For over 14 years, American Idol has given people hope in becoming rich and famous. From rude contestants to very talented ones, this show has seen it all and is finally in its last season, the fifteenth of the show.  The official scheduled date and time for the series finale is Thursday, April 7 from 8 to10 pm.

  Countless people have auditioned for this show on national television, and many of the winners have gone on to famous in the music industry. Kelly Clarkson has sold over twenty million albums worldwide ever since her win on American Idol in season one. Winner of Season 6, Jordin Sparks is the youngest winner in the series history. Sparks has sold over 1.2 million albums and perhaps even more with her new single that came out in 2005, “Right Here Right Now.” Another very successful American Idol winner is Carrie Underwood. Winning season 4, Underwood has won 7 Grammy Awards and has sold 13.4 million albums.

   Not only have some of the winners been successful, but so have some of the not so lucky. For example, Jennifer Hudson came in seventh in season 3 and has won a Golden Globe and an Oscar. A North Carolina native, Clay Aiken, has many achievements. Aiken was a Democratic nominee in the North Carolina 2nd Congressional District Election in 2014, and he also competed in the fifth season of The Celebrity Apprentice. Musically he has sold over 5 million albums and starred in Spamalot on Broadway.

 One of this year’s contestants actually graduated from Millbrook in 2007. Jordan Sasser originally auditioned with his wife, Alex Sasser, but she sadly did not make it through with her husband. When Jordan Sasser stepped up to the plate, judge Jennifer Lopez was astonished by Sasser’s belting voice as he sang “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Celine Dion. After making it to Hollywood, Sasser made it to the Top 24. However, Sasser was eliminated from the show on February 15. He was one of the five singers cut that night. This had been the third time Sasser auditioned for American Idol. He auditioned in both 2007 and 2012 before moving on to Hollywood this season. In addition to it being the very last season, the show brought back some of the past season winners to sing with the contestants. Sasser was paired up to sing with the winner of season 3, Fantasia Barrino, who is from High Point, NC. The duo fantastically sang “I Believe.” However, it was not enough to allow Sasser to move on to the next round.

 American Idol has changed people’s lives for many years. Although we may be losing a very popular singing reality show, we will always remember the entertainment it brought to us.