SOMETIMES a loss can turn into a win, as contestants from Jennifer Hudson to Katharine McPhee have found more fame after being eliminated from American Idol.
That’s what happened to these former American Idol contestants – all eliminated during their respective seasons.
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But leaving Idol doesn’t mean your career is over. In fact, sometimes it can be the best thing to happen.
That was the case for eventual EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson.
The 42-year-old surprisingly came in seventh place when she appeared on the third season of American Idol in 2004.
Since then, she has only won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
In 2005, Jennifer began her acting career as Effie White in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls, for which she would end up winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
She won an Emmy Award for the series Baba Yaga and a Grammy for her self-titled album and the soundtrack to The Color Purple.
In 2022, Jennifer became the 17th EGOT winner when she took home a Tony as producer of the 2022 Best Musical winner, A Strange Loop.
Currently, Jennifer is the host of the talk show The Jennifer Hudson Show.
But Jen isn’t the only loser to win big.
ADAM LAMBERT
There is nothing shy about Adam Lambert’s success.
After finishing his eighth season as runner-up, the 42-year-old didn’t give up.
His debut album, For Your Entertainment, ranked third on the US Billboard 200 when it was released in 2009.
Adam had a lucrative solo career, before finding a whole new audience as the lead singer of the rock band Queen.
He also eliminated his acting problem by starring in five episodes of Glee and as Eddie in the TV movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.
KATHARINE MCPHEE
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After finishing runner-up to Taylor Hicks in season five, Katharine McPhee became a television star and a Broadway star.
But his greatest victory was falling in love.
Smaller roles in films such as The House Bunny led to her headlining the primetime music show Smash in 2011.
And although it wasn’t a smash hit, lasting just two seasons, Katharine, 40, would go on to star in the CBS show Scorpion.
In 2019, love hurt Katharine when she married Canadian music producer David Foster.
Katharine and David, 74, welcomed a baby boy into the world in February 2021.
CHRIS’ DAUGHTER
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Chris Daughtry, 44, returned home just weeks before Katharine, finishing fourth in the fifth season.
But who needs Idol when you can achieve greater success on your own – especially in your own name.
Daughtry released her self-titled album in 2006 and sold more than six million copies in the United States alone.
Since then, they have released six albums, with the most recent coming in 2021.
The band received a Grammy nomination for their song, It’s Not Over, at the 50th awards show.
In March, they released a new single, titled Pieces, and are working on their next album.
KELLIE PICKLER
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Audiences didn’t let Kellie Pickler down after she finished sixth in season five.
The 37-year-old country singer released her debut album, Small Town Girl, in 2006, which later went gold.
She would release three more albums, the last being in 2013.
But her biggest win came on a different reality show.
Kellie took home the coveted Mirror Ball trophy in 2013 in Dancing with the Stars.
She is currently a DJ at SiriusXM.
AIKEN CLAY
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Clay Aiken was on American Idol for the second season in 2003.
He came in second place behind first place winner Ruben Studdard, but it could well have been a tie, as the two teamed up soon after and still often perform together – including as a duet on The Masked Singer.
After Idol, Clay, 45, branched out into TV, theater and politics.
He has released six studio albums and has several acting credits.
In addition to his entertainment career, Aiken has twice run for public office in North Carolina.
LAUREN ALAINA
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Lauren Alaina was runner-up on season 10 of American Idol to Scotty McCreery in 2011.
The country singer would win New Artist of the Year at the American Country Awards a year later.
She followed that up with the CMT Award for Breakthrough Video of the Year in 2017 for Road Less Traveled.
But his biggest honor came in 2021, when the country music star became the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry.
And she was introduced by her childhood hero, Trisha Yearwood.
Who are the previous American Idol winners?
Past American Idol winners include:
Kelly Clarkson (2002)
Ruben Studdard (2003)
Fantasia Barrino (2004)
Carrie Underwood (2005)
Taylor Hicks (2006)
Jordin Sparks (2007)
David Cook (2008)
Kris Allen (2009)
Lee DeWyze (2010)
Scotty McCreery (2011)
Phillip Phillips (2012)
Candice Glover (2013)
Caleb Johnson (2014)
Nick Fradiani (2015)
Trent Harmon (2016)
Maddie Poppe (2018)
Laine Hardy (2019)
Just Sam (2020)
Chayce Beckham (2021)
Noah Thompson (2022)
I Am Tongi (2023)
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