5 controversial ‘American Idol’ eliminations that broke our hearts — and made us question the voting
Those aspiring to join ‘American Idol’ have to go through several rounds to get selected. Hence, the contestants who make it to the Top 24 are undoubtedly the best of the best. But after that, it’s a matter of luck! In the show’s history, there have been winners for whom the audience has unanimously rooted. On the contrary, some victories and eliminations are deemed controversial. In the last 23 seasons, ‘American Idol’ has witnessed several shocking twists and turns. We have curated a list to mention some of the show’s most shocking eliminations.
1) Jennifer Hudson
The singer and current EGOT winner was first introduced to the world on ‘American Idol’ season 3. Her elimination is considered the most shocking in the show's entire history. Despite delivering powerful performances, the singer-actress landed in seventh place. Following her exit, Elton John famously made a bold statement in support of Hudson and other Black contestants. “The fact that they're constantly in the bottom three – and I don't want to set myself up here – but I find it incredibly racist,” he said, as reported by Good Housekeeping.
2) Chris Daughtry
Daughtry's competence and singing prowess got the entire nation rooting for his win. However, he was shockingly given the boot towards the end and was placed fourth in the competition. Many theories circulated around his shocking elimination. The contestant told Yahoo Entertainment that on the day of his elimination, he suspected that judges Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell were “hiding something.” Today reported that the votes were allegedly misdirected. People were allegedly directed to vote for Katharine McPhee instead.
3) Adam Lambert
Despite the show’s long history, Lambert is still remembered as one of the best ‘American Idol’ contestants. Although he hadn’t come out as gay while on the show, he told Variety that he was “probably” removed because of homophobia. “Probably. But it was 10 years ago,” Lambert told the outlet. Many believed that after Danny Gokey’s elimination, his fans voted for Kris Allen instead of Lambert, resulting in the latter’s loss.
4) Casey Abrams
This contestant appeared in the 10th season of ‘American Idol’ and won over the judges. He received the lowest votes not once but twice, the first time judges used “save” to keep him in the running. Unfortunately, they had no option to save him the second time around, forcing him to leave the show after finishing sixth. Before announcing the result, host Ryan Secrest memorably said, “A lot of fans [were] going to be disappointed with tonight’s result.”
5) Melinda Doolittle
Doolittle was shining throughout the show and never once found herself in the bottom two. But in a surprising twist, she was voted out before the season 6 finale. Simon Cowell, who was a judge that season, expressed his disappointment over the verdict. “She tried the hardest, was consistently the best, and had the best voice,” he told Good Morning America. However, the contestant had an optimistic outlook towards her ‘American Idol’ loss. “I really feel like, personally, that I've won as far as where I ended up in this competition,” she told MTV.
