15 "American Idol" Contestants You Forgot You Had a Crush On
After American Idol takes its final bow Thursday night, the show will be remembered for a lot of things: the bona fide pop stars it's crowned, the eviscerating critiques its judges have doled out, and the countless tear-jerking backstories and jaw-dropping musical moments it's brought you. And then there are the countless crushes the show has delivered you. The crushes that you can't begin to explain to yourself, let alone your friends. For example:
1. Bo Bice
Season four, second place
Season four of American Idol ran when I was a senior in college, and in the house I lived in with nine other girls, you were either a Bo Bice fan or a Constantine Maroulis fan, with no options in between. Weirdly, we yelled at each other about this a lot but never actually voted for our favorite. I was Team Bo - that impossibly silky hair! Those eyes! That dark past! Those old-school covers! Swoon.
2. Colton Swon
Season seven, top 48
Colton Swon doesn't have the distinction of being the only Colton on this list, and you might not even remember he was on the show. After a strong audition, he was cut during Hollywood Week. Don't feel too bad for him though - he went on to compete on The Voice with his brother Zach and finished in third place. Plus, his spiky-haired, leather-cuff aesthetic from way back in 2008 (when his audition aired) has morphed into an even sexier, stubbly, six-packed look today. Well done, sir.
3. Stefano Langone
Season 10, seventh place
Stefano was hot enough to pull off that weird look where you wear suspenders but you're wearing them in a manner that's decorative and not functional - and that, my friend, is saying something.
4. Burnell Taylor
Season 12, seventh place
Where to begin with Burnell? His Idol look could best be described as "dapper," as it was a winning combination of nerd glasses, bowties, and blazers, with occasionally glam accents. He topped off his look with an irresistible smile and a voice sweeter than honey. Burnell lost a jaw-dropping 40 pounds during his time on the show (which he attributed to a combination of stress and treadmilling), but his "before" and "after" pictures were equally hot.
5. David Hernandez
Season seven, 12th place
Look, did I spend most of season seven waiting/hoping for David Hernandez to take off his shirt? Yes. Yes, I did. Do I wish he were still on my television, maybe taking off his shirt, every week? Yes, yes I do, especially because time has been kind as hell to David. Jeez.
6. Manny Torres
Season 16, top 24
One of the saddest things about this being the last season of American Idol is that there won't be a chance for Manny Torres to, as the judges so frequently suggest, "try again next year," and that's a shame, because look at him. No, seriously. Look at that that face! And that hair! To say nothing of his perfectly swivelly dancing hips and how adorable he was standing on his tiptoes, trying to match Jordin Sparks's height in heels during their duet of "No Air." Dreamboat.
7. Chikezie Eze
Season seven, 10th place
Part of what made Chikezie so cute was how humble and self-effacing he could be (he frequently made jokes about his pre-Idol days as a TSA agent at LAX). He was so handsome he was able to pull of looks no man should be able to: meticulously sculpted goatees, oversize argyle sweaters, and that weird thing where you wear two polo shirts of contrasting colors at the same time. Plus, he played the harmonica. Come on.
8. Ace Young
Season five, seventh place
Some might argue that, depending on your taste, Chris Daughtry or Taylor Hicks were the true heartthrobs of Idol's fifth season. But Ace's perfect head of long hair, his equal ease in rocker clothes or a suit and tie, and his ability to effortlessly smolder make him the real standout of his season. Besides that, when you Google image search him, one of the automatically suggested search terms is "abs," and with good reason. Plus, he went on to star in musicals like Hairspray and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Musical-theater-nerd cute is the most irresistible kind of cute.
9. Anoop Desai
Season eight, sixth place
American Idol dude soul singers are a dime a dozen, and Simon Cowell may have criticized Anoop's "yo-yo" style of performance (good one week, bad the next), but no one can deny the crush-next-door vibes he had going on. Plus, since leaving the show, he's leveled up his look, favoring bowties and hipster glasses and blazers. It's (ahem) really working for him.
10. Quentin Alexander
Season 14, sixth place
His weird, quasi-confrontation with Harry Connick Jr. was memorable enough to warrant a full paragraph on the Wikipedia page dedicated to Amercian Idol scandals, which is a thing that actually exists, but his confidence, his inimitable fashion sense (those scarves!), and his sexy intensity was part of his appeal.
11. Todrick Hall
Season nine, top 16
Todrick Hall carries the distinction of being one of the very, very few American Idol men sexy enough to pull off wearing fingerless gloves and, believe me, many have tried. His sense of style was just as endearing as his song choices - he once performed a funked-up "Since U Been Gone" while wearing a gym coach's whistle around his neck - and season nine got a little less adorable the second he left.
12. Jim Verraros
Season one, ninth place
Even the cheesy-as-hell styling Jim was stuck with way back on his season (yes, I know it was 2002, but that doesn't mean he had to wear as many denim vests and tank tops and dog tags as he did) couldn't take away from what a cutie he was. Time's been good to Jim - he was only 19 when he season aired - and as the years have gone by, he's gone from cute to flat-out fine.
The fact that he now works as the executive vice-president of a bridal expo company makes him even more of a catch (sorry, he's taken) than his Diana Ross covers.
13. Jared Cotter
Season six, top 16
Jared's sexiness is wholly self-explanatory. THANK YOU AND GOOD DAY.
14. Tim Halperin
Season 10, top 24
Maybe Tim Halperin was endearing solely for his willingness to (bashfully) announce his crush on Jennifer Lopez to the world, but there was also something pretty alluring about the scruffy, frat bro vibe he gave off. The topography of his stubble was a little bit confusing - I was never sure exactly where it was supposed to end and begin - but he was a charmer nonetheless.
15. Colton Dixon
Season 11, seventh place
Colton's sex appeal is definitely … specific, meaning that if mohawked dudes are your type, you'll likely be over the moon for him. I'm typically not all that into the fauxhawk/mohawk (which somehow just keeps on growing), and the way he was styled on American Idol often felt a little dated. But there's something immensely appealing about him when he's dressed down in flannel and a beanie.
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