Defying the judges

While it might be true that no “American Idol” contestant has ever mocked the competition with the same pizazz as the always-inspiring Sanjaya Malakar, there have been plenty of singers whom the judges did not like and whom America supported anyway.

And the ones who stuck around the longest became the least susceptible to the judges’ criticism. The more you’re whipped, the thicker your skin gets, or something like that.

Who defied the judges?