#74 Leah LaBelle

Next on my American Idol finalist countdown is Leah LaBelle. She took twelfth place and was the first Wild Card finalist to get the first boot in the finals. Two Black female finalists also walked in her shoes in the even numbered seasons of the WGWG era. LaBelle was born on September 8, 1986, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, of Bulgarian heritage. She hails from Seattle, Washington. She auditioned for American Idol season 3 in New York City with the song "I Believe in You and Me" by Whitney Houston, which would later be sung by her fellow season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson in the Wild Card round. She performed "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" by Diana Ross in the Hollywood Round. She was chosen by Paula Abdul as a finalist after performing "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green. After singing "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes, she became the first Wild Card to be in the first week of the final round. She was in the bottom 3 with my number 117 American Idol finalist Amy Adams, who landed in tenth place, and my season 3 favorite Jennifer Hudson, who landed in seventh place.