American Idol: 15 Singers Robbed By Voters

Kendra Chantelle

Semifinalist, Season 10

How She Got Snubbed: The Vegas Week standout who memorably dueted with Paul McDonald on "Blackbird" fell short of the finals thanks to a questionable choice of Christina Aguilera's "Impossible." Brought back for the Wild Card round, she delivered a "Georgia on My Mind" so incredible, it made my list of the 25 Best Performances in show history. The judges, however, clearly had made their minds up before she'd sung a note, and Kendra was left behind – a true crime in a season where snooze-inducing Ashthon Jones, Karen Rodriguez and Thia Megia were the first three finalists to get the boot. (Check out Kendra's solo disc Unthinkable on iTunes.)

Lauren Turner

Semifinalist, Season 10

How She Got Snubbed: The Louisiana cleaning woman entered the semifinals without the benefit of a ton of prior airtime — perhaps because Nigel Lythgoe was too busy pimping the other Season 10 Lauren (Alaina) – and missed making the cut despite a soulful, rockin' spin on "Seven Day Fool."

Robbie Rosen

Semifinalist, Season 10

How He Got Snubbed: The handsome teenager showed a ton of promise in his audition and Hollywood Week, but his semifinal cover of "Angel" suffered from a peculiar arrangement and a weak falsetto. And while his Wild Card rendition of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" was nearly pitch-perfect, it was, alas, overshadowed by Stefano Langone's transcendent "I Need You Now" — leaving Robbie to languish in the "what might have been" chapter of the Idol history books.

Katelyn Epperly

Semifinalist, Season 9

How She Got Snubbed: When the idiotic Season 9 judges eviscerated Katelyn's quirky take on "I Feel the Earth Move" — and failed to remind voters of her mournful, piano-driven rendition of "The Scientist" one week prior — it led to her jaw-dropping exit. That Katelyn's ouster came on the same night as the downfall of fellow Season 9 standouts Lilly Scott and Alex Lambert served to make Season 9's Top 16 results night one of the most infamous in Idol history. (Katelyn's new single, "Julianne," is avaiable on iTunes; her debut CD Southern Gothic is slated for a March 5 release.)

Lilly Scott

Semifinalist, Season 9

How She Got Snubbed: America's Got Talent, or so the title of NBC's variety competition series would have us believe. But America also hates talent, as proven by the elimination of the towheaded indie rock chick after a righteous rendition of "I Fall to Pieces." The fact that she finished behind cannon fodder Paige Miles and Lacey Brown only added injury to the injustice. (Scott's band Varlet released an EP, The Drifter, in 2011.)

Alex Lambert

Semifinalist, Season 9

How He Got Snubbed: The mulleted cutie's inexperience led to visible nerves during his Season 9 semifinal run, but his smoky, soulful tone on James Morrison's "Wonderful World" and John Legend's "Everybody Knows" hinted at a guy who could've been a contender. Alas, he was cut short in favor of endlessly disappointing Andrew Garcia and bland teen fodder like Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban.

Jesse Langseth

Semifinalist, Season 8

How She Got Snubbed: With viewers asked to whittle 36 contestants down to just nine finalists over the course of three weeks, there were bound to be some great contenders left in the dust. Unfortnately for Jesse, she landed in the powerhouse-packed "Group 2" — alongside eventual first-, second- and fourth-place finishers Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta — sealing her "gone too soon" fate.

Mishavonna Henson

Semifinalist, Season 8

How She Got Snubbed: Just like Jesse, Mishavonna found herself in the deep waters of Group 2, and when the judges gave her little-to-no credit for her terrific cover of Train's "Drops of Jupiter," she was as good as gone. (Mishavonna's excellent EP From the Edge of the World and two subsequent singles, released simply as Mishavonna, are available on iTunes.)

Ricky Braddy

Semifinalist, Season 8

How He Got Snubbed: Braddy was denied screentime heading into the semifinal rounds, so despite absolutely slaying "A Song for You," he lost his slots in the finals to Alexis Grace and the heavily hyped Danny Gokey and Michael Sarver. Brought back for the Wild Card round, Braddy's "Superstition" proved to be a fine yet final moment — as the judges ranked him behind Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai, Megan Joy and (inexplicably) the eventual 13th-place finisher Jasmine Murray.

Felicia Barton

Semifinalist, Season 8

How She Got Snubbed: Barton experienced a strange and frustrating Idol journey. Initially booted during the Hollywood rounds, she was invited back for the semifinals when news of contestant Joanna Pacitti's prior close relationships with several show insiders hit the press. With zero fanfare and screentime to bolster her rep, Barton's powerful rendition of "No One" wasn't enough to carry her to the finals. (Barton is now working with Glee star Lea Michele on the actress' debut record.)

Kristen McNamara

Semifinalist, Season 8

How She Got Snubbed: After an awkward "Judges' Mansion" interlude where Simon pitched a fit about wanting to cut her in favor of a "prettier" contestant, Kristen came roaring back in the semifinals with a unique interpretation of "Give Me One Reason." (Kristen released the dance-pop record Pirate under the name KMAC in 2011; it's available on iTunes.)

Asia'h Epperson

Semifinalist, Season 7

How She Got Snubbed: Asia'h's first two semifinal covers — "Piece of My Heart" and "All By Myself" — hinted at a potential pop diva with a radio-ready sound. That promise, however, wasn't enough for her to overcome the choice of cursed Idol song "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)" for Top 16 week, causing her to fall one week short of the finals. (Asia'h is featured, along with The Game, on the David Cash track "City of Angels.")

Sabrina Sloan

Semifinalist, Season 6

How She Got Snubbed: Sabrina didn't hit a sour note in her semifinal renditions of "I Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Love You)," "All the Man That I Need," and "Don't Let Go (Love)," but in a diva-heavy season featuring Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks, LaKisha Jones and Stephanie Edwards, she wound up the odd woman out one week before the finals began.

Aloha Mischeaux

Semifinalist, Season 4

How She Got Snubbed: Aloha's Top 24 week cover of Beyoncé's "Work It Out" was one of the funkiest (and most underrated) performances in Idol history, but when she stumbled the following week on "You Don't Know My Name," a felony occurred and she wound up finishing behind the abysmal Janay Castine and Amanda Avila. (Don't cry for Aloha, though; her debut EP, Badd, released under the name Aloha Mi'Sho, is absolutely essential for fans of R&B club bangers.)

Lisa Leuschner

Semifinalist, Season 3

How She Got Snubbed: Nine seasons later, we're still not sure. Leuschner's version of "Sweet Thing" was a soulful revelation, but she could only muster a third-place spot in the voting behind Matthew Rogers and Camile Velasco (best remembered for an abominable "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" during Elton John week later in the season). Invited back for the Wild Card round, Lisa was bizarrely not allowed to sing, paving the way for a future Oscar winner named Jennifer Hudson to advance into the public consiousness.

Who are your favorite Idol contestants who got thwarted in the Semifinal rounds? Sound off in the comments!