THEN AND NOW: People who came in second place on 'American Idol'

Guarini worked for a wedding entertainment company before he competed on "Idol" in 2002. He told Business Insider that when he requested time off to go to Hollywood, his boss joked that he would get famous and never return.

That prediction came true when the 23-year-old placed second behind Kelly Clarkson, one of the most successful "Idol" contestants in the franchise's history.

After season one ended, Guarini and Clarkson starred in the 2003 romantic comedy "From Justin to Kelly" together. Critics panned the film, but it held a special place in the hearts of "Idol" fans. 

His two post-show albums, "Justin Guarini" and "Stranger Things Have Happened," did not perform well on the charts. 

Guarini, now 46, eventually transitioned to Broadway. In the last two decades, he's starred in a variety of shows including "American Idiot," "Wicked," "Romeo and Juliet," "In Transit," and "Once Upon a One More Time."

Today, he's probably most recognizable as Lil' Sweet from the Dr. Pepper commercials. 

He told BI that he traces his "wonderful and wild career" in Broadway, film, television, commercials, and cartoons back to "American Idol." 

"The impact that I was able to be a part of on that first season is priceless," Guarini said.

When 24-year-old Aiken auditioned for "American Idol" in 2003, the judges were blown away by the power of his voice. 

Aiken continued to exceed expectations and had a strong voting record throughout the show, but Ruben Studdard eked out a narrow victory on the season two finale. 

Since "Idol," Aiken has released six studio albums. His first album, "Measure of a Man," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His first single, "This Is the Night," also debuted at No. 1 — ahead of Studdard's single "Flying Without Wings."

The singer has hosted a Christmas show, performed on Broadway in Monty Python's "Spamalot," and appeared on successful TV shows like NBC's "The Office,""30 Rock," and "Law & Order: SVU."

In 2014, according to the Los Angeles Times, Aiken ran for Congress and won the Democratic primary in North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District. However, he lost in the general election.

In January 2022, Aiken announced he'd be running for Congress again in North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. He placed third in the North Carolina Democratic primary in May 2022.

Aiken, 46, continues to use his platform to advocate for inclusion, gay rights, and humanitarian efforts. He also appeared on "The Masked Singer" alongside Studdard in 2024 as the Beets.

DeGarmo, who lost to Fantasia Barrino on season three, is one of the youngest runners-up in "Idol" history. After finishing the show, she went back to high school. 

"I went back my senior year right after homecoming," she told Business Insider. "And I remember trying to sneak in, literally during assembly, and it was like watching a ripple effect as people whispered." 

Despite negative attention from classmates and a senior year dotted with media appearances, DeGarmo graduated on time and set her sights on the music industry. 

She released her album "Blue Skies" in 2004 and also had a song on the soundtrack of the 2005 Disney film "Ice Princess" (2005).

DeGarmo, 37, went on to star on Broadway as Penny Pingleton in"Hairspray" alongside other Broadway and National Tour credits. She also had a six-month character arc on CBS' "The Young and the Restless" and starred in 2016's "After the Sun Fell."

In 2013, DeGarmo married fellow "Idol" alum Ace Young, and they reside in their hometown of Nashville. 

More recently, the singer released her second studio album, "Gemini," in 2019. 

During his season-four audition for "American Idol," Bice told the judges he could provide the "rock," "blues," and "soul" that had been missing from the show. 

On its fourth season, "Idol" raised the age limit for auditionees from 24 to 28. Bice was months away from turning 29, making him one of the show's oldest contestants alongside Constantine Maroulis and Taylor Hicks. 

Throughout the show, he had a strong voting record and earned praise from judges, but he ultimately lost to Carrie Underwood. 

As the runner-up, Bice was still signed with RCA Records, and in 2005, he released his first studio album, "The Real Thing," which went certified Gold. His next two albums, "See the Light," and "3," didn't fare as well. 

In the last two decades, Bice has performed with Nickelback, Bon Jovi, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Phish. He has also provided songs for film soundtracks, such as "Blades of Glory," released in 2007.

His most recent album, "Kingdom Within," was released in 2017.

Bice, 49, is still an active musician. He recently performed at the World Games 2022 in Birmingham, Alabama, and starred in a 2023 run of "Rock of Ages" in Florida. 

From an early age, McPhee started singing lessons under the guidance of her mother, who was a professional vocal coach. By the time she was 21, she competed on "Idol" and spawned overwhelming support from fans, which Ryan Seacrest dubbed the "McPheever." 

Although Hicks was named the season-five winner, McPhee went on to a successful career in music, releasing hit singles like "Terrified."

