I have no problem with how things turned out on Wednesday night's (May 26) season nine finale of "American Idol." (That's actually not true. I have a lot of problems with how things turned out, but Joe Cocker has nothing to do with this.)
As I (also) predicted, Lee DeWyze did squeak it out against Crystal Bowersox, and even though it meant I ended my season on a losing vote while my fellow "Idol" prognosticators went out with a W, I still feel like I won.
See, I knew Lee would win, because after nine seasons of watching "Idol" and observing what kinds of singers America seems to be going for lately, Lee was the perfect package: Cute, but not runway handsome (David Cook), humble and solidly Hot AC rock-leaning (Kris Allen) and just nervous and shy enough to make him relatable.
Crystal, on the other hand, seemed to be bucking against the "Idol" machine a bit. She was honest, forthright and not as cuddly and, well, a better, more consistent singer. Personality counts and Lee played the "have a beer with" game way better than Crystal, so for that reason alone, he deserved to win. I met a number of his friends and admirers when I went to his hometown and what you saw was no act, to a person they said Lee is a warm, personable guy and the TV Lee was no different from the Lee that sings karaoke at Potato Creek Johnny's.
Crystal's friends and admirers told me the same thing when I visited her hometown as well, but they also gave me the sense that she was a more private, guarded person, which came across on TV and probably hurt her a bit in the votes department. She was also described as warm and approachable, but Crystal had obviously had to scrape and fight a bit harder for things and she seemed to have the tough exterior of someone who could size up an approaching stranger in a second and know when to put up her guard.
Both already have solid track records based on the independent music they've recorded, so all that said, things worked out as they should.
Lee — described by his producer as a headstrong, opinionated musician in the studio — will probably make a broad, approachable rock album for the masses and, if we're lucky, Crystal will be free to avoid the treacly pap that the winner typically has to record and will make exactly the kind of rootsy, bluesy album she was born to release.
See? We all win. (Plus, technically, I really did win.) But in case you're actually keeping score, here are the final results.
Gil Kaufman: 11-of-20
Jim Cantiello: 10-of-20
MJ Santilli: 9-of-20
Did the right person win "American Idol"? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!