"American Idol" was always my favorite show growing up. My whole family loved it, and we would vote weekly with the hopes that our favorite would get through. I even remember having my mom call and vote for me since I was little and had to go to sleep. With so many great moments, it will always be a part of me.
When I was 12 years old, I watched "Idol" more than I had ever in the past. I was so emotionally invested in it that my mom thought it was time to take me to my first concert. When it came time for my birthday, she had this envelope and I opened it and couldn’t believe what was in it. My little brother read it out loud to everyone where he announced that I would live and everyone laughed because he meant to say, "You are going to American Idols Live." We have it on tape and still to this day, I get a chuckle out of it. I got to witness the 2009 Idols at the Mellon Arena, which sadly no longer exists.
When I heard that it was going to be the last season, I sobbed because of what this show has done for me. I knew it was time for it to end, though. Everything has to run its course and comes to an end eventually. After 15 seasons I know it's time to say goodbye to something I care so much about. I’ll admit, in recent seasons it wasn’t as good as it once was, but that didn’t stop me from tuning in each week. With the Top 24 just being announced, here are 15 things I loved about the show.
1. The Audition
Auditions are the most memorable part of the show. Even if you were not a crazy fan like me, I bet you have seen at least one audition - from the funny ones like William Hung singing “She Bangs,” or General Larry and his catchy “Pants on the Ground," to auditions like Carrie Underwood that had us blown away.
2. Hollywood Week
The treacherous lines of 10, to group rounds, and solo performances - this was what Hollywood week was all about. It was the part where you saw who had what it takes and who would crack under the pressure.
3. The OG Judges
Who could forget about Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson, and Simon Cowell? Growing up watching the show they were the ones that made it what it was. With contestants always changing you knew you could count on them to be there telling the contestants what they thought. Simon was always my favorite judge.
4. The Other Judges
As the show progressed the judges changed as well, We had Ellen DeGeneres, Nicki Minaj, Kara DioGuardi, Mariah Carey, and my personal favorite, Steven Tyler, on the show before they were finally able to find a good set of judges to work together. I'm very happy that Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, and Harry Connick Jr. worked well together because they saved the trainwreck that was the American Idol judges.
5. The Host With The Most
From radio, to television, to now being in charge of Dick Clark’s New Years’ Rockin’ Eve, Ryan Seacrest is one of the most well-known hosts out there. "American Idol" is what helped his career take off. He is one of the biggest personalities out there, and people just love him.
6. Brian Dunkleman
You probably don’t recognize this name. He was a host with Ryan Seacrest the first season of the show. He is now doing who knows what. When the show ended he tweeted that he knew it would never last without him as a host.
7. The Call in Number
1-888-IDOLS__ __ (insert contestant number) was something I called quite frequently. Back in the day, that was the only way to vote for a contestant. I would sit for the whole voting period sometimes and call on speed dial to hope that my favorite would secure some votes.
8. Making Friends
I was lucky enough to make some of my best friends from running a fan Twitter account. Since I first started it not only did I make friends with people all over the globe, but I've also made friends with a few contestants from the show. Talking to them every week when the show was on is something I'll never forget.
9. Picking a Favorite
If you watched the show like me you obviously had at least one favorite contestant. I had quite a few over the years and they still all hold a special place in my heart.
10. Elimination Night
The worst night of the week. I always dreaded this night because you never know who is going home. I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of tears I shed on these nights.
11. Song Played When A Contestant Was Voted Off
So, not only is a contestant going home but now you have this super sad song going off in the background. It hurt even more if it was one of your favorites. From “Bad Day” by Daniel Powter to "Home" by Daughtry, these songs will forever make me tear up when I hear them.
12. Saves
Saves were something that I enjoyed on "American Idol." It gave the judges the chance to save someone deserving of another week. The worst thing about this though was if they picked someone to stay that you didn’t like or the double elimination the following week.
13. Themes
I had a love/hate relationship with themes. They were either really good or they weren’t and the contestants clearly struggled to get a good song choice.
14. Special Guests
Throughout the season, there were always so many special guests. I always looked forward to seeing who they were bringing out that week. They had such a variety of people they brought out which I loved.
15. Finale
This is what I’m going to miss the most. Finale is when they picked the next star. After waiting countless weeks you get to see who wins. They always included so many guest stars as well as brought back season favorites. I’ll never forget them picking a winner and sobbing right along while they sing their coronation song with confetti falling down on them. I also loved when they brought the contestants back and let them sing with their heroes. It always made me so happy.
American Idol will always have a special place in my heart. I will miss it so much. If you get the chance you have to watch at least a little bit of the season or even just the finale, because this is the last time they will ever crown a winner.
