American Idol

Episodes

• Episode 40 | Aired May 20 Don't Be Afraid of the Dark Horse Kris Allen thwarts Adam Lambert's long-predicted season 8 coronation, but with a final two this awesome, did anyone really lose? Comments +
• Episode 39 | Aired May 19 A Tale of Two Idols Adam Lambert and Kris Allen wage a bloody battle -- not versus each other -- but against a ghastly ''Idol'' anthem that sullies Kara's songwriting credibility Comments +
• Episode 38 | Aired May 13 It's Shock-Tale Hour! As judges' favorite Danny gets booted, the season 8 battle (correctly) comes down to the outré glam rocker versus the laid-back, guitar-playing artiste Comments +
• Episode 37 | Aired May 12 It's Reigning Men! Kris, Adam, and Danny make their cases for a season-finale slot, while the judges reach new levels of idiocy Comments +
• Episode 36 | Aired May 6 Go Fourth and Prosper! Allison's season 8 'journey' comes to an end, while Danny dreams on to join Kris and Adam in the final three Comments +
• Episode 35 | Aired May 5 Crime-Scream Investigation Kris and Allison get mugged by the judges, but a caterwauling Danny lands the 'Get Out of Jail Free' card for his abysmal Aerosmith cover Comments +
• Episode 34 | Aired Apr 29 Cake, Rattle, and Roll The remaining five contestants play with their food and give viewers minor heart palpitations before Matt (once again) gets sent packing Comments +
• Episode 33 | Aired Apr 28 I Smell a Rat (Pack)! A solid night of swinging standards is nearly ruined by Simon's disastrously off-key critiques, but we still learn new truths about the five remaining singers Comments +
• Episode 32 | Aired Apr 22 Double Whammy! Lil and Anoop get sent home, and the season 8 finals come down to Adam, Kris, Danny, Matt, and Allison Comments +
• Episode 31 | Aired Apr 21 Summer Lovin' Despite the predictability of three contestants selecting Donna Summer tunes, Disco Night winds up as one of the season's more enjoyable telecasts Comments +
• Episode 29 | Aired Apr 15 Pulp Affliction Guest mentor Quentin Tarantino can't stop the top 7 contestants from choosing a (mostly) tired collection of sappy soundtrack ballads Comments +
• Episode 29 | Aired Apr 15 Better 'Save' Than Sorry! In the season's most emotional results show, the judges overturn America's decision to send Matt home. Now the question lingers: Did they do the right thing? Comments +
• Episode 27 | Aired Apr 7 Simon's Spontaneous 'O'! Adam Lambert scores almost Paula-esque praise from Mr. Cowell, but Scott and Lil take more (critical) hits than a holiday pinata Comments +
• Episode 26 | Aired Apr 1 Shock and 'Caw' Megan Joy flies the coop in appropriately batty fashion, but not before one final (and kinda awkward) showdown with Simon Comments +
• Episode 25 | Aired Mar 31 This...is 'Bizarro Idol'! A night of 'Top Downloads' brings us ancient ditties, ridiculous judges' comments, and a longing for the good ole' days of season 7 Comments +
• Episode 24 | Aired Mar 26 Oil's Well That Ends Well Texas roughneck Michael Sarver exits season 8 on the classiest of notes, while Matt Giraud takes an unexpected trip to the bottom 3 Comments +
• Episode 23 | Aired Mar 25 The Mo(town), the Merrier KICKIN' IT OLD-SCHOOL Danny, Alison, and Adam all tried to be worthy of their chosen Motown classics Comments +
• Episode 22 | Aired Mar 18 No Safe Passage Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis perform a duet, and the judges pass up yet another chance to keep one contestant from going home Comments +
• Episode 21 | Aired Mar 17 'Opry'-tunity knocks! Country music proves to be a great equalizer as several under-the-radar contestants draw even with the preordained front-runners Comments +
