American Idol (season 9) spots of the season. Viewership for the Tuesday episodes averaged 22.974 million, while the Wednesday episodes averaged 21.951 million. American Idol (season 9) 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 returned to the judging panel. Ellen DeGeneres joined the panel as a replacement for Paula Abdul after guest judges filled in during the auditions. 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
American Idol (season 5) Ninth-place finisher Mandisa's "True Beauty" album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album in 2007. Season five is the season from the first ten seasons of "American Idol" with the most number of finalists who have made it onto the Billboard charts. The compilation album for this season was performed by the top twelve finalists. In 2006, American Idol also became the most nominated unscripted show ever, and has several nominations in the 2006 Emmy Awards for season five: American Idol (season 5) The fifth season of reality television singing competition "American Idol" began on January 17,