ambition is our idol.

It is over. The end of something special. A show that gave me joy for a very long time. Yes, American Idol ended its 15 season run last week. To some? This comes as no surprise. To others? It is the end of an era. For me, the latter rings especially true. It is incredible how much this show has affected my life. There were so many highs. Memorable moments. Disappointments. Looking back? I am grateful for everything this show has given me: the chance to discover new artists, bonding time with my family, and even some friends. Here is the thing. I have always been shy and reserved. That made it difficult to create strong friendships growing up. Thanks to Idol....I came out of my shell. I felt comfortable expressing my opinion. And I met new people.

Idol is so much more than a show. It is a significant part of my life. It feels very bittersweet to say farewell to something that meant so much. In honour of the end of the series....I wanted to take a look back. To highlight some of my favourite American Idol moments. Please feel free to share your own standout moments in the comment section below. (Note: this post is not at all beauty or fashion related. But it felt right for me to commemorate the show.)

Season One: The beginning of it all! And the start of something very special. I had a couple of favourites that year: Kelly Clarkson and Jim Verraros. Jim was my very first American Idol crush. I was head over heels for him. I have fond memories of hanging his photo all over our cabin when my family went camping that summer.

Season Two: This is when Idol became a full blown obsession for me. The reason? Clay Aiken. My mom and I didn't just root for him on the show. We recorded the episodes, listened to every performance over and over again, and followed him post-show. From CDs to concerts and seeing him on Broadway. We were (and still are) serious Claymates.

Season Three: I'll be honest. This season was a little unhealthy for me. I became totally and completely obsessed with John Stevens. The red hair....the crooning....that voice! Ahh, it was an intense and beautiful Idol obsession. Unfortunately, it did not seem like he was going to make it to the end. This caused me to panic each and every week. I didn't want to lose him. Fun fact: he is still one of my all-time favourites. His album, Mr Nice Guy was released last year.

Season Four: What a great season this one was. There were so many incredible singers! My favourites were: Carrie Underwood, Constantine Maroulis, and Anthony Fedorov. Since the show? I have been able to see Carrie in concert and have seen Constantine multiple times in a variety of theatre productions. Such a huge fan of his.

Season Five: Unlike other seasons of the show? This was one where I had multiple favourites. They were: Katharine McPhee, Kellie Pickler, and of course, Bucky Covington. So much talent that season. It was definitely a lot of fun to watch.

Season Six: Out of all my Idol memories....a large chunk of them will be from this season. Sanjaya Malakar just swept me off my feet. I watched his performances, I saved photos, I chatted with other fans online....yes, it was all Sanjaya all the time. When I met him after his elimination? (I just happened to be on vacation in New York during his post-show promo tour.) I bawled. It meant so much to meet the person who had brought me that much joy.

Season Seven: Another great season. Why? David Archuleta. I was already a fan of his by the time he came on the show. I'd watched him years before on Star Search and kept up with him online every now and then. His time on the show was exciting, special, and filled me happiness. (I only wish he had snagged the title.)

Season Eight: Here it is. My all-time favourite season of American Idol. Every contestant in the top 10 has a special place in my heart. Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, and on and on the list goes. By far the most important Idol to me? Scott MacIntyre. He is to this day my favourite contestant. His talent is undeniable. I am such a massive fan of his. I will take any chance to see him or listen to him. One of the highlights of this blog? Interviewing him! You can still take a look at that here.

Season Nine: What could compare to the incredible season eight? Not much. There were some talented people....but only one that I adored. It was Aaron Kelly. His voice was so incredible. When he performed Blue Suede Shoes? It took over my Last.fm page.

Season Ten: I'll be honest. I didn't make it through this season of Idol. There was no more Simon. That in itself totally shifted things. The show felt different somehow. Lacking.

Season Eleven: This was another good season. Which was refreshing after the show losing its steam for me. There were a couple of contestants I really loved. Phillip Phillips and Colton Dixon. To this day I am still a huge fan of both. I've bought all of their post-Idol CDs - and will continue to do so!

Season Twelve: Another season that I gave up on. The judges were horrible (Mariah and Nikki fighting each week was not as entertaining as we all hoped it would be) and the talent was meh. The only person I liked was Lazaro Arbos...and I stopped watching when he was off the show.

Season Fifteen: That takes us to the current season. There is a gap there because I stopped watching the show. It just didn't feel like the American Idol that I had grown up with. The reason I came back to watch the final season? There seemed to be a focus on what was. The talented singers and the old contestants. They seemed intent to bring heart back into the show. So....I watched. And I said goodbye to something that inspired me for many years. (For the record: my favourite contestant was Dalton Rapattoni.)

Phew! That took ages to write. Probably because I wound up on YouTube watching old performances. But it felt good to look back and reminisce.

What are you favourite Idol moments?

xo Shannon