the buzz log

When the ride of "American Idol" is over, many contestants are never heard from again. However, the fifth season of the show created a number of buzz-worthy performers with true staying power in Search. This season's crop of contestants isn't as deep, so it'll be interesting to see which ones manage to make it big in Buzz.

As for the past contestants, searches on season 5 champ Taylor are on the wane and four of his fellow competitors have bypassed him in Buzz. Season 4 champ Carrie tops our list by a wide margin, doubling the searches of Buzz runner-up Katharine.

We are definitely feeling the heat of McPheever though, with searches on last season's second-place finisher up 73% over the last week. The recent boost lifted her over both Daughtry and Clarkson on our list of the hottest former Idols. Here are the top 16 former competitors ranked in order of searches...

Dare we mention who would have finished #17 if we extended the list one slot? None other than tone-deaf crooner William Hung. With Hung's version of "She Bangs" stuck in our head, we wondered—are there any former contestants missing from our list that you'd love to hear sing again? Let us know...