A.J. Gil

Abner Juda "AJ" Gil was born on July 5, 1984 and is an older brother to nine siblings. His parents are originally from Mexico, but AJ grew up in San Diego, California. He attended Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington. He auditioned for season 1 of American Idol because he wanted to become a role model and to motivate people to effect positive changes in society. A.J. has also expressed his interest in dancing, although his real talent is singing. He likes to listen to the music of Craig David and P. Diddy, but when it comes to picking which American Idol judge is his favorite, he claims to like them all.

Auditioning for American Idol Season 1 was a successful journey for AJ. As a semi-finalist, he won the votes of viewers with his rendition of "All or Nothing" by the boy band O-Town. He sailed on through to the Finals, earning a spot on the Top 10. For the first week of the Finals, the theme was Motown, and AJ chose to sing the popular hit, "My Cherie Amour" by the legendary Stevie Wonder. Though it wasn't such an impressive performance, AJ was safe from being eliminated. However, for the second week, AJ failed to blow away the judges, as well as America, with his version of Marvin Gaye's "How Sweet It Is." Come elimination day, AJ found himself in the Bottom 3 and ultimately became the second finalist to be voted off American Idol, season 1.