Hot Gallery: As American Idol Marks a Milestone, We Look Back at the Show’s Top Star-Making Moments

With her big voice and big brown eyes, Katharine McPhee was a standout in a season full of remarkable talent, but she made the biggest impression with one of her most restrained performances. Sitting at the center of the stage, she delivered a vulnerable take on the Judy Garland classic “Somewhere over the Rainbow” that propelled her into the finale. The season 5 runner-up starred in the NBC musical-theater drama Smash.

The country girl stepped out of her comfort zone to tackle Heart’s ’80s power ballad “Alone” (many Idol contestants have since done so, with less success). This Top 11 performance inspired Simon to make a prediction: “Not only will you win this show, you will sell more records than any other previous Idol winner.” She did, and she has. Carrie Underwood, the season 4 champ, has still had more album sales than any other alum of the show.

Here’s another pared-down performance that wowed the judges and audiences alike. Better known for his over-the-top antics and fabulous getups, Adam Lambert wore an understated outfit, sat in a chair, and delivered this memorable cover of Gary Jules’ cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World.” We always knew that Lambert could sing, but this proved that he is a star. His debut album skyrocketed him onto a headlining world tour.

The rocker showed his chops pretty early on—this performance of Fuel’s “Hemorrhage” came during Top 20 week, and it made us all sit up and take notice. We could have easily chosen his rendition of “I Walk the Line” for Chris Daughtry’s star-making moment, but “Hemorrhage” was the first—of many. Though Daughtry’s early departure from the show was a shocker, his band’s three albums have gone on to tremendous success.

The only American Idol alum to win an Oscar (for her vocal-driven role in Dreamgirls), Jennifer Hudson blew us all away with her “Circle of Life”—which Sir Elton John, the guest judge for this week, called his favorite performance of the bunch. She’s also a Grammy winner, a Golden Globe winner, a SAG winner—and she’s not done yet.

Taking on Aretha is always risky; making one of her songs your own is even harder. Lots of Idol hopefuls have tried and fallen short. But Kelly Clarkson, the show’s first champ, made it sound easy, even throwing in a whopping high note at the climax of “Natural Woman” that gave us a glimpse of what she is capable of. Second only to Carrie Underwood in post-Idol success, Clarkson has released five studio albums, received multiple Grammys and VMAs, has gone multiplatinum many times over, and is a radio mainstay.

With his humble demeanor, Elliott Yamin was perhaps an unlikely front-runner, but his soulfulness earned him a rabid fan base (myself included—he’s my favorite Idol alum of all time). The earnest, confident performance of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You” (written by Leon Russell) made Paula cry (admittedly, not that hard) and had Simon calling it a “vocal master class.” Yamin has released three albums to date.

What is it about sitting down that brings out the best in Idol contestants? Fantasia Barrino soared when she took to the floor for this poignant performance of the Gershwin classic “Summertime.” Since winning season 3, Fantasia has gone on to win a Grammy and rave reviews for her portrayal of Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway.

The theatrical boy with the wild hair was a polarizing contestant, to say the least—and not just because of his surprising loss to Ruben Studdard in the finale. But his “Solitaire” even inspired the song’s author, Neil Sedaka, to say, “I have lost my song forever to you—it will always be a Clay Aiken song.” In addition to releasing six albums (with another on the way), writing a New York Times best-selling book, and appearing on Broadway in Monty Python’s Spamalot, Aiken starred on The Celebrity Apprentice 5.

Mentor Jon Bon Jovi made no bones about being less than pleased with Blake Lewis’s interpretation of his hit “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Undoubtedly one of the most unique contestants in Idol history, Lewis took a big risk by bringing his trademark beatboxing and dance groove to a beloved song—and it paid off. Lewis, who was the season 6 runner-up, went on to have a number-one song on the dance charts.

On a bare-bones set in front of a minuscule audience (remember the show’s austere early days?), Studdard delivered a smooth, soulful performance of Luther Vandross’s “Superstar” that put him a step ahead of the rest of the contestants and set him up to win season 2. The Velvet Teddy Bear has released R&B and gospel albums and has appeared on numerous TV shows—including an adorable rendition of the alphabet song with Elmo on Sesame Street.

Cutie patootie David Archuleta impressed with a surprisingly mature performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” that was both sweet and powerful. The season 7 runner-up had a hit with “Crush,” the debut single off his self-titled album. He took a two-year break from performing to do Mormon missionary work. He's since released a new album No Matter How Far in 2013.

Undeniably an artist in his own right, season 7 champ David Cook borrowed an excellent idea when he covered the Michael Jackson classic “Billie Jean” as covered by Chris Cornell. The richness of Cook’s whiskey-smoke voice made you hear this in a whole new way. Fans everywhere—cougars and non-cougars alike—fell for him during this number and continue to support him, helping his self-titled album go platinum.