#TBT: American Idol [VIDEO]

15 years ago America crowned Kelly Clarkson with it's highest honor - American Idol.  She beat out Justin Guarini in a no holds barred battle to the death!  Think I'm joking?  Have you ever seen Justin again?  Exactly.

Kelly Clarkson has since become one of the biggest singers on the planet and American Idol became one of the biggest shows in the history of television.  The show lasted 15 seasons, and ended in 2015.  It launched the careers of many singers, along with Ryan Seacrest, and made Paula Abdul relevant again.  ABC is planning a reboot of this Fox powerhouse next year.

What made American Idol great was Simon Cowell's mean way of letting singers know they stunk.  He didn't sugar coat it, he just flat out told them.  He became the villain of prime time TV.  He's not even from America, and his brutal honesty is not a trait that most people have.  The show became a juggernaut overnight.

Everyone remembers Kelly Clarkson winning.  Literally everybody watched it.  If you forgot, here it is again:

Hard to believe that was 15 years ago.  Who knows what the new season of American Idol will bring, but will it ever live up to the hype of what season one brought us?  Not a chance.