As the 24th season of “American Idol” kicks off on January 26, 2026, we’re looking back at all 23 previous winners and revisiting some of the iconic show’s most surprising results.
Since 2002, when Kelly Clarkson became the first-ever “Idol” winner, the judges have decided which contestants got through the auditions and early rounds. But in the end, it’s always been the viewers who determined the finalists and voted on each round after that.
VIDEO: Most Shocking ‘American Idol’ Winners Countdown
In honor of a new season starting, EntertainmentNow reporters Liv Lane and Todd Betzold, who have covered “American Idol” for years, sat down to go over their picks for the Most Shocking “American Idol” Winners. Though we didn’t compare answers ahead of time, it was wild to realize we’d picked most of the same winners! Watch the countdown above and get additional details on each unexpected winner below.
4. ‘American Idol’ Season 17: Laine Hardy Over Alejandro (ScaryPoolParty) Aranda
GettyOur fourth pick was not nearly as surprising as our Top 3, but still warrants a mention. Laine Hardy, a Louisiana country singer, hadn’t even intended to audition for season 17, which he wound up winning. He’d already competed on the show during the previous season and was cut during the early rounds by judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Katy Perry.
When Hardy accompanied a friend to her audition in 2019, the judges instantly recognized him and convinced him to try out again, even though he had nothing prepared. He made it through to Hollywood again, took on a young Elvis persona, and sailed all the way to the final against Alejandro Aranda, best known as ScaryPoolParty.
Aranda consistently stunned viewers and the judges with his innovative arrangements, incredible guitar playing, and unique sound. In late 2022, Bryan said on the Full Send podcast that Aranda was the most talented contestant he’d ever seen on the show,calling him a “savant” and saying that he “plays guitar and piano as good as anybody in the world.”
3. ‘American Idol’ Season 8 Winner Kris Allen Over Adam Lambert
GettySeason 8’s viewers delivered a shocking outcome when singer-songwriter Kris Allen won “American Idol” over Adam Lambert, who stood out from the crowd with his fashion, flair and insane vocals. At the time, Good Morning America said “it may go down as the biggest upset in the show’s history.”
2. ‘American Idol’ Season 7: David Cook Over David Archuleta
GettyThe year before the Kris Allen/Adam Lambert shocker, “American Idol” viewers delivered another huge surprise, when rocker David Cook beat teen dream David Archuleta. People wrote that before the votes were in, it “felt as intense as a presidential election.”
Archuleta told the outlet in 2025 that the drama around the finale was surreal, recalling, “I think we both were like, ‘What the hell is going on?’ when we were on ‘American Idol.’ I mean, we both wanted to be singers, but none of us craved to be like, ‘I want to be the superstar. Everyone look at me.’ We were both just like, ‘Okay, well, we’re here. Oh, we’re at the finale now. Oh my God. We want to do well, and we want to do our best, but how the hell did we end up here?’ It was just wild.”
1. ‘American Idol’ Season 5: Taylor Hicks Over Katharine McPhee
GettyWe chose Taylor Hicks’ victory over Katharine McPhee as the most shocking result in “American Idol” history. McPhee consistently delivered incredible vocals throughout the season, which would lead her to having her own successful career and marrying legendary music producer David Foster.
But Hicks’ folksy southern soul won viewers over, and he had a huge legion of fans called the “Soul Patrol” rooting for him each week.
We can’t wait to see what the next season brings! Season 24 of “American Idol” premieres on January 26 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Voters have made some terrible choices over the years, eliminating some great singers along the way, and we can almost guess each time who the voters would pick in error. Usually if there was a country singer with a guitar, voters would pick them over a power vocal singer who blew the judges away each time they sang. The biggest exception, and the nicest surprise choice, was when voters chose Jamal Roberts to win over the kid with the guitar! Good job, voters!
I disagree, the country boy with the guitar, also known as John Foster, should have won. Jamal was a screamer.