15 American Idol losers who found their own stardom

David Archuleta (Season 7)

Last but certainly not least, who could ever forget the adorable David Archuleta? He first auditioned for Star Search in 2003, and wound up as the Junior Vocal Champion. He had a short burst of fame, but it was American Idol that really skyrocketed him.

The 16-year-old auditioned in San Diego in 2007 for the show’s seventh season. He performed John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change” and despite flubbing some of the words, he got his ticket to Hollywood and the rest is history. Arculeta flew through the competition, and he garnered a huge fanbase of mostly young girls. They were very passionate, too, so you can imagine how they reacted when he lost out on the finale to David Cook. (It looked something like this.)

Losing out on the title didn’t hurt Archuleta too much. He signed with Jive Records in June and released his self-titled debut album in November 2008. The lead single “Crush” debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and could’ve been at the top spot, but was beat out by Rihanna’s “Disturbia”. He has released a total of eight studio albums over the last 10 years, and has sold over a million albums in the U.S. alone. His loyal fanbase clearly followed him post-American Idol.

Archuleta also appeared on Hannah Montana and performed with Miley Cyrus, toured with Demi Lovato, and developed a massive following in the Philippines.

Who was your favorite American Idol contestant? Let us know in the comments!