She played a variety of TV roles before starring as Karen Cartwright on NBC's "Smash," and Paige Dineen on CBS' "Scorpion." She also earned praise for her Broadway debut as Jenna in "Waitress" in 2018.

In 2021, McPhee and her husband, David Foster, competed together on the sixth season of "The Masked Singer" as the Banana Split. The same year, she also starred on Netflix's"Country Comfort." She also gave birth to their son, Rennie, that same year.

The singer, 40, recently worked on a Christmas album with her husband, David Foster, which was released in 2023.

From the start, Lewis set himself apart during season six with his beatboxing skills and music-mixing talents. To his knowledge, he told Insider, he was the first "Idol" contestant to arrange his own tracks on the show. 

After losing to Jordin Sparks on the controversial finale, Lewis was signed by Arista Records and in 2007 released his debut album "A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream)," which he produced himself.

Since then, he's released three more self-produced albums, dipped his toe into voice acting, created his own record label, and competed on Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics" to benefit the Seattle Children's Hospital. 

In 2016, he also went on tour with season-five "Idol" contestant Elliott Yamin, per Billboard.

When Lewis, 43, isn't performing as part of his new music duo, the Private Language, with partner KJ Sawka, he works as a music producer.

He told Business Insider he recently produced music with Ginger Gonzaga, who just starred on the Disney+ series "She-Hulk: Attorney at Law," and Olivia Kuper Harris.

Archuleta was just 16 when he auditioned for season seven of "American Idol." 

For the first time in "Idol" history, contestants were allowed to play instruments onstage while they sang, and Archuleta accompanied himself on the piano several times throughout his run. 

In the end, Archuleta finished second behind David Cook and has since opened up about the pressure of competing at such a young age and how "traumatic" his season was for him. 

After the show, he cemented his teen-icon status by appearing as himself on Nickelodeon's "iCarly" and Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana."

His debut single "Crush" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 2. He released three albums, "David Archuleta," "Christmas From the Heart," and "The Other Side of Down," before announcing he'd be embarking on a two-year missionary trip in Chile as part of his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. 

He returned to music with "Postcards in the Sky" in 2017 and "Therapy Sessions" in 2020.

In recent years, Archuleta has talked publicly about being part of the LGBTQ+ community and has since stepped back from his Mormon faith, as reported by People.

In 2022, Archuleta, 34, suffered a vocal cord hemorrhage and has since recovered from vocal surgery. That same year, he starred in the titular role of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Tuacahn Amphitheater in Ivins, Utah, per Playbill.

The star was recently unmasked as the Macaw on season seven of "The Masked Singer." He also went viral on TikTok for covering Sabrina Carpenter's hit song, "Espresso," and has released multiple singles.

After wrapping up a national tour of "Wicked," Lambert auditioned for "Idol" in 2008. 

He foreshadowed the future of his career by singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" for the judges. And despite Cowell's remarks that he was too "theatrical," he got four yeses.

After Kris Allen beat Lambert, Allen told Rolling Stone in 2009 that the runner-up deserved to win. 

Lambert went on to record his first album, "For Your Entertainment," which debuted at No. 3 and was eventually certified Gold in the US and Platinum around the world. A single from the album, "Whataya Want From Me," was even nominated for a Grammy.

Since 2014, Lambert has served as the lead vocalist for Queen + Adam Lambert and has toured with the band countless times worldwide His most recent solo album, "High Drama," was released in 2023.

He's also been a guest judge on various TV competitions, from VH1's "RuPaul's Drag Race" to Fox's "The X Factor," to the Australian version of "The Voice."

In addition to his success as a singer, Lambert, 43, founded the Feel Something Foundation in 2019, which aims to support LGBTQ+ human rights.

The singer is currently performing with and without Queen — but through the end of March 2025, he's starring as the Emcee in the Broadway revival of "Cabaret."

When Bowersox auditioned for season nine of "American Idol," she told Business Insider that she was experiencing "borderline homelessness."

During her season, she impressed the judges with her soulful blend of acoustic melody and rock that Cowell called "outstanding." 

After placing second behind Lee DeWyze, Bowersox went on to release her debut album "Farmer's Daughter" in 2010. 

Since then, the singer has dropped three more albums, including a self-released album titled "Hitchhiker" that debuted in 2022.

"It's not making waves in any way, but my fans have really been loving it," Bowersox told BI.

Throughout her career, Bowersox, 39, has also toured and collaborated with musicians like Blues Traveler, Jakob Dylan, and Caroline Glaser.

In 2022, the singer published the children's book "My Mama is a Rock Star."

On season 10, judges Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul were replaced by Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, and 15-year-old Alaina immediately charmed them. She even got Tyler to join her in an impromptu duet of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." 

