Seasons

When you look at the approval ratings for the first few Season One episodes, it's a minor miracle that the show survived long enough to become a cultural phenomenon. Idol fans and producers owe an enormous debut of gratitude to Kelly Clarkson and Tamyra Gray for keeping the ship afloat in those rough early seas, at least until the infant series found its footing in, of all places, big band music.

While Season One had the lowest average approval rating, Season Two, perhaps surprisingly, boasted the highest. Certainly the epic duel between Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken played a big part, but give credit to the rest of the Top 12 as well: despite all the controversies and rumored backstage conflicts, the AI2 Crew was the first in which all twelve finalists posted at least one above-average rated performance (50 or higher).

Another curiosity: although Season Three rated below average, it produced the most five-star performances, 23. Eight different Idols contributed to that total, but the Big Three combined for more than two-thirds. Of course, that trio would be Fantasia Barrino, LaToya London, and ... Diana DeGarmo?!? Believe it.

Season Four is best remembered for a record seven performances that reached the rarified 90 threshold, four alone by Bo Bice. That's one more than AI5 and AI6 had combined. That Bice didn't win despite outscoring Carrie Underwood by nearly 15 points would seem like an injustice on the surface, but subsequent events suggest that the voters, at least for that one season, knew precisely what they were doing.

What Season Five lacked in showstoppers, it made up for in star power: its celebrated Final 5 all finished with approval ratings above 55.0. Which one was highest? The answer is, amazingly, 'none of the above.' The top-rated AI5 contestant finished ninth.

Season Six was a struggle: a mean performance rating of just 49.2, and a most-ever 63 performances coming in at 1-star or 2-stars. But AI6 also comes with a twist: eight of its oft-maligned 12 finalists finished with above-average approval ratings, tied for the most of any season. Look closely and you'll find a diverse, eclectic, and oftentimes rebellious crew who were unafraid to take risks, both in terms of song choice and presentation. Some of those risks ended in triumph and others, um, made little girls cry. Grown men too.