The fifteenth season of American Idol, also branded as American Idol: The Farewell Season, premiered on the Fox television network on January 6, 2016. Ryan Seacrest continued as the host, while Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban returned as judges. Scott Borchetta also returned as the in-house mentor. On April 7, 2016, Trent Harmon was announced as this season's winner and La'Porsha Renae was the runner-up.
It was the series' final season to air on Fox. Despite the announcement that the series would be ending, ABC announced in May 2017 that they would revive American Idol.
Changes from previous seasons For the first time, performances by the top 24 were judged solely by the show's judges and producers, who determined which contestants were eliminated. From each group of twelve, seven were advanced and five were eliminated, resulting in a top 14 for the third week of the semifinals.
The voting limit for this season was set at ten votes per contestant per voting method, half of what it had been the previous season.
Regional auditions The American Idol "Audition Bus Tour" visited the following cities: Seattle; Providence, Rhode Island; Baltimore, Maryland; San Diego, California; Pittsburgh; Tucson, Arizona; Indianapolis, Indiana; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Athens, Georgia; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Oxford, Mississippi; and Wilmington, North Carolina. American Idol partnered with two technology companies to allow people to audition using video recording kiosks and mobile apps in Culver City, California, and Nashville.
Auditions took place in:
+American Idol (season 15) – regional auditions City Preliminary date Preliminary venue Filming date(s) Filming venue Various cities July 9–21, 2015 Varied UnknownDenver, Colorado July 10, 2015 Denver Coliseum September 26–27, 2015 Colorado Convention CenterSavannah, Georgia July 22, 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Arena September 13–14, 2015 W Midtown Hotel(Atlanta)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania August 2, 2015 Liacouras Center August 15–16, 2015 Pennsylvania Convention CenterLittle Rock, Arkansas August 8, 2015 Verizon Arena August 22–23, 2015 Statehouse Convention CenterSan Francisco, California September 15, 2015 Cow Palace October 10–11, 2015 Westin St. Francis
Semifinals The top 24 semifinalists were split into two groups of twelve, and their performances were filmed at The Vibiana in Los Angeles. Each round consisted of back-to-back performances: each contestant sang one solo in the episode which aired on Wednesday, and one duet with an American Idol alumnus in the episode that aired on Thursday.
Color key:
Top 24 (Group 1) Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
+Group 1 (February 10 & 11) Contestant Order(2/10) Solo song Order(2/11) Duet song Result Stephany Negrete 1 "Mamma Knows Best" 3 "Superstar"(with Ruben Studdard) Eliminated MacKenzie Bourg 2 "Say Something" 7 "I Hope You Dance"(with Lauren Alaina) Wild Card Jeneve Rose Mitchell 3 "Angel" 11 "Gone"(with Scotty McCreery) Wild Card Jenna Renae 4 "My Church" 5 "See You Tonight"(with Scotty McCreery) Eliminated James VIII 5 "Love Lockdown" 10 "Gimme Shelter"(with Caleb Johnson) Eliminated Sonika Vaid 6 "Safe & Sound" 4 "Skyfall"(with Caleb Johnson) Wild Card Gianna Isabella 7 "I Put a Spell on You" 8 "Beautiful Life"(with Nick Fradiani) Wild Card Emily Brooke 8 "I Am Invincible" 1 "Flat on the Floor"(with Lauren Alaina) Eliminated Avalon Young 9 "Love Yourself" 9 "Flying Without Wings"(with Ruben Studdard) Wild Card Jordan Sasser 10 "All by Myself" 12 "I Believe"(with Fantasia) Eliminated Thomas Stringfellow 11 "Creep" 2 "Man in the Mirror"(with Nick Fradiani) Wild Card La'Porsha Renae 12 "Proud Mary" 6 "Summertime"(with Fantasia) Advanced
