American Idol the winner determined by American viewers using phones, Internet, and SMS text voting. The winners of the first sixteen seasons, as chosen by viewers, are Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Nick Fradiani, Trent Harmon, and Maddie Poppe, respectively. "American Idol" employs a panel of vocal judges who critique the contestants' performances. The original judges, for the first through eighth seasons, were record producer and music manager Randy Jackson, singer and choreographer Paula Abdul, and music executive and manager Simon
Latin American Idol (season 4) Latin American Idol (season 4) The fourth season of Latin American Idol premiered on September 9, 2009. This season brings new changes as host Monchi Balestra and judge Gustavo Sánchez leave the show. The show was hosted by Erika de la Vega, judges Jon Secada and Mimi return to judge once again and a new judge joins them, Oscar Mediavilla, an Argentine producer. The auditions for Season 4 were on July 2009. There was a form to fill in the "Latin American Idol" MySpace site to try for auditions for 2009. Auditioners had to be between the ages of 18