American Idol (season 7) American Idol (season 7) The seventh season of "American Idol", the annual reality show and singing competition, began on January 15, 2008 and concluded on May 21, 2008. Ryan Seacrest continued to host the show with Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returning as judges. David Cook was announced the winner of the competition on May 21, 2008, defeating runner-up David Archuleta by a margin of roughly 12 million votes out of over 97 million, which was at that time the highest recorded vote total ever recorded in the show's history. The split was 56% to 44%. The seventh
The American Idol Experience one of the regional "American Idol" auditions for the television show, provided he or she meets the show's age and residency requirements. If the winner is not eligible, he or she will be allowed a "one-time" transfer of the "Dream Ticket" to another person, or can save the ticket until the age limit is met. Each day there were three judges. They have credible backgrounds in the music industry usually having performed on Broadway, West End, or similar. The last judge most frequently gave negative feedback, but had been known to make kind comments for exceptionally strong performances. As of