Although Chris Daughtry came quite short of winning the fifth season of “American Idol” (he ended up in fourth place), he used this opportunity to become one of the most successful ones to come from the famous reality TV show. With a net worth of $10 million, this man’s career is nothing short of a miracle, as he managed to surpass even the season’s winner.
Immediately after his appearance on “American Idol,” Chris Daughtry was approached by RCA Records, who saw a lot of potential in the singer. He has since founded a band called Daughtry, and their self-titled album ended up becoming the fastest-selling debut rock record in history. This is probably the most successful fourth-place post-competition win of all time.
William Hung - $600,000
Although William Hung was taken out before even passing the auditions of "American Idol," his hilarious cover of Ricky Martin’s hit “She Bangs” ended up going viral. The young singer began getting approached by various record companies who wanted to ride the wave of his popularity and happily obliged them with an album that reached 34 on the U.S. charts.
William Hung definitely rode on some unfortunate Asian stereotypes to reach his level of fame and success at the time. He has since retired from music and is currently a crime analyst for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Luckily, the hilarious singer managed to grab a cool half a million dollars on his way out the door and left quite a legacy on YouTube.
Jordin Brianna Sparks - $10 Million
You knew we’d eventually get to Jordin Sparks, the award-winning singer who secured first place on the sixth season of "American Idol." What makes this talented musician so unique, is that she was the youngest winner in the show’s history, achieving her victory before she was even eighteen. After her win, Sparks released an album that sold over two million copies.
Jordin Brianna Sparks went on to release several best-selling singles. Her most successful song was “No Air,” which she recorded with Chris Brown. The single ended up becoming the third highest-selling single by any "American Idol" contestant, with over three million digital copies sold in the United States alone. Did we tell you she even won a Grammy?
Mandisa - $3 Million
Let’s start with the obvious, Mandisa was treated quite terribly by Simon Cowell during her run in "American Idol’s" tough competition. She ended up reaching ninth place, but not without being constantly criticized for her weight by the tough music producer. Instead of being mad and losing motivation, this only caused the singer to become even more bold.
By the end of the show, the beautiful Mandisa gave Cowell a very undeserved hug and wished him the best. She used her exposure from the show to launch a debut album, which put her at number one on the Top Christian Albums chart. Since then, Mandisa has used her love and positive message to become one of the most popular gospel singers in the U.S. today.
Lee DeWyze - $500,000
Lee DeWyze started out as a promising performer on the ninth season of "American Idol" and ended up winning the entire show. From there, he went on to have a solo career. While DeWyze has lost most of his popularity over the years, he still releases albums every few years or so. His most recent one, "Paranoia," was released in early 2018 to moderate success.
What made this "American Idol" winner so unique, was his inspiring transformation from a shy singer to quite the jaw-dropper. Although he hasn’t enjoyed massive stardom like many other winners of the show, Lee DeWyze seems to be doing alright for himself. His most famous song since then has been the “Blackbird Song,” which went viral for about a week.