• Episode 20 | Aired Mar 11 Two Birds, One Show In the first elimination show of the finals, Ryan reveals the new Judges Save rule, but it doesn't keep two singers from getting sent home anyhow Comments +
• Episode 19 | Aired Mar 10 This Is Thriller Night! As the top 13 contestants tackle the Michael Jackson songbook, multiple serious contenders emerge. Meanwhile, Ryan hints at a possibly troubling twist! Comments +
• Episode 18 | Aired Mar 5 Boys Gone Wild Card! Two more men and a pair of women sail through to the finals, as Ryan reveals the 'shocking twist': Season 8 will feature a top 13! Comments +
• Episode 17 | Aired Mar 4 Rage Against the Machine The judges reveal their Wild Card choices, confounding and infuriating Michael Slezak Comments +
• Episode 16 | Aired Mar 3 Underdogs To the Rescue? On a night of solid semifinal performances, here's hoping at least one under-the-radar contestant sails through to the top 12 Comments +
• Episode 15 | Aired Feb 26 Relax, It's Just Six! With half the finalists already comfy on their stools, there are still plenty of Season 8 mysteries left to ponder Comments +
• Episode 14 | Aired Feb 25 There Will Be Blood Half of the evening's twelve semifinalists deliver decent performances. Too bad half of 'em won't make the cut Comments +
• Episode 13 | Aired Feb 18 Voters, Start Your Engines! As the semifinals get underway, Slezak judges the first 12 performances and finds them mostly lacking Comments +
• Episode 12 | Aired Feb 17 Pimpin' Ain't Easy Contestants with backing from the judges and producers rule the day as the first three finalists of season 8 are unveiled Comments +
• Episode 11 | Aired Feb 11 Thinning the Herd The continued Hollywood Week presence of questionable singers like Norman Gentle makes the whole season kind of questionable, but at least we had stars-in-training like Anne Marie Boskovich and Anoop Desai, right? Comments +
• Episode 10 | Aired Feb 10 A Dramatic Weeding With tearful dismissals, ecstatic passes, and dubious choices, we have our final 36 Comments +
• Episode 09 | Aired Feb 5 Bikini Girl Has No Clothes With plenty of drama unfolding among Hollywood Week groups, the case for the ouster of early favorites (like Deanna Brown) is curiously missing Comments +
• Episode 08 | Aired Feb 3 (Not So) Super Cuts As Hollywood Week gets under way, the judges slash 43 hopefuls but leave at least two dubious contestants in the mix Comments +
• Episode 07 | Aired Jan 29 Livin' la Vida Broke-down Laughs abound as the audition rounds wrap up in Puerto Rico and NYC, but where the heck are the producers hiding the Elliotts, Clays, and 'Tasias? Comments +
• Episode 06 | Aired Jan 28 Gator Raid in Florida With some clever editing and a few promising voices, the auditions in Jacksonville might give us reason to be optimistic about the rest of the season Comments +
• Episode 05 | Aired Jan 27 Big Love-fest The show stopped off at Salt Lake City, where they met the nicest contestants on earth and even found some noteworthy singers for Hollywood week Comments +
• Episode 04 | Aired Jan 21 Kentucky Blues A few actual contenders make it through to Hollywood week, but there are plenty of misses at the Churchill Downs auditions Comments +
• Episode 03 | Aired Jan 20 Finding Hacks in Cali The San Francisco auditions showcase only one clear contender but several dubious calls by Paula, Kara, and Randy Comments +
• Episode 02 | Aired Jan 14 'Show Me' the Talent As the audition train stops in Kansas City, MO, the producers decide to focus on (gasp!) good singing Comments +
• Episode 01 | Aired Jan 13 Welcome Back! New judge Kara DioGuardi joins our original three in Phoenix at the start of season 8 for the fun that is the early auditions, where some thrill (Deanna Brown), others confound (X-Ray), and one inspires (Scott MacIntyre) Comments +