The Best of the Decade: 'American Idol'

Whether you love it or hate it no one can deny the cultural impact of "American Idol" on the last ten years.

This FOX singing competition debuted in June 2002 and as they say the rest was history. The show is the American version of the British program "Pop Idol." However, it is safe to say that it has far surpassed the original.

The instant buzz started when word got out about brutally honest judge Simon Cowell. Not one to mince words, Simon lets contestants know exactly what he thinks of them. If they're great he tells them, but if they're god awful he tells them that too. It is his razor sharp insults that originally propelled the show to icon status.

However, it was the talent and ability of the competitors that kept viewers entertained. The first winner Kelly Clarkson went on to chart-topping success. Her most recent hit "My Life Would Suck Without You" is one of Billboard's biggest songs of the year.

In the seasons that followed, the show's ratings hit astronomical proportions causing the competition to schedule around its premieres and finales.

The show has become such an industry juggernaut finalists like Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson have been just as (and sometimes more) successful as winners like Fantasia, Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks.

The show has also become a great breeding ground for Broadway with several of the finalists starring in shows like "Rent," "Hairspray" and "The Color Purple." Season four finalist Constantine Maroulis was even nominated for a Tony Award earlier this year.

Undoubtedly the contest for most successful "Idol" alumni is between Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

While Underwood has sold about 300,000 more albums than Clarkson. Kelly is the original American Idol and she set a very high standard for all those who followed her.

No discussion of the best of the 2000s would be complete without "American Idol" because let's face it, at some point we have all belted out a song in the car or the shower and wondered what Simon's reaction would be.