American Idol (season 8) American Idol (season 8) The eighth season of "American Idol" premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the "Idol" panel. It was also Abdul's final season as a judge. Kris Allen, a native of Conway, Arkansas, was announced the winner of the competition on May 20, 2009, defeating runner-up Adam Lambert after nearly 100 million votes. This was the second season where both of the final
Search for the Idol Philippines Sanchez, the runner-up of the 11th season of American Idol, will be added as a judge but it has been denied by her. Billy Crawford confirmed his role as the host after he also renewed his contract with the network. In 2018, ABS-CBN acquired the rights to air the third incarnation of the "Idol" in the Philippines. On October 17, 2018, Regine Velasquez was revealed as the first judge following her contract signing with the network. The following month, also after a contract signing, Billy Crawford was announced to host the show. Search for the Idol Philippines Search for the