American Idol: Season 3
3 - 45Kelly, Ruben & Fantasia: Home for ChristmasNov. 24, 2004- 3 - 44And The Winner Is.....May. 26, 2004
- 3 - 43Fantasia Barrino vs. Diana DeGarmoMay. 25, 2004
- 3 - 42American Idol: The PhenomenonMay. 23, 2004
- 3 - 41Now Down To 2May. 19, 2004
- 3 - 403 singMay. 18, 2004
- 3 - 39The Final 3 2004May. 17, 2004
- 3 - 38Only 3 Idols remainMay. 12, 2004
- 3 - 374 Idols performMay. 11, 2004
- 3 - 36Only 4 remainMay. 05, 2004
- 3 - 355 Idols singMay. 04, 2004
- 3 - 34American Idol: The Final Five 2004May. 03, 2004
- 3 - 336-1=5 is the resultApr. 28, 2004
- 3 - 326 performApr. 27, 2004
- 3 - 316 remain - Barry Manilow visitsApr. 21, 2004
- 3 - 307 sing!!Apr. 20, 2004
- 3 - 29Down to 7 (Battle of the Jo(h)n's)Apr. 15, 2004
- 3 - 288 left to competeApr. 14, 2004
- 3 - 27Tamyra Gray returnsApr. 07, 2004
- 3 - 26Elton John themeApr. 06, 2004
- 3 - 2510 - 1 = 9Mar. 31, 2004
- 3 - 2410 Contestants singMar. 30, 2004
- 3 - 23Soon There Will Be 10Mar. 24, 2004
- 3 - 221 Down 11 To GoMar. 23, 2004
- 3 - 21Clay Aiken ReturnsMar. 17, 2004
- 3 - 2012 Finalists Have Been ChosenMar. 16, 2004
- 3 - 19Wild Card Round (2)Mar. 10, 2004
- 3 - 18Wild Card Round (1)Mar. 09, 2004
- 3 - 17Finally! Finalists!Mar. 03, 2004
- 3 - 16Group Four! Then the Wild Card!Mar. 02, 2004
- 3 - 15Uncut, Uncensored and UntalentedMar. 01, 2004
- 3 - 14You! Over here! With the rest of the finalists!Feb. 25, 2004
- 3 - 13I'm Back, Baby!Feb. 24, 2004
- 3 - 12The Final Decision...But The Right One?Feb. 18, 2004
- 3 - 11Sing Again!Feb. 17, 2004
- 3 - 10
- 3 - 9Sing!Feb. 10, 2004
- 3 - 887 - People Not Good Enough = 32 Finalists!Feb. 04, 2004
- 3 - 7
- 3 - 6
- 3 - 5Mokolokilikilanilaki! It's Hawai'i!Jan. 28, 2004
- 3 - 4Finally! A Show About California!Jan. 27, 2004
- 3 - 3Night Three!Jan. 21, 2004
- 3 - 2The Journey Continues!Jan. 20, 2004
- 3 - 1First Show, First RecapJan. 19, 2004
The third season of American Idol premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004 and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana DeGarmo by an approximate margin of 2%; the vote total was the highest recorded vote total in the show's history until the May 23, 2007 finale of the sixth season. This season also featured Jennifer Hudson, who would subsequently win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Season 3 is the first season where both the winner and the runner-up had been in the bottom 2 or 3 prior to the finale, being followed by the eighth and twelfth seasons. It is the first season to have a finale with two female contestants, followed by the twelfth season; while the second, seventh and eighth seasons had a finale with two male contestants. It is also the first season where a Wild Card contestant, Leah LaBelle, is eliminated in the first episode of the finals. It is the first season to have a gender imbalance among the finalists, followed by season 8, each having eight finalists of the dominant gender. Season 3 has eight female finalists, whereas the eighth season had eight male finalists.
