Anoop Desai

Anoop Desai is a contestant on the eighth season of the popular FOX reality series, American Idol. When Desai was criticized by American Idol judges Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi for wearing "geeky" clothes, judge Paula Abdul defended him saying, "forget the clothing stuff, you're good."Seattle Times: American Idol Premiere (January 14, 2009) On the March 5, 2009 episode of Idol, Desai received the unprecedented honor of being named as the show's 13th finalist. Previous seasons featured only the standard 12 finalists.LA Times: 'American Idol' shocker (spoiler alert!) (March 5, 2009) He was later voted off as a member of the top 7 and will join the Idol tour in the summer of 2009.

• Week 1: "Beat It" by Michael Jackson
• Week 2: "You Are Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson
• Week 3: "Ooh, Baby Baby" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• Week 4: "Caught Up" by Usher
• Week 5: "True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper
• Week 6: "Everything I Do" by Bryan Adams
• Week 7: "Dim All The Lights" by Donna Summer

• "He performed everything from Ozzy Osbourne to T-Pain with his college a cappella group, giving him useful tools for Idol."—USA TodayUSA Today: 12 Singers Stand Out (January 2, 2009)

• "Anoopdog, who wore the shorts. I think he's a smart, interesting guy with a surprisingly compelling voice -- he's totally unlike any of the other contestants, and I can't wait to see what kind of makeover he gets if he makes it out of Hollywood. My only fear is if he does well, that'll open the floodgates to a bunch of nerdy grad students trying out for the show."—NewsdayNewday: Our Favorite American Idol Contestants (February 3, 2009)