American Idol season 5
The fifth season of American Idol began on January 17, 2006, and concluded on May 24, 2006. Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, and Randy Jackson returned as judges, while Ryan Seacrest returned as host. Taylor Hicks was named the winner, while Katharine McPhee was the runner-up. 18 contestants (including all of the top 10 and a few semifinalists) got record deals – nine of them with major labels.
"AI5" redirects here. For the 1968 Institutional Act Number 5, in Brazil, see Institutional Act Number Five.American Idol
January 17 –
May 24, 2006
Hollywood week[edit]
The Hollywood semifinal rounds were held at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles and consisted of 175 contestants. The first round of semifinals consisted of a solo a cappella performance with each contestant choosing one song from a list of twelve that were given to each contestant two weeks in advance. Those who did not impress the judges were sent home the following day. After this round, the contestants were separated into four groups, with three groups going through (with 44 contestants chosen). In the Pasadena Civic Center, each were individually taken to the judges' station where they learned whether they would proceed or not. Twenty were cut and the final twenty-four (twelve men and twelve women) were selected.
Controversies[edit]
In January 2006, twins Derrell and Terrell Brittenum were charged with forgery and theft after allegedly using a false identity to purchase a car. This occurred after the Hollywood portion of the show was filmed, and the twins were subsequently disqualified.[14]
On the April 25 show, the theme of which was Greatest Love Songs and featured guest mentors Andrea Bocelli and David Foster, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe forced contestant Taylor Hicks to change his song a day before airtime. Hicks' chosen song was "Try a Little Tenderness," but Lythgoe, in a radio interview, claimed the song was more appropriate for a Blues Brothers week and was not a song that Andrea Bocelli would sing. Hicks changed his song at the last minute to "Just Once" and appeared very uncomfortable on stage. Hicks' fans were distressed, feeling that Hicks' original choice of song was very appropriate to the theme and the producers changed the song at the last minute even though they must have known Hicks' choice the previous week. They also felt that Lythgoe's statement that it was not a song Andrea Bocelli would sing was dubious, as other song choices that were approved were songs sung by Bryan Adams ("Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman") and Donny Hathaway ("A Song for You").[15]
Post Idol[edit]
This was the first season where a majority of finalists had major label recording contracts after American Idol. Of them, Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, and Kellie Pickler were distributed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Bucky Covington by Universal Music Group; and Ace Young and Mandisa by EMI.
Taylor Hicks' first post-Idol single, "Do I Make You Proud," debuted at number one and was certified gold.[36] Hicks' album, Taylor Hicks, sold 703,000 copies. He later parted with Arista Records. His follow-up album, "The Distance," was released March 10, 2009, on his own label, Modern Whomp Records.
The contestant with the most commercial success was Chris Daughtry, now lead singer of the band Daughtry. Their eponymous debut album sold over 5 million copies, surpassing the two-album totals of former winners Ruben Studdard and Fantasia, and produced two top-ten singles. The album, which spent two weeks at number one in the U.S., was also the fastest-selling debut rock album in Soundscan history.[37]
Katharine McPhee's debut album sold 374,000 copies and she had two Top 40 Billboard hits. Kellie Pickler's Small Town Girl reached number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and was certified gold, selling over 815,000 copies. Elliott Yamin's eponymous debut album was certified gold and produced a platinum-selling single. Bucky Covington's self-titled debut album sold over 400,000 copies and generated a top 20 and two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Mandisa became the most recent finalist from American Idol as of 2024 to win a Grammy Award, after earning a nomination for True Beauty for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007 and winning for Overcomer for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album in 2014.
In 2006, American Idol received several nominations in the 2006 Emmy Awards for season five:[38]