Here's a rundown of the 24 semifinalists.
The Women
Paris Bennett, 17, Fayetteville, Ga.; auditioned in Greensboro. Singing is in her blood: Grandmother Ann Nesby is a member of the gospel group Sounds of Blackness.
Ayla Brown, 17, Wrentham, Mass.; auditioned in Boston. In addition to singing, Brown is a talented basketball player and will attend Boston College next year on a hoops scholarship.
Heather Cox, 22, Jonesville, N.C.; auditioned in Denver. You can call her the Singing Accountant, as she was studying accounting before auditioning for "Idol."
Brenna Gethers, 25, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.; auditioned in Boston. She sparred with Simon Cowell during the Hollywood rounds, but Simon might not want to tick her off too much. She holds a black belt in Shotokan karate.
Mandisa, 29, Antioch, Tenn.; auditioned in Chicago. Mandisa has dropped her last name (Hundley) and forgiven Simon for his unkind comments about her weight early on.
Kinnik Sky, 28, Duluth, Ga.; auditioned in Greensboro. The last female to make the top 12, Sky has some acting experience as well, performing in theater productions in the Atlanta area.
Melissa McGhee, 21, Tampa; auditioned in Denver. FOX says she "embarked on her performing career" at the tender age of 4. She also describes herself as a romantic.
Katharine McPhee, 21, Sherman Oaks, Calif.; auditioned in San Francisco. Her mom's a vocal coach, and she has training from the Boston Conservatory.
Becky O'Donohue, 25, Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; auditioned in Boston. If Ayla Brown needs someone to shoot hoops with, O'Donohue would be a good choice; she played Division I basketball at Niagara University.
Kellie Pickler, 19, Albemarle, N.C.; auditioned in Greensboro. Her country-girl background and singing style have invited comparisons to last year's winner, Carrie Underwood.
Stevie Scott, 19, Fair Oaks, Calif.; auditioned in Denver. She's been performing since age 10 and has recorded since 15. Scott also plays guitar and piano.
Lisa Tucker, 16, Anaheim, Calif.; auditioned in Denver. The high schooler was a member of the the Los Angeles cast of "The Lion King" musical.
The Men
Bobby Bennett, 19, Denver; auditioned in Denver. He's been singing since age 7, though he has little formal training. Prior to auditioning for the show, he worked at Target.
Kevin Covais, 16, Levittown, N.Y.; auditioned in Boston. A high school junior, Covais is a member of the Chorale in New York's Metropolitan Youth Orchestra.
Bucky Covington, 28, Rockingham, N.C.; auditioned in Greensboro. He's been singing in bands since the age of 19 and also plays guitar.
Chris Daughtry, 26, McLeansville, N.C.; auditioned in Denver. Daughtry also plays guitar and has recorded an album with his band, Absent Element. He's married and the stepfather to two kids.
Patrick Hall, 27, Gravette, Ark.; auditioned in Las Vegas. Hall is also married, and he's been pursuing singing while working as a real estate manager.
Taylor Hicks, 29, Birmingham, Ala.; auditioned in Las Vegas. The prematurely gray Hicks showed some skills on the harmonica while awaiting word of his fate Wednesday.
Will Makar, 16, The Woodlands, Texas; auditioned in Austin. As a member of the Houston Children's Chorus, he's sung for two presidents, and he apparently also does a mean Chewbacca impression.
Gedeon McKinney, 17, Memphis; auditioned in Chicago. When he was too young to join his church choir, McKinney sang on the church steps. He attends a performing-arts high school in Memphis.
Jose "Sway" Penala, 28, South San Francisco, Calif.; auditioned in San Francisco. Prior to auditioning for "Idol," Sway was part of a group called 6th Day.
David Radford, 17, Crystal Lake, Ill.; auditioned in Chicago. The junior Rat Packer is a senior in high school and says he's been singing for as long as he can remember.
Elliott Yamin, 27, Richmond, Va.; auditioned in Boston. Yamin says he gets his inspiration from his mom, who's also a professional singer.
Ace Young, 25, Los Angeles; auditioned in Denver. Young grew up in Colorado, and he began performing locally at age 11.