Seasons · Fox

Season 9 (2010)

Aired on Fox from January 12, 2010 to May 26, 2010. The 12 finalists (Top 12): the contestants listed for season 9 in the Contestants table of Wikipedia's List of American Idol finalists. The same 12 names appear in the season article's Top 12 finalists section and elimination chart.^⁠[1][2]

Finalists

• Winner
• Runner-up
• Other finalists

Season 9 finalists: show result, then career after the show

Finalist	Show result	After the show
Lee DeWyze	Winner⁠[1][2][3] Last competed May 26, 2010	Lee DeWyze is a singer-songwriter. His album Gone For Days was released in August 2024 on Mavelle Records. In 2026 he was booked for concerts including the Fairfield Theatre Company in Connecticut on January 27 and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix on June 28. His songs have been licensed to more than 100 shows, films and commercials.⁠[4][5][6][7]
CBCrystal Bowersox	Runner-up⁠[1][2][3] Last competed May 26, 2010	Crystal Bowersox records and tours as an independent artist. In June 2026 she said she was finishing a new album, and that she had recently played Patsy Cline in a New York workshop of Crazy for Loving You, a new show about Cline. She released the album HitchHiker on January 1, 2022 (Mamasox Inc.).⁠[8][9][10]
Casey James	Eliminated 3rd⁠[1][2] Last competed May 19, 2010	Casey James is an independent artist based in Nashville. From 2020 to 2024 he was a member of the trio Texas Hill with Craig Wayne Boyd and Adam Wakefield. His first acoustic album, Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1, was released on April 24, 2026.⁠[11][12][13][14]
Michael Lynche	Eliminated 4th⁠[1][2] Last competed May 12, 2010	Michael Lynche sings as a guest vocalist with symphony orchestras in the United States and Canada, in soul pops programs such as Kings of Soul and Dancing in the Street - The Music of Motown, developed with conductor Jeff Tyzik. He was scheduled to sing in Kings of Soul with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on January 16 to 18, 2026. His self-titled debut album came out on Big3 Records on August 14, 2012.⁠[15][16][17][18]
Aaron Kelly	Eliminated 5th⁠[1][2] Last competed May 5, 2010	Latest documented update (August 12, 2024): Aaron Kelly released the country single Can't Make a Meant to Be on June 6, 2023, after the singles The World Is Round and Last Thing I Would Say in 2021. A concert at the Meadowlands Racetrack was scheduled for March 25, 2023. He writes songs in Nashville and has co-written with Bobby Braddock and Frank Myers.⁠[19][20][21]
SMSiobhan Magnus	Eliminated 6th⁠[1][2] Last competed April 28, 2010	Siobhan Magnus sings on Angel Wings, a track on Ridiculon's soundtrack for the video game Mewgenics, released in February 2026. She earlier sang on Ridiculon's soundtrack for The End Is Nigh (2017). Her own releases include the album Moonbaby (2012) and the EP Holiday Inspiration (2015).⁠[22][23][24][25]
Tim Urban	Eliminated 7th⁠[1][2] Last competed April 21, 2010	Latest documented update (November 16, 2021): Tim Urban is a singer who has recorded songs for Sandshifter Music, a music licensing company. His GREATEST HiTS EP, with radio edits and instrumental versions of Lucky Man, Beautiful Dream and Field of Hearts, was released in November 2021. He was director, co-writer and co-producer of Texas Home Improvement.⁠[26][27][28][29][30]
Didi Benami	Eliminated 10th⁠[1][2] Last competed March 31, 2010	Didi Benami works as a vocal coach based in Nashville, giving private lessons in person and online. In 2023 she co-hosted the AXS TV music competition series Banded with Brandon Jenner. She released the album Reverie in 2014.⁠[31][32][33][34]
PMPaige Miles	Eliminated 11th⁠[1][2] Last competed March 24, 2010	Latest documented update (March 23, 2012): Paige Miles released her debut single, Definition of Me, on iTunes on June 26, 2011. In May 2011 she headlined TheatreZone's production of the musical Beehive. After the 2010 season she moved to Los Angeles and worked on a debut album with producer Micayle "Mack" McKinney.⁠[35][36][37][38]
LBLacey Brown	Eliminated 12th⁠[1][2] Last competed March 17, 2010	Lacey Brown moved to Nashville in February 2011 and released her debut EP, Let It Go, a five-song set on LEB Records, on May 31, 2011. She released the Christmas single Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas in November 2011.⁠[39][40][41]
Andrew Garcia	Eliminated 8th–9th⁠[1][2] Last competed April 14, 2010	Andrew Garcia is a singer-songwriter who built a following on YouTube before American Idol. After the show he released the EPs Hell & Back (2015) and Love Wounds (2017), the acoustic set Agoustic Pack (2019) and a series of singles. On September 25, 2026, he was credited with Alexcis on her single Almost Understood.⁠[42][43][44][45]
Katie Stevens	Eliminated 8th–9th⁠[1][2] Last competed April 14, 2010	Katie Stevens is an actress and singer. In August 2025 she starred as Cora McLeod in Providence Falls, a three-part film series on Hallmark Channel and Hallmark+. She was cast in a recurring role in Criminal, a Prime Video crime series based on the comics by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips, which in July 2026 was set to premiere later that year.⁠[46][47][48][49][50]

Sources

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   • Elimination chart row Lee DeWyze: Pl. 1, Winner in the Finale column (5/26); ratings table episode 'Winner Revealed', May 26, 2010
   • Lead section: “Lee DeWyze, a folk rocker from Mount Prospect, Illinois, won the competition, beating out fellow folk rocker Crystal Bowersox, who was the runner-up.”
   • Elimination chart row Crystal Bowersox: Pl. 2, Runner-up in the Finale column (5/26); ratings table episode 'Winner Revealed', May 26, 2010
   • Elimination chart row Casey James: Pl. 3, Eliminated in the Top 3 column (5/19); ratings table episode 'Top 3 Results Show', May 19, 2010
   • Elimination chart row Michael Lynche: Pl. 4, Eliminated in the Top 4 column (5/12); ratings table episode 'Top 4 Results Show', May 12, 2010
   • Elimination chart row Aaron Kelly: Pl. 5, Eliminated in the Top 5 column (5/5); ratings table episode 'Top 5 Results Show', May 5, 2010
   • Elimination chart row Siobhan Magnus: Pl. 6, Eliminated in the Top 6 column (4/29); ratings table episode 'Top 6 Results Show', April 28, 2010
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   • Contestants table, row Crystal Bowersox: season 9, place finish Runner-up
   • Contestants table, row Casey James: season 9, place finish 3rd
   • Contestants table, row Michael Lynche: season 9, place finish 4th
   • Contestants table, row Aaron Kelly: season 9, place finish 5th
   • Contestants table, row Siobhan Magnus: season 9, place finish 6th
   • Contestants table, row Tim Urban: season 9, place finish 7th
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