American Idol Upset: Kris Allen Wins
Long-Favoured Adam Lambert Finishes Second in Shocking Finale
May 23, 2009 Lisa Simonelli Rennie
It just may be considered the most shocking moment in American Idol history. Adam Lambert seemed to be a shoe-in to take the coveted prize, yet Kris, who has been called the "dark horse" of the competition by judge Kara DioGuardi, snuck up and claimed top spot.
Shocker Over the Results
When Ryan Seacrest was handed the envelope containing the winner's name, it was assumed that he would read out the name "Adam Lambert." Much to the surprise of the nation, the judges, and even Kris himself, such was not the case. It would in fact be the Arkansas native who would win American Idol and thus cause a frenzy. After finding out that he had won, Kris even muttered "Adam deserves this." Kris went on to say, "I'm sorry, I don't even know what to feel right now. This is crazy," and leaned on Ryan Seacrest for support. He shook his head in disbelief. It was clearly going to take some time before it sank in that he had just beaten the vocal powerhouse of the competition, and long-favoured Adam.
Just under 100 million votes were cast on Tuesday night, which was an 'Idol' record. Out of so many votes, only 1 million separated the two final contestants. It just goes to show that it really was anyone's game. In the end, 23 year-old Kris Allen walked home with the title of the Season 8 "American Idol."
Adam finished the season as he started it - as a gracious and polite professional. When asked how he felt about Kris taking the title, his response was, "I think Kris won because he's a great artist and I was happy to be runner-up to that."
Success of Other American Idol Runners-Up
Winning American Idol doesn't seem to matter when it comes to having a fulfilling and successful music career. In some cases, runners-up have been even more successful than those they lost to. Clay Aiken - who came in second to Ruben Studdard- has had an amazing career. He seems to be more successful and well-known than Ruben. Chris Daughtry came in fourth, and has had a thriving career with his band "Daughtry." Jennifer Hudson didn't win either, and ended up winning an Oscar and a Grammy! Adam will get a career and fame out of this competition, which is the ultimate goal. Maybe it's better that Kris won, because in a few months, Adam just may be the one people will remember most.
American Idol Finale Packed With Big-Name Artists
The two-hour "American Idol" Season 8 finale was highly entertaining throughout as producers paired up the Top 13 contestants with some big musicians. Allison Iraheta had a duet with Cyndi Lauper on "Time After Time," and Danny Gokey paired up with Lionel Ritchie to sing a variety of his hits. The show's Idol-celebrity duets ended off with the top two finalists belting out a heart-felt "We Are The Champions" along side Queen.
Perhaps the best message of the entire evening was summed up by Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley backstage at the show when he said, "Adam did win. So did Kris. Nobody lost tonight. These are two champions." They are, indeed.
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