in general? What was the one that was the best read? I'm just asking out of curiosity.