The pessimists were wrong.
With a new group of contestants -- some of whom turned out to be more controversial than talented -- the show once again became the most watched and talked about show on television during it's sixth season.
The finalists were:
- Phil Stacey
- Jordin Sparks
- Lakisha Jones
- Brandon Rogers
- Melinda Doolittle
- Chris Richardson
- Gina Glocksen
- Chris Sligh
- Haley Scarnato
- Blake Lewis
- Stephanie Edwards
- Sanjaya Malakar
Read about them here.
From the beginning, former backup singer Melinda Doolittle showed the judges that she was ready to take the lead. Singers including Lakisha Jones also impressed the judges early on. But the singer America was talking about before the competition was narrowed down from 24 finalists to 12 was Antonella Barba.
Antonella made headlines when sexy, controversial photos of the college student were posted online. She didn't make it to the top 12, but Antonella's name was not forgotten.
The other season six contestant who had us buzzing was Sanjaya Malakar. Even though Sanjaya delivered performances that sometimes left the judges disgusted and speechless, viewers voted to keep the teen on the show each week -- even when he infamously styled his hair in a "pony-hawk."
Sanjaya caused quite a stir before he was finally eliminated during season six, but one of the season's biggest controversies came when the competition was down to final three. Judges' favorite Melinda Doolittle was eliminated from the show and some unhappy fans vowed to stop watching the show for good.
With Melinda gone, the final two were beatboxing singer Blake Lewis and teen vocalist Jordin Sparks. Jordin, who also won over the judges during the competition, became the sixth American Idol. She went on to record a pop album that debuted in the top ten. But her music did not sell as well as fans expected. Blake Lewis also released an album that had less than amazing sales.