American Idol: The Search For A Superstar

The story

How do you turn a talent search into a phenomenon? Simple. You let America be the judge. In the summer of 2002, that's exactly what producer Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment along with FremantleMedia did for Fox Television. Beginning with an open call for auditions in seven cities across the country, American Idol judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell narrowed a field of over 10,000 pop singer wannabes to one American Idol.

Cast & crew

Ryan SeacrestHost

Brian DunklemanHost

Simon CowellJudge

Paula AbdulJudge

Randy JacksonJudge

Kelly ClarksonContestant / Winner

Justin GuariniContestant

Nikki McKibbin

Nikki McKibbinContestant

Tamyra GrayContestant

R.J. Helton

R.J. HeltonContestant

Christina Christian

Christina ChristianContestant

Ryan Starr

Ryan StarrContestant