American Idol: Season 9
- 9 - 43Winner AnnouncedMay. 26, 2010
- 9 - 42Top 2 Finalists PerformMay. 25, 2010
- 9 - 411 of 3 Voted OffMay. 19, 2010
- 9 - 40Top 3 Finalists PerformMay. 18, 2010
- 9 - 391 of 4 Voted OffMay. 12, 2010
- 9 - 38Top 4 Finalists PerformMay. 11, 2010
- 9 - 371 of 5 Voted OffMay. 05, 2010
- 9 - 36Top 5 Finalists PerformMay. 04, 2010
- 9 - 351 of 6 Voted OffApr. 28, 2010
- 9 - 34Top 6 Finalists PerformApr. 27, 2010
- 9 - 331 of 7 Voted OffApr. 21, 2010
- 9 - 32Top 7 Finalists PerformApr. 20, 2010
- 9 - 312 of 9 Voted OffApr. 14, 2010
- 9 - 30Top 9 Finalists Perform AgainApr. 13, 2010
- 9 - 291 of 9 Voted OffApr. 07, 2010
- 9 - 28Top 9 Finalists PerformApr. 06, 2010
- 9 - 271 of 10 Voted OffMar. 31, 2010
- 9 - 26Top 10 Finalists PerformMar. 30, 2010
- 9 - 251 of 11 Voted OffMar. 24, 2010
- 9 - 24Top 11 Finalists PerformMar. 23, 2010
- 9 - 231 of 12 Voted OffMar. 17, 2010
- 9 - 22Top 12 Finalists PerformMar. 16, 2010
- 9 - 21Top 16 ResultsMar. 11, 2010
- 9 - 20Top 8 Guys PerformMar. 10, 2010
- 9 - 19Top 8 Girls PerformMar. 09, 2010
- 9 - 18Top 20 ResultsMar. 04, 2010
- 9 - 17Top 10 Girls PerformMar. 03, 2010
- 9 - 16Top 10 Guys PerformMar. 02, 2010
- 9 - 15Top 24 ResultsFeb. 25, 2010
- 9 - 14Top 12 Guys PerformFeb. 24, 2010
- 9 - 13Top 12 Girls PerformFeb. 23, 2010
- 9 - 12Hollywood Round 4 - Top 24 Semifinalists AnnouncedFeb. 17, 2010
- 9 - 11Hollywood Round 3Feb. 16, 2010
- 9 - 10Hollywood Round 2Feb. 10, 2010
- 9 - 9Hollywood Round 1Feb. 09, 2010
- 9 - 8The Road To HollywoodFeb. 03, 2010
- 9 - 7Denver AuditionsFeb. 02, 2010
- 9 - 6Dallas AuditionsJan. 27, 2010
- 9 - 5Los Angeles AuditionsJan. 26, 2010
- 9 - 4Orlando AuditionsJan. 20, 2010
- 9 - 3Chicago AuditionsJan. 19, 2010
- 9 - 2Atlanta AuditionsJan. 13, 2010
- 9 - 1Boston AuditionsJan. 12, 2010
The ninth season of American Idol premiered on January 12, 2010 and concluded on May 26, 2010 on Fox. Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi all returned as judges, and Ellen DeGeneres replaced Paula Abdul as the fourth judge. Idol Gives Back also returned for the season and was held on April 21, 2010, during the top seven results show. The top 24 semi-finals format used in the fourth through seventh seasons also returned this season. Judges Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen DeGeneres all left the show after this season ended, although only Cowell's departure was announced in advance. This was the second season where neither of the final 2 contestants had been in the bottom 2 or 3 prior to the finale, with the first being the seventh season. This was also the third consecutive season a male contestant had won, the longest streak for either gender. It was the first season since season 6 where a female made it to the finale and was also the first time since season 7 that both the finalists released a different song as a debut single. Lee DeWyze, a folk rocker from Mount Prospect, Illinois won the competition, beating the runner-up Crystal Bowersox. Eight contestants from this season were signed to record labels. The signed artists are Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, Tim Urban, Didi Benami, and Lacey Brown.