The Top 10 Reality TV Singing Performances of All Time
There’s dozens of sites that list the best American Idol performances. Most are flat out wrong by the way. The MullerOver editorial team has pored through hundreds of hours of video to get the final, definitive list of the best Reality TV singing performances, period.
Editors’ Note: Since this posting, there has been countless comments on message boards around the Internet with agreement or disdain. We’ve gathered some of the videos that viewers said we should have included, and posted them here.
Please take a moment to post your comments and suggestions at the bottom of the page.
#10 – Clay Aiken
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
American Idol
You knew Clay Aiken would make it. This is his second performance of Don’t Let the Sun that season.
#9 – Bianca Ryan
And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going
America’s Got Talent
She’s only 11 years old and sings like Whitney or Mariah. Bianca won the debut season of America’s Got Talent before she was a teenager.
#8 – Kelly Clarkson
Stuff Like That There
American Idol
The original American Idol still is considered the most talented by many around the world. We believe “Stuff Like That There” best shows her range, voice and playfulness.
#7 – Anthony Callea
The Prayer
Australian Idol
The only performer to make the list from the Southern Hemisphere, Anthony Callea has shown he’s got the talent to represent all of Australia.
#6 – Bo Bice
Vehicle
American Idol
Bo Bice oozes cool. It was difficult for the editors to choose from his other performances Remedy, Spinning Wheel and the iconic Freebird. In the end, Vehicle was the driving song of his time on Idol.
#5 – Susan Boyle
I Dreamed a Dream
Britain’s Got Talent
The audition that shocked the world. YouTube isn’t allowing this video to be embedded, so we switched to Tangle for this video.
#4 – Paul Potts
Nessun Dorma
Britain’s Got Talent
The only opera song to make the list, but truly a stunning performance. Paul was the original Susan Boyle, and thrilled the audience who had already written him off
#3 – Kurt Nilson
Beautiful Day
World Idol
If I was Bono, I’d be a little worried watching this performance. All the talent without the weird glasses. The lovable plumber from Norway, Kurt Nilson, went onto win World Idol in it’s only season to date.
#2 – Danyl Johnson
With a Little Help from my Friends
The X Factor
It’s the performance that Simon Cowell said was the best first audition he’s ever seen. Danyl Johnson is a born performer waiting for an audience. Now that he’s got one, watch out.
#1 – Carrie Underwood
Alone
American Idol
The performance by which all others are measured. You can see Carrie Underwood transform from a contestant to superstar on stage. Simon Cowell correctly predicted after this performance that she’d be the top selling Idol winner of all time.
So, I want to know…..when do you find the time to pore through hundreds of hours of video tape? Something is wrong here, but you did get it right for #1, Carrie is the BEST!
Pretty impressive list. I question Carrie U. as her performance was like finger nails on a black board IMO. I love Heart and this was just too high pitched for me. To each his own. I’d move Susan B. up and Carrie down.
Good thoughts DaisyD. The Susan Boyle ranking was a tough one, but we think her popularity is based in part on the original low expectations, and not necessarily on her singing ability. Thanks for commenting.
I’m puzzled. Are you saying Susan B. doesn’t have singing ability? I’ve heard other songs she’s performed before BGT and she was amazing. I do like Carrie, just not Alone. Season 4 with Carrie and Bo was the best. You having both on the list proves it.:)
It was a joy listen to each of these performances. I think you could shuffle up the order and still do no wrong. Each contestant was great in their own right, however I have no problem with the way the performances were ranked.
Thanks for the comment, Hilda. I agree that the order is fairly subjective.
DaisyD – you’ll get no argument here on Susan Boyle’s talent. She made number five after all on our list. I just think there was a certain “underdog” spirit that added to her popularity as well.
I’ve watched all of your videos, (except Carrie’s:)) and you’ve picked amazing talents. All of them, even Carrie. Danyl is fantastic and I loved watching Bo Bice and Vehicle again. Great job.
Carrie is the best. Ever. Period. Good call! That performance still sends chills down my spine. It was incredible!
And Heart asked Carrie to perform the song with them at a VH1 concert in Atlantic city the next year. It is on youtube. Incredible! They loved her too.
You got #1 right for sure. Carrie’s performance of “Alone” is outstanding. Good job.
Glad you added Clay to that 10 – above everything else, he can rally sing!!
i agree with your picks! great great job on this!!!!! carrie’s has the best singing performance in reality singing contest in histroy!it is where you see a regular person becoming a superstar!!!
What a nice, well-rounded list. Kudos to you for taking the time to work on this and share your results. Just reading your reminder of Carrie’s transformation during “Alone” gave me goosebumps. All ten of these are well-deserved selections.
Carrie’s performance of “Alone” rightfully deserves #1!!!
where’s Kelly Clarkson?
Any one of her performances on AI is better than any of these. In particular, Stuff Like that There and Natural Woman. Also all the others, Walk on By, You’re All I Need, Don’t Play that Song, Walk on By, I Surrender, Think Twice and Without You, are immensely better than Alone.
The fact that Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice are on this list and Kelly Clarkson isn’t just negates this whole thing.