Top 24 (Group 2) Contestants are listed in the order they performed. +Group 2 (February 17 & 18) Contestant Order(2/17) Solo song Order(2/18) Duet song Result Shelbie Z 1 "Work Hard, Play Harder" 12 "Bohemian Rhapsody"(with Constantine Maroulis) Eliminated Manny Torres 2 "Adventure of a Lifetime" 5 "No Air"(with Jordin Sparks) Wild Card Kory Wheeler 3 "Let It Go" 2 "Bennie and the Jets"(with Haley Reinhart) Eliminated Amelia Eisenhauer 4 "Wake Me Up" 1 "Suds in the Bucket"(with Kellie Pickler) Eliminated Jenn Blosil 5 "Sorry" 6 "My Funny Valentine"(with Constantine Maroulis) Wild Card C. J. Johnson 6 "I'll Be" 4 "The World I Know"(with David Cook) Eliminated Lee Jean 7 "Runaway" 3 "Home"(with Chris Daughtry) Wild Card Trent Harmon 8 "What Are You Listening To" 11 "To Love Somebody"(with Jordin Sparks) Advanced Tristan McIntosh 9 "Good Girl" 7 "Best Days of Your Life"(with Kellie Pickler) Wild Card Adam Lasher 10 "Black and Gold" 9 "Can't Help Falling in Love"(with Haley Reinhart) Eliminated Dalton Rapattoni 11 "Rebel Yell" 10 "Higher Ground"(with Chris Daughtry) Advanced Olivia Rox 12 "Confident" 8 "Light On"(with David Cook) Advanced
Wild Card round Following the judges' selection of four contestants to advance to the Finals, the remaining ten semifinalists competed for the viewers' votes. Six of them advanced to complete the final group of ten. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
+Wild Card round (February 24) Contestant Song Result Manny Torres "Master Blaster (Jammin')" Eliminated Gianna Isabella "I Put a Spell on You" Advanced Thomas Stringfellow "Story of My Life" Eliminated Tristan McIntosh "What Hurts the Most" Advanced Avalon Young "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" Advanced Jenn Blosil "True Colors" Eliminated Lee Jean "Make It Rain" Advanced Sonika Vaid "I Surrender" Advanced Jeneve Rose Mitchell "Ring of Fire" Eliminated MacKenzie Bourg "Roses" Advanced
Top 10 finalists
Trent Harmon (born October 8, 1990) was from Amory, Mississippi. He auditioned in Little Rock, singing "Unaware" by Allen Stone. When Harmon suffered mononucleosis during Hollywood Week, he continued by singing Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down" as his first solo. In the group round, he was not able to perform with the other contestants due to his illness, and the producers allowed him to perform a solo to advance. He earned a spot in the top 24 during Showcase Week after performing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer." La'Porsha Renae (born August 1, 1993) was from McComb, Mississippi. She had previously auditioned during the eighth season. She auditioned in Little Rock with Radiohead's "Creep." In Hollywood, she performed Katy Perry's "Roar" as her first solo. She advanced to the top 24 after she sang "The House of the Rising Sun" during Showcase Week. Dalton Rapattoni (born February 6, 1996) was from Sunnyvale, Texas. He auditioned in Little Rock, with "The Phantom of the Opera." As his first solo in Hollywood, he sang "California Dreamin'" by The Mamas & the Papas. He sang Olivia Newton-John's "Hopelessly Devoted to You" as his final solo. He advanced to the Top 24 after he sang "It's Gonna Be Me" by NSYNC during Showcase Week. MacKenzie Bourg (born September 11, 1992) was from Lafayette, Louisiana. He auditioned at Atlanta by performing a medley of songs by the judges. He sang his original song, "Roses," as his final solo to advance to the Showcase round. He advanced to the top 24 after he performed "Can't Help Falling in Love". Sonika Vaid (born August 4, 1995) was originally from Weston, Massachusetts, but moved to Martha's Vineyard. She sang "Look at Me" by Carrie Underwood at her audition in Denver, and received high praise from the judges. She then progressed to the first round in Hollywood, where she sang "Almost Is Never Enough." As her final solo in Hollywood, she performed "One Last Time" by Ariana Grande. In the Showcase round, she performed "I Surrender" by