Trent Harmon just won the 15th, and final, season of American Idol. The long running singing competition has seen its winners go on to a variety of careers. Some, such as Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, became household names. Others you would not recognize by name, unless you saw them in an article about American Idol. However, one does not necessarily need to win in order to find success post-American Idol. As this Uproxx Video shows, several people who competed on the show, but did not win, have gone on to have successful careers, sometimes more successful than those who have actually won.
Jennifer Hudson is one of the most prominent people who did not win, but did not let that slow her down. She didn’t even make the top six in season three of the show, but ended up winning a Grammy, and also winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Dreamgirls. Hudson isn’t the only American Idol loser to transition into a successful acting career. Katharine McPhee was edged out by Taylor Hicks, but has since gone on to act in movies and to star in TV shows such as Smash and Scorpion. Sure, nobody liked Smash, but they tended to like McPhee.
Perhaps we will be seeing somebody who couldn’t outlast Harmon, such as runner-up La’Porsha Renae, end up with an impressive career of their own.
