Matthew Wyatt Rogers was born on September 16, 1978 in Rancho Cucamonga in California. He was a student of both Sierra Vista Middle School in Covina, California and South Hills High School in West Covina, California. He was a football player for the latter. He started singing when he was only five years old and had not received any formal training before he appeared as a contestant on American Idol, season 3. Aside from singing, Matthew is also quite the comedian and actor. He enjoys listening to R&B but is also the proud owner of an album of Pavarotti. He believes that the winner of American Idol should be someone who is original and talented.

Matthew auditioned for season 3 of American Idol in Los Angeles, and to his delight, received a golden ticket from the judges. In the semifinals, he won the viewers’ votes with his rendition of Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love” and come Soul Week, gave a satisfactory performance when he sang Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” The following week, Matthew chose to go with the song “Amazed,” in accordance with the country theme, but he failed to amaze the judges and America. The following day, Matthew was sent home, becoming the first finalist to be eliminated from the third season.

Although Matthew’s career did not pick up after American Idol, he has gained some success in the field of sports, particularly in football. He was made a correspondent for several television shows like Turner Sports College Football, Best Damn Sports Show, Access Hollywood and Entertainment Tonight. In 2006, his wife gave birth to healthy baby boy, who they named Brayden Douglas. He is currently balancing his life as a football coach for Mission Viejo High School and as the host of the series Really Big Things, which airs on the Discovery Channel.

Sponsored Links