Celine Dion and advanced to the Top 24. Tristan McIntosh (born April 25, 2000) was from Nashville, Tennessee. She auditioned in Little Rock, performing "Why Baby Why" by Mickey Guyton. In Hollywood, she sang "Something in the Water" by Carrie Underwood as her first solo. She advanced to the Showcase round after performing her final solo, "What Hurts the Most." She advanced to the top 24 after singing "Stronger" by Faith Hill. Lee Jean (born September 10, 1999) was from Bluffton, South Carolina. He auditioned in Atlanta, where he sang Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire." He sang "Stitches" by Shawn Mendes as his final solo. During Showcase week, he sang "Make It Rain" and earned a spot in the top 24. Avalon Young (born July 16, 1994) was from San Diego, California. She auditioned in San Francisco by performing an acoustic version of "XO" by Beyoncé. During the final round in Hollywood, she sang Ariana Grande's "One Last Time" and advanced in the Showcase Round. She sang "Yo (Excuse Me Miss)" by Chris Brown and advanced to the top 24 semifinals. Gianna Isabella (born March 30, 2000) was from Jackson, New Jersey. She auditioned in Philadelphia, where she sang "The House of the Rising Sun." She sang "One Night Only" as her first solo in Hollywood. She sang her mother's hit single. "I Still Believe," during Showcase Week and advanced to the top 24. Olivia Rox (born January 16, 1999) was from Agoura Hills, California. She auditioned in San Francisco, where she performed "When I Was Your Man" by Bruno Mars. She advanced in the first round in Hollywood by performing "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera. She sang one of her original songs and advanced to Showcase Week. She advanced to the top 24 after she sang Maroon 5's "Love Somebody."
Finals There were seven weeks of finals with ten contestants competing. For the first three weeks, the judges had the ability to save one contestant amongst the bottom three or two, that resulted from America's votes based upon the previous week's performances. As of the Top 5, the results reverted back entirely to America's vote.
Color key:
Top 10 – Songs from 2002–present Kelly Clarkson served as a guest judge this week. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Contestant Song Result Olivia Rox "Unconditionally"Eliminated Gianna Isabella "Listen"Eliminated Lee Jean "Skinny Love"Safe Avalon Young "Stitches"Saved by the judges Dalton Rapattoni "Hey There Delilah"Safe Tristan McIntosh "Nothin' Like You"Safe MacKenzie Bourg "I See Fire"Safe La'Porsha Renae "Diamonds"Safe Sonika Vaid "Bring Me to Life"Safe Trent Harmon "Like I Can"Safe + Non-competition performance Performers Song Kelly Clarkson"Piece by Piece"
Top 8 – Grammy hits Avalon Young, Olivia Rox, and Gianna Isabella were in the Bottom 3 based on America's votes from the previous week's episode. Rox performed "Trouble" while Isabella performed "If I Ain't Got You". However, Young's performance of "Earned It" earned the judges' save amongst the three, and consequently, the other two were eliminated. Young's performance was nevertheless up for America's vote along with the other seven. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.
Contestant Song Result Dalton Rapattoni "Radioactive"Safe Lee Jean "Use Somebody"Eliminated Sonika Vaid "Since U Been Gone"Saved by the judges MacKenzie Bourg "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"Safe La'Porsha Renae "Halo"Safe Trent Harmon "When a Man Loves a Woman"Safe Tristan McIntosh "Go Rest High on That Mountain"Safe Avalon Young "Earned It"Eliminated + Non-competition performance Performers Song Top 8with Demi Lovato "Confident" Demi Lovato "Stone Cold" Harry Connick Jr. "(I Do) Like We Do"
Top 6 – Popular songs of all time Contestants performed two songs each: one duet with a fellow contestant, and one solo. Contestants are listed in the order they performed.