On the season finale, Alaina sang "Before He Cheats" alongside her role model Carrie Underwood. But she ultimately finished second behind Scotty McCreery. 

The singer was immediately signed by Interscope Records, and she performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and made music appearances on talk shows. 

In 2011, Alaina released "Wildflower," which became the best-selling digital album by a debut country female, according to a WMG press release. It debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

In 2012, she was named new artist of the year at the American Country Music Awards.

Her success continued in 2017 with her second album, "Road Less Traveled." The titular single hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart, and the album went on to reach No. 3. Her work landed her breakthrough artist-writer of the year at the 2017 Music Row Awards.

Over the last decade, she's starred in two TV movies; competed on season 28 of "Dancing With the Stars;" and toured with singers like Luke Bryan, Martina McBride, and Blake Shelton. 

In 2022, Alaina, 30, appeared on CBS' "Beyond the Edge" but was pulled from the survival series due to a severe bone contusion, per ET — but that same year, she was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, one of the youngest current members.

Earlier this year, she released a new single, "Those Kind of Women." In the song's video, she announced that she is pregnant with her first child.

Sanchez has been a professional singer since age 7, and she had already competed on "America's Got Talent" before she auditioned for season 11 of "American Idol." 

"Competing against all these other people toughened up my skin, to prepare me for 'American Idol,'" Sanchez told Business Insider. 

Throughout her run on the show, Sanchez received high praise. After nailing Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" in her Top 13 performance, judge Randy Jackson called her one of "the best talents in the whole country." 

Ultimately, Phillip Phillips took home the "Idol" title for season 11, but Sanchez was still signed to Interscope Records and released "Me, You & the Music" in 2013. 

Over the years, Sanchez, 29, has appeared on Fox's "Glee," performed in tours and benefit concerts, and found streaming success with singles like "This Love," "Tonight," and "A Whole New World."

She released 10 singles in 2024, including "Burn," "Ivory Feelings," and "Honest."

During her audition for season 12 of "American Idol," Harrison performed an original song that she wrote for her mother, who died in a car crash when she was 16. 

With a country background and emotional performances, the singer had a strong run on the show before coming in second behind Candice Glover.

Soon after the season ended, Harrison made her Grand Ole Opry debut in Nashville singing with new "Idol" judge Keith Urban. 

Post "Idol" Harrison, 34, has released two studio albums: "This Old Thing" and "Chosen Family Tree." 

Singer-songwriter Jena Irene Asciutto was 17 when she auditioned for season 13 with Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." 

She was the first female Wild Card contestant to qualify for the finale, and she eventually placed second behind Caleb Johnson.

"I was just so happy for Caleb winning," Asciutto told Business Insider. "I wanted him to win so bad and I knew deep down that he was going to win just because he had auditioned a few times before." 

She released the EP "Innocence," which hit No. 18 on the US Heatseekers Albums chart in 2016, and her first full-length album, "Cold Fame," came out in 2017.

The singer, 28, also hinted to BI in 2022 that she's switching up her focus. 

"The last five years, I've been really digging into a new genre of music that I am so in love with and it's house music," Asciutto said.

Beckham was two weeks into getting his master's degree in education when he dropped out to compete on season 14 of "American Idol." 

"I was going to be a high-school history teacher and after 'Idol,' of course, the door for music opened wide open," Beckham told Business Insider. 

He showcased his strengths in country and gospel throughout the show. On the finale, the singer performed with Fall Out Boy, but Nick Fradiani took home the "Idol" title. 

Beckham, 32, was signed by Quincy Jones Management in 2017, per an X post, and released the single "I Need" after opening for Jon Bellion on tour. He also completed a six-week residency at the Palazzo Versace Dubai that year.

He went on to release his first full studio album, "Light Year," in 2020. He still sporadically releases covers of songs like "What Was I Made For" and "Wonderwall," according to Spotify.

Beckham also remains a fan of "American Idol" and even had a YouTube series dedicated to breaking down "Idol" episodes after they aired in 2020.

"I've gotten close to all the contestants because the contestants end up watching the review videos," Beckham told BI.

ASE, formerly known as La'Porsha Renae, went all out after learning that season 15 would be the Fox show's final season. Although she was a domestic abuse survivor, she told Business Insider that she didn't want her circumstances to be used in her audition plot. 

"I didn't want a sob story," ASE said. "I didn't want America to love me for my story. I wanted them to love me for my voice."

After her performance of Rhianna's "Diamonds" in the Top 10, judge and former "Idol" winner Clarkson gushed with praise. 

