Hard to believe, but the first week of the final season of "American Idol" is in the books. Although I haven't watched a full episode or entire season in quite a few years (pretty much since Simon Cowell left and they thought it would be a good idea to let Nicki Minaj be involved), the early seasons had some incredible talent on display. This week I thought I'd talk about a few of my favorites.

Elliott Yamin, to me, epitomized what this show was all about in the beginning: raw talent coming out of nowhere, getting a big break and progressing with each performance. He finished third in Season 5 and kept me glued each week with performances like "A Song For You"

David Cook, winner of Season 7's "Battle of the Davids" that edged out Archuleta, had the versatility to sing almost anything and was a staple on KDAT for a couple years after his win. He seems to have unfortunately faded back into obscurity, but this was the song he recorded as a result of his win on the show and where it all began for him. I loved his rocker with a soft side persona.

Weren't we ALL blown away by the original American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson? And she's arguably become one of the Top 2 most successful contestants in the show's history, alongside Carrie Underwood. The song they wrote for Kelly was befitting of her historic moment.

Although Bo Bice and Constantine Maroulis had a rock star rivalry a season earlier, Chris Daughtry came along in Season 5 and made it cool for "legit" rockers to like American Idol. He didn't win, but has done pretty well for himself. I loved his performance of "I Dare You" by Shinedown.

Speaking of Carrie, we knew she had the talent and the "it" factor to win, but she needed to break out of her country shell and show her range. Enter this eye-popping performance of the #1 Heart track, "Alone", that put an exclamation point on her winning season.

Other highlights: Contestants performing with Hall & OatesChicago and Bryan Adams, and virtually every word ever spoken on the show by Simon Cowell. As a judge and founder of the show, Cowell brought new meaning to "tough love" and "constructive criticism", but also legitimate praise when it was deserved as well. If you joined the party after Simon left, click here for a sample of his brilliance.

As we get set to watch the final curtain rise and fall on American Idol, let's hope it brings to the table some talent as memorable as these performers and that some of the legendary alumni will make appearances. Comment on some of your favorites, least favorites and what you hope to see out of the final season this year with a post in the comment section below.

To paraphrase an old Ryan Seacrest catchphrase: Eric. Out.

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