This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Eight years ago, the biggest show on TV was "American Idol," and the biggest celebrity in Utah was David Archuleta.
The teenager from Murray was one of the favorites to win the Season 8 competition, which drew tens of millions of viewers for each of 42 episodes that aired over four months.
But "Idol" has faded. The 2015 season finale — when Nick Fradiani (who?) was crowned the winner — drew barely 8 million viewers.
In 2008, 31.7 million people tuned in to see David Cook beat Archuleta, garnering 56 percent of 97 million votes cast by viewers. That was down from a peak of 38.1 million who watched in 2003.
Cook remains somewhat surprised to this day.
"Archie was so talented," he said. "I just tried really hard to let my performance speak for itself and not finish last."
Cook assumes he was surprised when he won, but he said he actually can't remember winning.
"If I didn't watch the YouTube video, I would have no idea what happened," he said. "It was like a blackout. It's such a crazy experience."
A crazy experience that spilled over into Utah. Cattle-call auditions were held in Salt Lake City in 2008 and 2013, and thousands of enthusiastic hopefuls lined up around Vivint Smart Home Arena before the crack of dawn — although the turnout was considerably larger the first time.
In 2008, host Ryan Seacrest and judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi sneaked in and out of town for the next round of auditions; in 2013, Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr. made themselves available to the press — by then, ratings had fallen off.
Of the thousands of Utahns who auditioned, only three made the finals. And nothing came close to matching the Archiemania that swept Utah in 2008, when thousands of fans turned out at The Gateway and at Murray High School to see him film hometown-visit segments.
The energy and enthusiasm — not to mention the screaming — were incredible. You had to be there to believe it.
Other Utahns came close to being finalists. Draper's Kenzie Hall and Park City's Austin Wolfe made the Top 30 in Season 13. Provo's James VIII made the Top 24 and Orem's Jenn Blosil made the top 14 in the current season.
In addition to Archuleta, who continues to record and perform after returning from an LDS Church mission in 2014, Utah's finalists were:
• Carmen Rasmusen, who finished sixth in Season 2. She was a country singer battling pop and rock vocalists. Rasmusen is married to Gov. Gary Herbert's son Bradley and is the mother of two.
• Megan Joy, who finished ninth in Season 8. She dropped her last name, Corkrey, several weeks into the competition. The single mother's stay was overshadowed by some odd behavior (shrieking "Caw, caw!") and arguing with judge Simon Cowell. Megan Joy is married to Quinn Allman, formerly of the band The Used, and continues to perform and record.
That none of them became music megastars isn't surprising. Only two of the 14 winners to date — Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood — became genuine superstars.
Some of the other 12 — Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery, Phillip Phillips, Candice Glover, Caleb Johnson, Fradiani and Cook — found success and others quickly faded from view.
Some of the "Idol" losers became bigger stars than most of the winners — a list that includes Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler and Katharine McPhee.
But none has bashed the show that made them at least temporarily famous.
"I'd be pretty ignorant to think that most people's definition of me doesn't stem from seeing me on this show," Cook told The Tribune. "My job is to advance the narrative. I've been off the show for almost eight years; I would hope that the music I put out and the other endeavors I go after continue to give a little bit more dimension to the story."
He was happy to join a panel of winners and judges to talk about his experience.
"Life is great. I got to spend 15 minutes sitting behind J. Lo," he said with a smile.
Somewhat surprisingly, given the ratings, Fox brought back "Idol" for this "farewell season," although in drastically reduced form — 24 episodes, as opposed to between 37 and 45 for seasons 2-13.
It's all about to come to an end. On Thursday, April 7, a final "American Idol" will be crowned. After 15 seasons and 581 episodes, Seacrest will bid the audience a final farewell.
He hosted every episode — co-hosting Season 1 with the long-since-forgotten Brian Dunkleman.
"I actually don't know what to expect on that last night, in that last hour, in the last few moments of the series," he said. "I know it will be emotional. I know it will be powerful, but what will we say? How will we handle it? I think it will just happen when we are there live."
Twitter: @ScottDPierce —
On TV
"American Idol" signs off with a three-night event on Fox/Ch. 13. On Tuesday, April 5, at 7 p.m., there's a 90-minute retrospective. On Wednesday, April 6, at 7 p.m., the three remaining contestants perform in an hourlong episode. And on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m., it's the two-hour series finale.