The American Idol top 12 for season nine were partially announced on the February 16, 2010 episode of the program. The second performance show took place February 17, 2010 with a results show the next day. Eighteen Idol hopefuls were reduced down to just the top 12.

The top 12 were named on Thursday March 11, 2010 and some of the expected idols were cast off. Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Lacey Brown, Lee Dewyze, Katie Stevens, Michael Lynche, Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, and Tim Urban. In this page, visitors can read brief stats of the top 12 on this the ninth season of American Idol. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/americanidol/2010/03/11/2010-03-11_american_idol_season_9_top_12_alex_lambert_lilly_scott_todrick_hall_and_katelyn_.html

Lacey Brown was the first top 12 contestant eliminated. Paige Miles was eliminated March 24, 2010, leaving Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami, Lee Dewyze, Katie Stevens, Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, and Tim Urban at the Top 10 for the American Idol tour in summer 2010.

The youngest two Idols this year are Aaron Kelly, a sixteen year old boy from Soneston, Pennsylvania and Katie Stevens, a seventeen year old girl who lives in Middlebury, Connecticut. Siobhan Magnus, who is nineteen years old and lives in Cape Cod Massachusetts, and Tim Urban who is also nineteen years old and hails in Dunanville, Texas, join them.

Lee Dewyze is twenty three year old man who lives in Mount Prospect Illinois, Didi Benami is twenty-three years old, and she is from Knoxville, Tennessee complete the first six of the top 12.

Among the last of the top 12 are Lacey Brown, who is a twenty four year old woman from Amarillo Texas and Crystal Bowersox, who is also twenty four years old and hails from Ellison, Ohio. Paige Miles, another twenty four year old woman is from Naples, Florida and Andrew Garcia who is a twenty four year old man from Moreno Valley, California.

The last two hopefuls are Michael Lynche, who is a twenty six year old man from St, Petersburg, Florida and Casey James is a twenty seven year old man from Fort Worth, Texas.