The third season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2004 and continued until May 26, 2004. It was won by Fantasia Barrino.
Auditions
Auditions were held in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, and Honolulu.
The early part of the season became well-known for the introduction of William Hung, a University of California at Berkeley student, who became popular following his rendition of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs". His performance as well as his attitude facing judge Simon Cowell's criticisms (which was a stark contrast to other contestants' confrontational, angry reactions) made him instantly popular, and landed him a record deal with Koch Records.
Finals
After a nationwide vote of more than 65 million votes in total--more than the first two seasons combined--Fantasia Barrino won the "American Idol" title and Diana DeGarmo was runner up. During the season, controversy over the legitimacy of the contest increased as geeky rocker Jon Peter Lewis and young crooner John Stevens stayed afloat while others were unexpectedly eliminated. The third season was also shown in Australia on Network Ten about half a week after episodes were shown in the US.
visitors