"You're gonna win, if you don't win, I don't understand," the judge said. 

On the finale, Trent Harmon was named the winner over ASE. But within hours, she announced that she was signed to Big Machine and Motown Records. 

Her song "Battles (Gold Medal Mix)" was the official song of the US Woman's Gymnastics Team at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. And her debut album, "Already All Ready," was released in 2017.

But soon after her time on "Idol," ASE also drew some backlash for her comments about LGBTQ+ issues. Per The Guardian, when asked about an anti-LGBTQ+ law in her home state of Mississippi in 2016, she responded that she's "one of the people who don't really agree with that lifestyle" because of how she was raised. 

In 2022, ASE, 31, released two singles, "My Empty" and "Fallen," the latter of which promotes suicide awareness. The next year, she put out "Black Swan."

Caleb Lee Hutchinson told Business Insider he auditioned for "The Voice" at age 15. Although he didn't get any chair turns, he decided to try out for "American Idol" a few years later when the series was picked up for a 16th season by ABC. 

Hutchinson's country charm carried him all the way through a season filled with praiseworthy performances, including his rendition of "Wagon Wheel" alongside Darius Rucker. 

When season 16 whittled down to Hutchinson and his competitor, Maddie Poppe, he announced that the two were dating to wild applause. Poppe took home the prize in the finale. The two eventually broke up,

After "Idol," the 26-year-old released a self-titled EP produced by Sugarland's Kristian Bush. In 2023, he released his debut album, "Southern Galactic."

On season 17, Aranda became the first and only "Idol" contestant to play seven original songs throughout his run. 

After singing the original song "Poison" in his Top 6 performance, judge Lionel Richie told him that "watching you sing your songs is everything." 

On the finale, Aranda placed second behind country crooner Laine Hardy. 

After "Idol," he released two studio albums under the stage name Scarypoolparty. He switched back to using his real name for the 2024 album, "Will You Remember Me When I'm Gone." He's put out two singles in 2025, "Dissonant Harmony" and "Smile Levels."

Aranda, 30, also joined the metalcore band Seven Hours After Violet in 2024 alongside the System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian.

Dibesh Pokharel, who goes by the stage name Arthur Gunn, wowed judges right out of the gate when he auditioned for season 18 with Sticky Fingers' "Eddy's Song" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." 

Gunn, 27, and his fellow contestants had their "Idol" journey interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. After the Top 20 were selected, most contestants returned home and filmed their performances remotely. 

During the finale, Gunn competed and placed second behind singer-songwriter Just Sam. 

Since "Idol," Gunn has been rapidly releasing music, including four studio albums: "Arthur Gunn," "Khoj," "Tell Me, How Do You Sleep at Night?," and most recently, "Ojhel."

Willie Spence was 21 when he auditioned for season 19 of "American Idol" with a stirring cover of Rhianna's "Diamonds." 

Judges Richie, Bryan, and Katy Perry sang their praises for Spence throughout the competition. But on finale night, Spence beat out Grace Kinstler but lost to country singer Chayce Beckham. 

On October 11, 2022, Spence died in a car accident at 23, per People. He had released a single just a few weeks prior.

Hunter Wolkonowski, known by her stage name HunterGirl, worked in music therapy with veterans before auditioning for the show earlier this year.

She took judges by surprise by performing Rascal Flatt's "Riot" and singing the chorus half a key higher. "It's my fifth year doing this and that's my favorite female country voice I've heard in five years," judge Luke Bryan praised. 

Throughout the season, HunterGirl, 26, continued to impress the judges. But in the finale, she lost to Noah Thompson.

After season 20 wrapped up in May 2022, Huntergirl performed at the Grand Ole Opry with Shane Stevens, Paul Sikes, and Rufio Hooks. 

She released an EP in 2024, "Tennessee Girl."

Before making her "Idol" debut, Megan Danielle competed on season 18 of "The Voice," making it to the top nine. 

Her "American Idol" journey started off on a high note when contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle surprised her at her audition. Danielle, now 22, was performing the singer's song "You Say."

The Georgia native impressed the judges throughout the competition, ending with her final performance of her original song "Dream Girl." In the end, she came in second behind Iam Tongi.

Since finishing on "Idol," she's released a few singles, including the February 2025 jam "Honey Sweet."

Moseley, 25, auditioned for "Idol" with an original song he wrote called "Gone For Good" and made it all the way to the finale, where he ultimately lost to Abi Carter.

He ended up releasing "Gone For Good" as a single, and has since released a few more songs, including "Everything But Me" and "I Don't Wanna Fight No More."

This story was originally published on November 5, 2022, and most recently updated on March 7, 2025.