At the end of each season of American Idol, I like to look back and compare my initial rankings of the finalists to where they actually finished.
A deeper and better balanced cast made predicting the outcome a little more difficult this year than the past two. There wasn’t a contestant — like Adam Lambert in Season 8 or Crystal Bowersox in Season 9 — who was the overwhelming favorite when the finals began.
Still, I ranked Lauren Alaina second back when the finals started, exactly where she finished. And I had four of the other contestants ranked within one spot of where they ended up.
Like most folks, I was thrown by the early elimination of Pia Toscano. I had her ranked third coming out of the semifinals; she finished ninth.
Scotty McCreery? My initial ranking had him finishing fourth, behind Casey Abrams, Lauren Alaina and Pia.
Funny thing is, having watched 12 weeks of Idol finals, I still think Scotty should have finished fourth, and that Casey and Pia should have finished in front of him.
No doubt, Scotty was the most consistent Idol performer in Season 10.
But Casey was more fun to watch and took far more risks on the Idol stage. Had she hung around longer, Pia might have caught fire the way Haley Reinhart did.
Ah, Haley. That was some Idol season you put together. One of the most dramatic turn-arounds we’ve ever seen on the show.
Did the judges ever bother pointing that out? If they did, I don’t recall it.
And for that, I would have awarded Haley the Season 10 Idol crown.
Here’s the complete rundown.
Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of blogs looking back at Idol Season 10. Others include my picks for the top 10 performances, the top 5 non-performance moments, and a look at 10 tips for improving American Idol in Season 11. And if you missed the massive photo gallery from the Idol finale, head here.
American Idol Casey Abrams Haley Reinhart James Durbin Lauren Alaina Pia Toscano Scotty McCreery Season 10
Related Posts
-
March 8, 2026 -
-
February 28, 2026 American Idol clobbers The Voice in Monday night ratings
6 Comments
Thank you for this article. Obviously I agree with you. Haley became my absolute favorite after having many favorites in the beginning of AI this year. She grew as an artist and it was exciting to see her each week. She became amazing. That is why I call her Haley the amazing. I hope to buy many of her albums as her career unfolds.
I like these rankings: Paul makes it on the tour and 4 of the people I like make it in the top 5. I do agree with Lauren’s ranking. Pia, I am fairly indifferent about her, but that is were I would change it with your ranks: Pia 5. With the top 4 of Casey, Haley, Scotty and James. The final 3 I wanted was: James, Scotty, and Haley, based on the show. But Casey instead of Haley would have been interesting too. Ether of those top 3, I would have liked any combination of the top 2. There would have been variety no doubt. If both Haley and Casey were in the top 3, too much of one sound/style, basically what happened with Lauren and Scotty. James was the favorite with Scotty in second. But Haley and Casey are insanely talented.. this will be a good tour.
casey abrams—1
haley reinhart-2
james durbin—3
lauren alaina–4
stefano langone-5
pia toscano—-6
paul mcdonald–7
jacob lusk—–8
thia megia—-9
scotty mcreery-10
naima whatever–11
scotty is a scared little boy with a voice but more like a HUGE crowd of young females who vote..LAME
You have it all wrong. These are my favorites, and where they should have come in ranking in my opinion.
james durbin 1
scotty mcreery 2
lauren alaina 3
paul mcdonald 4
pia toscano 5
stefano langone 6