Riley Thompson (American Idol Contestant)

The seventeenth season of ''American Idol'' premiered on March 3, 2019, on the ABC television network. It was the show's second season to air on ABC. Ryan Seacrest continued as host, while Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie returned as judges. Bobby Bones returned as the in-house mentor, and acted as a guest host for the episode on April 8, 2019.

Laine Hardy won the season on May 19, 2019, while Alejandro Aranda was the runner-up, and Madison VanDenburg finished in third place.

Regional auditions

''American Idol'' announced in June 2018 that the ''Idol'' bus would visit 20 cities, beginning with Orlando, Florida, and San Diego, California, on August 25. Auditions could also be submitted on the official website or on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. During the 2018 CMA Awards, three contestants who didn't enter the competition and didn't initially audition were given the chance to enter the competition. The contestants were Cameron Lenz, Natalie Spiroff, and Meghan Woods. The winner of that vote was revealed to be Meghan Woods on ''Good Morning America'' on November 16, 2018. However, she was not shown in any episode.

Hollywood week

Hollywood week aired over two episodes on March 24 and 25 at the Orpheum Theatre. It featured three rounds: lines of ten, a group round, and a solo round. In the first round, each contestant sang individually, and after ten had sung, they gathered in a line. Those who impressed the judges and the producers were advanced to the next round, where the contestants performed together in groups of four or five. The contestants who passed the group rounds performed their final solos before advancing to the Showcase round.

Showcase round

The Showcase round aired on March 31, and featured the top 40 performing for the judges and a live audience at Disney's Aulani resort in Kapolei, Hawaii. The following day, the judges narrowed the number of contestants down from 40 to 20. The following is a list of the contestants who reached the top 20 and the song they performed at the Showcase. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 20

The Top 20 performed at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. Each contestant performed one solo, and contestants are listed in the order they performed.

All-Star duets

The top 20 contestants were split into two groups of ten and each contestant performed one duet with a celebrity singer. The first group aired on April 7, and the second group on April 8. The judges then eliminated three contestants from each group, and the rest advanced to the top 14.

The artists who performed duets with the top 20 were Pat Benatar, Cynthia Erivo, Neil Giraldo, Lukas Graham, Ben Harper, Chris Isaak, Elle King, Lovelytheband, Julia Michaels, Jason Mraz, Shaggy, and Brett Young.

Bobby Bones served as a guest host for the April 8 episode, because Ryan Seacrest was out due to an illness.

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Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 14

The Top 14 performances aired on Sunday, April 14, followed by the live results show on Monday, April 15.

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Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 10 contestants

*Laine Hardy (born September 12, 2000) was from Livingston, Louisiana. He had originally auditioned for the sixteenth season, but only made it to the top 50. He sang "The Weight" in his audition this season. In Hollywood, he performed "She Talks to Angels" and "Proud Mary" as solos and "Grenade" as part of a group performance. After giving a performance of "Come Together" during the Showcase round, he advanced to the top 20.
*Alejandro Aranda (born August 11, 1994) was from Pomona, California. He auditioned in Los Angeles. He sang two original songs, one called "Out Loud" on the guitar and another called "Cholo Love" on the piano. In Hollywood, he performed in a group with Laci Kaye Booth, where he sang " Sorry" by Justin Bieber. For his final solo, he sang an original song called "Ten Years" and advanced to the top 40.
*Madison VanDenburg (born December 9, 2001) was from Cohoes, New York. She auditioned in New York with Dan + Shay’s " Speechless." She sang "Who's Lovin' You" during the Showcase round and advanced to the top 20.
*Laci Kaye Booth (born August 28, 1995) was from Livingston, Texas. She sang " Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard during her audition in Denver. In Hollywood, she sang "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin. She later performed in a group with Katie Belle, Laine Hardy, and Colby Swift, where they sang "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. For her final solo, she sang "Stars" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals. She sang "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles during the Showcase round to earn her spot in the top 20.
*Wade Cota (born August 26, 1991) was from Phoenix, Arizona. He had auditioned for ''American Idol'' nine years ago, but failed to receive a "yes." He auditioned this season in Los Angeles, where he sang " Blame It on Me" by George Ezra. In Hollywood, he sang "Litost" by the X Ambassadors and an original song named "Stay" as a solo. He later performed in a group, where he sang "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas and advanced despite forgetting the lyrics.
*Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon (born October 9, 1992) was from Catonsville, Maryland. He auditioned in New York with an original song called "Almost Heaven." He gave an emotional performance in Hollywood with "Beautiful" by Carole King and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack as his solos, where he made it to the top 40. His performed Elton John's " We All Fall in Love Sometimes" during the top 14 show.
*Walker Burroughs (born September 29, 1998) was from Birmingham, Alabama, but grew up originally in Louisville, Kentucky. He auditioned in Louisville with "Love Like This" by Ben Rector and "Hello" by Lionel Richie. In Hollywood, he sang "Whereabouts" by Stevie Wonder as his first solo and "Your Song" by Elton John as his final solo. After performing " Youngblood" by 5 Seconds of Summer, he advanced to the top 20.
*Alyssa Raghu (born March 2, 2002, as Alyssa Raghunandan) was from Orlando, Florida. She had auditioned for the sixteenth season, but cut at the top 24. She took several classes to improve her skills and then auditioned again this season in Los Angeles with "Shark in the Water" by V V Brown. She sang "What About Us" by Pink as her final solo in Hollywood, where she advanced to the top 40.
*Dimitrius Graham (born June 8, 1991) was from Baltimore, Maryland. He sang "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler as his first solo in Hollywood for the judges and his mother, who was about to have an operation, via cellphone. He then performed in a group, where he sang "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys.
*Uché (born July 15, 1994, as Uchechukwu Walter Ndubizu-Egwim-Okoli) was from Sugar Land, Texas. He auditioned with "Ain't No Other Man," and he also sang Smokie Norful's "God Is Able" and talked about his musical influences. Uché sang "Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara as his final solo in Hollywood.

Top 10

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Top 10 – Disney (April 21)

Rebel Wilson served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed one song from a Disney movie. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 8 – Queen & movie soundtracks (April 28)

Adam Lambert served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one song from the Queen discography and one song from a movie soundtrack performed as a duet with a fellow contestant. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 6 – Woodstock & showstoppers (May 5)

American contemporary Christian singer/songwriter Lauren Daigle served as a guest mentor this week. Each contestant performed two songs: one song from the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and one song that inspired them. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 5 (May 12)

Each contestant performed three songs: one song chosen by their mentor, Bobby Bones, one song dedicated to their heroes, and one song from the Elton John discography. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Top 3 – Finale (May 19)

Each contestant performed two songs before the one contestant who had the fewest votes up to that point was eliminated, thereby finishing in third place. The remaining two contestants performed one last song as voting continued. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.

Elimination chart

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Ratings

References

External links

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{{American Idol

American Idol seasons
2019 American television seasons