Well, the comments have been fast and furious on this list. Based on our analytics, people have been chiming in from 31 countries from Korea to Peru to Norway to India. Here’s a few that were strongly suggested that I’ll include as honorable mentions:
Kelly Clarkson, Stuff Like That There (American Idol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ccvE0M4MCo
Guy Sebastian, Climb Every Mountain (Australian Idol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdgHQg7bhio
Sourabhee Debbarma, (Indian Idol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enWrB677Yjg
Justin Guarini, For Once in my Life (American Idol)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqaoBzqJ_Ds
But is will say this, the back ground singer on Alone is very good. Much better than Carrie, imo. Carrie’s low notes are very weak and wavery and sometimes off key.
Jackie – your observation regarding the background vocals on Alone is probably one of the most common comments we’ve received.
jackie, get over it.
Chris, thanks for posting Kelly Clarkson’s Stuff Like That There. I’m sure people that missed the first season have no idea why Kelly is so beloved and why all the judges from AI, Simon, Randy, Paula and Kara have all said that Kelly has the best voice of any contestant in the history of American Idol.
Maybe the people that didn’t see the first season will take a look at Stuff Like That There and change their minds about her.
arw, get over what?
I disagree, but that’s ok.
I agree totally that Carrie’s audition of Alone was awesome and yes it deserves to be #1.I watched Carrie transform into a superstar before my eyes in season 4 and season 4 was the best of all the seasons.Carrie is the best singer that AI has ever had and she is only improving from year to year.No I do not care too much for Kelly Clarkson.IMO she screams too much.
I am thrilled to see Carrie Underwood’s Alone as #1. Carrie is aable to sing any song and make it sound wonderful. She has a powerful and beautiful voice. Many of the others on the top 10 list are also awesome. Many I have never seen, so thank you. I really enjoyed watching some of the videos. Carrie Underwood #1, rightfully so.
I don’t know if you got any of the others right but Carrie Underwood at #1.I love Susan Boyle on the list and she could rank #2 no other singer has had the Utube response that Susan Boyle has had on Britains Got Talent.The one thing In do know Guy Sebatian would have to learn to sing as Good as Adam Lambert to rate this list and he doesn’t.He really isn’t that good if you really listen to his voice.Better singers haaven’t made it to the Top 24 on American Idol.he sings with a lisp,doesn’t correctly pronounce words and sings with a false or Falsetto Voice and really doesn’t hold notes well.Of course Pop singers are seldom known to be real vocalists with a few exceptions like Christina Aguilera.R&B has a few really good ones.So does Country with Carrie,Martina,Faith,Sara,Jaime,Allison that don’t have the Mountain Country Voice.
Your list is right on. Carrie definitely deserves the #1 spot. To this day when I go back and listen to ‘Alone’ I still get goosebumps! She has come so far since AI4 and Season 4, IMO, was and is the best season to date! As for Kelly C. it seems as though she screams her songs, at least some of them. Carrie is a superstar…vocals that are amazing, humble and so beautiful… she touched America’s hearts during her season on AI and since then.
Мегареспектос! Прочитал с интересом от начала и до конца.
It’s all so subjective of course, but I feel that Anthony Callea’s The Prayer should rate higher. His singing of that very difficult song caused a sensation in Australia but there was no YouTube to spread the word overseas. He has the training that makes him ‘the real vocalist’ that ‘old goat’ mentions – rare in a pop singer and it results in a superior performance. However, it’s so much a matter of our own personal taste and I doubt any two people would choose even the same ten, let alone rank them in the same way. Thanks anyway – interesting.
Carrie Underwood is definitely the best!!!!
A great list, these shows certainly have uncovered some amazing voices!
I’d have shifted Callea up higher, that performance truly had the Oz Idol audience and the viewers at home spellbound.
So glad you’ve got Anthony Callea in there – that performance had everyone in raptures.
A pretty good and fair list. Thanks for putting the best from the Southern hemisphere on the list: Anthony Callea. Being from Australia he doesn’t get the exposure in USA and Europe that the others have had, but we’re grateful you found him.
I’d put his performance of the prayer above Susan Boyle and certainly Paul Potts, but that’s personal preference.
Heather, Al, Lea and Jon – thanks for finding the list in Australia. Based on other comments we’ve received, Anthony Callea is somewhat of a secret in the United States, but all who’ve heard him are amazed by his talent. One commenter said she listened to his songs for four hours straight after hearing about him on this list.
Anthony Callea !!
my God, what a voice. for him to come as the runner up in 2004, that was a totally slap in the face. absoloutely not fair.
he has amazing talent and still a huge future in music.
i love his voice – absoloutely brilliant !
I’ve listened to all these songs and there’s no way Carrie Underwood’s ‘Alone’ is #1, not even close to it.
Thanks Chris for your comments regarding Anthony Callea from Australia. I’m so glad that some people in the US have found him through your top ten list.
He’s certainly up there with the best of them!
This list is laughable. You include 3 countries (barely) and claim these are the best reality singing performances of all time. Hardly.
Please do some research next before publishing a list like this. This list barely scratches the surface of singing competitions in the world.
Its far too American centric.
As someone who watches singing competition shows from many countries throughout the world I can tell you a legit list of the best probably wouldn’t include most if any of those American Idol performances on it.
Even as a huge Carrie fan I would never put “Alone” at the top of a list that is supposed to be all encompassing.
Off the top of my head I can come up with a better list that this.
Damn right! Carrie is the standard everyone is measured by. She’s the most successful.
Susan Boyle is an exceptionally talented lady who’s been subjected to considerable pressure in the media. IMHO she deserves all of the success that she is having.