‘American Idol’ Winners Ranked From Worst to Best: Who is #1?

Courtesy of ABC

“American Idol” just concluded season 20 with Noah Thompson crowned the champ. That got us thinking about the previous 19 winners of this reality competition series and wondering which of them has been the most successful. We did some digging and uncovered a lot, including the whereabouts of some of the past champs who were one-hit wonders. For others, “American Idol” launched them into the stratosphere and they still have star power. Take a tour of our photo gallery below to see all the “American Idol” winners ranked from worst to best.

The first “American Idol” winner, Kelly Clarkson, is still going strong almost two decades later. She has a huge hit with her new daytime talk show and is wrapping up season 7 as a judge on the NBC talent show “The Voice.” Clarkson has racked up millions in record sales from her eight albums and still tours extensively.

SEE ‘American Idol’ judges rankings: All 14 judges ranked from worst to best

However, even Kelly’s success pales when compared to Carrie Underwood. This season 4 winner of “American Idol” released six studio albums and won seven Grammy Awards, 9 CMA Awards, 11 Billboard Music Awards and 15 ACM Awards.

Will any of the more recent winners ever match Carrie’s track record? What do you think of the reboot of “American Idol” on ABC? Are you a fan of the three judges: country superstar Luke Bryan, pop princess Katy Perry and singer/songwriter Lionel Richie? And are you happy that Ryan Seacrest is still hosting? Sound off in our comments section below and in our reality TV forum.

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