The end of an era has finally come to a close. American Idol aired its series finale last Thursday and it was definitely one for the books. The night was full of surprises, tears, and a shocking conclusion. Let’s take a look at some of the memorable moments from the evening.
One of the greatest things about the finale was that almost every single contestant from the past was there. Many of your favorite singers from the past seasons either made a brief appearance or took to the stage to belt out another song. Some of the contestants you couldn’t even recognize until their name and what season they were from appeared on the screen.
Fan favorites included: Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Nick Frandiani, Allison Iraheta, Bo Bice, Bucky Covington, Casey James, Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken, Colton Dixon, Constantine Maroulis, Danny Gokey, Diana DeGarmo, Elliot Yamin, Ace Young, James Durbin, Jessica Sanchez, Joshua Ledet, Justin Guarini, Katherine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, Kimberley Locke, LaToya London, Lauren Alaina, Pia Toscano, Sanjaya, Skylar Lane, Tamyra Gray, David Archuleta and many more.
The show opened with many of the past contestants joining together to sing a variety of songs. As the night went on, some of the past contestants also joined each other in their respected genre and sang a few songs together. The nostalgia was at an all-time high with these special moments.
Judges from previous seasons also made an appearance either in person or via video message. Video messages from Steven Tyler, Nicki Minaj and Ellen DeGeneres were seen as they reminisced and reflected on the show. Former judge Kara DioGuardi sang Pink’s hit “Sober” with Jordin Sparks and Tamyra Gray towards the beginning of the show as well.
Probably one of the best moments of the night was when they showed a video compilation of the funniest and craziest times when the original judges Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Paula Abdul were around. Randy and Paula came out and talked with Ryan Seacrest about the good times that they had.
As a parting gift, they gave Seacrest the American Idol sign that would be seen during the auditions. To everyone’s surprise (which was predictable), Simon came out to the stage and gave a little emotional speech of his own. They all gathered into a group hug and it was just like the good old days.
Another great moment included a pre-recorded performance of Kelly Clarkson’s No. 1 hits. Some of them included “Miss Independent”, “Since You Been Gone”, and her “winner’s song” “A Moment Like This”. Seacrest stated that she would have been there but she is expecting the arrival of her second child soon.
Things came full circle for Carrie Underwood when she performed on the same stage that she won on back in season four. She performed her hit “Something in the Water”. Underwood got emotional as well after her performance while she was talking with Seacrest about the show and how it changed her life.
The finale of course would not be complete without a few surprise appearances/performances from two notorious people. As some may remember, Seacrest was not the only host of the show back in the day. Brian Dunkleman was Seacrest’s co-host for just the first season of the show. Both of them did not get along with each other and in an interview with E!, Dunkleman said he had an off-camera interaction with Seacrest where he cleared the air. Dunkleman told Seacrest, “I want to apologize to you for all the times we didn’t get along back then”.
Everybody has also probably been wondering, what happened to William Hung? Out of nowhere and to Seacrest’s surprise, Hung came out and started singing the song that he auditioned with back in season three. In case you wanted to know what he is currently doing, he is a technical crime analyst for the Los Angeles Sherriff’s department. Who would have 
thought?
The time had finally come to announce the winner. Even though the judges said that it could go either way, they seemed surprised with the outcome. The final winner of the show ended up being Mississippi native Trent Harmon. He was very emotional and shocked as people came to congratulate him and the streamers and confetti fell from the ceiling.
He was so emotional that he had to try and power through his “winner’s song” called “Falling”. Social media quickly blew up because they thought La’Porsha Renae was going to win. La’Porsha was humble about Trent winning and Trent even thanked her for her help throughout their journey together.
The show closed with an emotional and confusing ending. Seacrest was trying to hold back tears as he said his goodbye to the show. When it seemed like the show was over, Seacrest said goodbye and then suddenly the stage went black and he said “for now”. This left many people confused as to what that meant and it was later revealed by Simon Fuller, the show’s creator, that a show like this may return but it will not be exactly the same.
American Idol has left us with memorable performances, hilarious auditions, and inspiring stories from the contestants. The show introduced the world to now some of the biggest names in the industry. Even though there are now many different talent competition shows, American Idol will always be known as the original.
Elizabeth Granato
Features Editor
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