“American Idol” auditioner Chris Medina set off waterworks across the country last week with
Danny Gokey
Season 8
Like Medina, Danny Gokey made his personal heartache apparent from the moment he came to “Idol.” The season nine third-place finisher lost his wife Sophia during surgery for a heart condition just four weeks before he tried out, and as he told his story to “Idol’s” cameras, he simply broke down. “I was so close to not trying out because of the grief; I mean, the grief is so intense,” Gokey said. “But I decided I’m gonna go through [with] it because I believe that people through me can see who my wife was.” And that’s exactly what happened, as Gokey won the judges over by singing “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and never looked back.
| next: Third time’s not the charm for Angela Martin |
Angela Martin
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See latest videos, charts and news
Season 9
“For every heart that swells with good news, one is broken with bad,” Seacrest said at the end of season nine’s Hollywood cuts — but did Angela Martin’s really need to be broken more? By the time she tried out for “Idol” a third time, fans knew the most intimate details of her life: her father was killed, her daughter struggled with seizures, she was briefly jailed for a traffic violation (disqualifying her second “Idol” audition) and then her mother went mysteriously missing. “Could this finally be Angela’s year?” Seacrest wondered just before Martin met with the judges one last time. Unbelievably, it was not, but we’re still rooting for her happiness.
| next: David Cook’s brotherly love |
David Cook
Season 7
Season seven winner
Asia’h Epperson
Season 7
Asia’h Epperson’s father died in a car accident just two days before her audition for “American Idol” season seven, and somehow, she summoned the strength to step in front of the judges and deliver a heartwrenching rendition of
Scott MacIntyre
Season 8
Few “Idol” contestants could move
Anthony Fedorov
Season 4
Anthony Fedorov was told he’d never speak again after having a tracheotomy as a child, but by the time “Idol” season four kicked off, the Ukrainian-American singer had beaten the odds. Fedorov wowed during his audition and made it all the way to fourth place before a duet with eventual winner
Josiah Leming
Season 7
The fact that
Jim Verraros
Season 1
The original “American Idol” sob story, season one’s Jim Verraros was raised by deaf parents and grew up fluent in sign language. “It’s been one of my huge dreams for them to magically just hear [me sing],” Verraros told Randy, Paula and Simon when he auditioned. “It doesn’t happen, but nevertheless they are at every single one of my shows, whether they can hear it or not.” Verraros’ parents cheered for him all the way to the top 10, when he was eliminated.
| next: Katie Stevens keeps her grandmother in mind |
Katie Stevens
Season 9
Connecticut native Katie Stevens shared the story of her grandmother, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, during the season 9 auditions. “She’s probably not gonna remember me for much longer, so I want her to see me succeed in my dreams before she forgets who I am,” the 16-year-old singer said. After an impressive take on “At Last” sent her to the next round (and all the way to 8th place), Katie called her grandmother and made her cry by announcing, “I won!”
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