American Idol season 7

The seventh season of American Idol began on January 15, 2008, and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show, while Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned as judges. David Cook was announced as the winner on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total in the show's history.

Changes from previous seasons
Prior to the start of the seventh season, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe admitted that the sixth season had placed more focus on the guest mentors than the contestants. Changes were planned for the seventh season designed to return attention to the contestants by providing more information on their backgrounds and families.

In a major change for the seventh season, contestants were allowed to play musical instruments, an element that originated on Australian Idol. A brand new set was built, and a new introduction credit sequence was created. The season finale also moved from the Kodak Theatre to the larger Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, which would be the venue for the live series finale for the next six years.

Regional auditions
For the seventh season, auditions began in San Diego, California, on July 30, 2007, and continued in these cities:

Contestants were required to be between the ages of 16 and 28 on July 28, 2007, and eligible to work in the United States. Those ineligible included former contestants who had previously reached the semifinals of the first through third seasons, or the last phase of the Hollywood round of the fourth through sixth seasons, those holding recording or management contracts, or those who were not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

Hollywood week
The Hollywood week took place at the Pasadena Civic Center in Pasadena, California, over a period of five days. A total of 164 contestants were invited from the seven audition cities. This year, the process was altered slightly to ensure that no talent would be prematurely dismissed, and there are no group performances. The contestants performed at least two songs during this round.

The first round of individual performances lasted two days. For the first time ever, contestants had the option of either being accompanied by the band or playing an instrument themselves, such as a keyboard, guitar, or drums. If the judges approved of the contestants' performances, they received a "free pass," exempting them from having to perform in the second round. Unlike previous seasons, contestants whose performances were not considered good enough were afforded a second chance rather than immediate elimination. They lined up on stage in groups of ten and each sang a short segment of a song a cappella. After each group had performed, the judges eliminated about 100 contestants.

In the final round, the remaining contestants individually performed a song chosen from a provided list of songs, accompanied by the band and three backup singers. After each performance, the judges decided the contestant's fate; 50 contestants emerged after this round ended. The judges then deliberated further on who should be in the top 24, and their decision was revealed the next day.

One of the more prominent contestants during the Hollywood week was Josiah Leming, whose unhappiness with the backing band resulted in him dismissing the band. He was ultimately eliminated. Another piece of drama involved contestant Kyle Ensley, when Simon Cowell voiced strong objection over him not being selected for the semifinals. His non-selection was later revealed to have resulted in serious rift between Cowell and the show producer Nigel Lythgoe.

Semifinals
The live show portion of the semifinals began on February 19, 2008. Similar to the previous three seasons, the women and men performed on separate shows, and then on the result shows, the bottom two contestants from each group were eliminated from the competition. The semifinals took place over three weeks, resulting in six males and six females being eliminated, leaving the other six to form the top 12. The men performed on the first night, and the ladies the next night.

Color key:

Top 24 – Music from the 1960s
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 20 – Music from the 1970s
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 16 – Music from the 1980s
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 12 finalists

 * David Cook (born December 20, 1982, in Houston, Texas; 24 years old at the time of the show) was a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, who auditioned in Omaha with Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer." His Hollywood performance of Bryan Adams's "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" did not impress Simon Cowell, but his second performance, Edwin McCain's "I'll Be," did.
 * David Archuleta (born December 28, 1990, in Miami, Florida; 16 years old at the time of the show) was from Murray, Utah, and auditioned in San Diego with John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." He impressed the judges with his performance of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Bryan Adams's "Heaven" in Hollywood.
 * Syesha Mercado (born January 2, 1987, in Bridgeport, Connecticut; 21 years old at the time of the show) was from Sarasota, Florida, and auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Think." In Hollywood, she became ill and almost lost her voice. In preparation for her final Hollywood performance with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools," she went on voice rest and wrote down everything she had to say on a pad of paper.
 * Jason Castro (born March 25, 1987; 20 years old at the time of the show) was from Rockwall, Texas, and auditioned in Dallas with Keith Urban's "Once in a Lifetime" and Ray LaMontagne's "Crazy."
 * Brooke White (born June 2, 1983, in Mesa, Arizona; 24 years old at the time of the show) was from Van Nuys, California, and auditioned in Philadelphia with Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like a Star." She performed Carole King's "Beautiful" in Hollywood.
 * Carly Smithson (born as Carly Hennessy on September 12, 1983, in Dublin, Ireland; 24 years old at the time of the show) was a professional singer from San Diego, California. She had originally auditioned in Las Vegas during the show's fifth season, but was dropped from the show due to a problem with her visa. She auditioned in San Diego with Whitney Houston's "I'm Every Woman," and performed Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" and Heart's "Alone" in Hollywood.
 * Kristy Lee Cook (born January 18, 1984; 24 years old at the time of the show) was from Selma, Oregon, and auditioned in Philadelphia, where she sang "Amazing Grace," a song she also performed in Hollywood.
 * Michael Johns (born as Michael Lee on October 20, 1978, in Perth, Australia; 29 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego with Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long." In Hollywood, he performed The Doors' "Light My Fire," but it was his performance of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" that was one of the highlights.
 * Ramiele Malubay (born September 6, 1987, in Saudi Arabia; 20 years old at the time of the show) was from Miramar, Florida, and auditioned in Miami with Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman." She performed Aretha Franklin's "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" and The Kiki Dee Band's "I've Got the Music in Me" in Hollywood.
 * Chikezie (born as Chikezie Eze on September 11, 1985, in Inglewood, California; 22 years old at the time of the show) auditioned in San Diego with Luther Vandross' "All the Woman I Need." He had previously auditioned during the show's sixth season, and made it to Hollywood, but was cut before the top 44.
 * Amanda Overmyer (born October 26, 1984; 23 years old at the time of the show) was from Mulberry, Indiana, and auditioned in Atlanta with Janis Joplin's "Turtle Blues" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band." She performed The Doors' "Light My Fire" in Hollywood.
 * David Hernandez (born May 31, 1983, in Glendale, Arizona; 24 years old at the time of the show) was from Glendale, Arizona, and auditioned with The Temptations' "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." He performed Stephen Stills's "Love the One You're With" in Hollywood.

