<P> The fifth season of reality television singing competition American Idol began on January 17 , 2006 , and concluded on May 24 , 2006 . Randy Jackson , Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge , and Ryan Seacrest returned to host . It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise , and resulted in 18 contestants ( including all of the top 10 and a few semifinalists ) getting record deals -- nine of them with major labels . It was the first season with a male winner ( Taylor Hicks ) and a female runner - up ( Katharine McPhee ) . It was also the first season of the series to be aired in high definition . </P>
<P> The fifth season of reality television singing competition American Idol began on January 17 , 2006 , and concluded on May 24 , 2006 . Randy Jackson , Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell returned to judge , and Ryan Seacrest returned to host . It is the most successful season to date ratings-wise , and resulted in 18 contestants ( including all of the top 10 and a few semifinalists ) getting record deals -- nine of them with major labels . It was the first season with a male winner ( Taylor Hicks ) and a female runner - up ( Katharine McPhee ) . It was also the first season of the series to be aired in high definition . </P>
who did katharine mcphee lose to in american idol
who did katharine mcphee lose to in american idol
Taylor Hicks
Taylor Hicks