Finals
There were eleven weeks of finals with twelve contestants competing. One contestant was eliminated every week based on the public's votes.

Color key:

Top 12 – Lennon–McCartney
Contestants performed one song each from the Lennon–McCartney discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 11 – The Beatles
Contestants performed one song each from the Beatles discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 10 – Contestants' birth year
Contestants each performed one song from the year they were born, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 9 – Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from her discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 8 – Inspirational music
Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 7 – Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from her discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 6 – Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed one song each from one of his musicals, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 5 – Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond served as a guest mentor this week. Contestants performed two songs each from his discography, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 4 – Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Contestants performed two songs, and are listed in the order they performed.

Top 3
Each contestant performed three songs: one chosen by one of the judges, one chosen by the producers, and one chosen by the contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 2 – Finale
Each contestant performed three songs, and are listed in the order they performed. David Archuletha won the coin toss after the results show the prior week, and chose to perform last.

Elimination chart
Color key: • {{legend|gold|Winner}}

• {{legend|silver|Runner-up}}

• {{legend|#FDFC8F|Saved by the public}}

• {{legend|#e0f0ff|Bottom two or three}}

• {{legend|#FF91A4|Eliminated}}

Idol Gives Back
The Idol Gives Back initiative returned on April 9, 2008. Again, proceeds went to children's charities in Africa and the United States. Unlike Idol Gives Back 2007, where no contestant was eliminated, Michael Johns was eliminated during Idol Gives Back 2008.

Controversies
Carly Smithson stirred up controversy due to a prior major label record deal she had with MCA Records. To further complicate things, Randy Jackson worked for MCA during the same period of time that Smithson was signed. The media noted that several of the other season 7 semifinalists had previously also had record deals, including Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White, and Michael Johns. According to a poll conducted by AOL Television, 63 percent of those polled believed that contestants who already had record deals should not be contestants on American Idol, however, Idol rules stated that contestants were eligible so long as they were no longer under contract when Idol began, regardless of any past contracts.

On the April 29 show, the five remaining contestants each sang two songs. Diverting from the usual format due to time constraints, the judges' critiques were to be bundled until after both songs were performed. However, after the first round had finished, host Ryan Seacrest asked for comments, and judge Paula Abdul, in discussing Jason Castro, delivered feedback on his second song before he had actually performed it. This led to speculation that the show was scripted or rigged. The next day, Abdul claimed on Seacrest's radio show that she listened to the performances in rehearsal and in the rushed atmosphere of the show was confused and thought she was supposed to critique both.

iTunes
During season 7, American Idol partnered with iTunes to make available for sale exclusive performance videos, live performance singles of the semifinalists, and full-length studio recordings of the songs that contestants performed on the show. In order to keep the competition fair, these singles were not allowed to appear on iTunes sales charts until after the finale. The contestants' performances during the season were removed soon after the finale.

The winning song, "The Time of My Life", was recorded by David Cook and released on May 22, 2008. The song was certified platinum by the RIAA on December 12, 2008. It was the first winner's song to not be performed during the competition as the top 2 each selected a different song from a list of ten entries in song-writing competition to perform instead. Cook performed "The Time of My Life" after Ryan Seacrest had announced him as the winner.

Post-Idol
David Cook's debut album was released on November 18, 2008, on 19 Recordings / RCA Records and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 22, 2009. Cook teamed with Grammy winning producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Kid Rock) on the album. A single from the album, "Light On," was released and peaked at 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. His sophomore album, This Loud Morning, was released on June 28, 2011.

David Archuleta signed with Jive Records and his self-titled debut album was released on November 11, 2008, and debuted at number two. Archuleta's album certified gold. Archuleta's first single, "Crush," debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Hot Digital Songs chart, giving it the highest single debut of 2008 and the highest single debut in 18 months. The song has sold 1.9 million copies as of January 2009.

U.S. Nielsen ratings
Season 7 of American Idol overall was the most watched primetime program in the United States for the fourth consecutive year, during the conclusion of the 2007–2008 television season. The Tuesday episode viewership averaged 27.665 million while the Wednesday episode averaged 26.843 million, taking the top 2 spots for the season. The show helped Fox become the most watched overall television network in the U.S. for the first time in its history (as well as a record first for a non-Big Three major network in American television history), and lead the 18–49 demographic ratings with still-standing largest ever margin since the introduction of the people meter technology in the Nielsen nationwide television tallies during the 1985–1986 television season.