Not shocked at all. It became pretty obvious a few weeks ago, what had happened.

The Idol machine works a certain way. They assumed, from the start, from the initial phone polls that the final would be Adam and Danny with Adam winning. The publicity was invested in that from the start of this season's finals. As you can imagine, they cannot set up such an extravaganza as last night's show with only a week or 2's notice, either. Again, it was quite obvious, that they'd originally planned for Adam to win. Had the votes been at all close, he would have--because AI only uses the votes as a guide, NOT the deciding factor in who they put in the top position--per their disclaimer at the end of the show.

But I think, about halfway through the contest three things started to happen. People started getting tired of Danny Gokey, and his votes dropped off. Adam's sexual orientation became public and while that doesn't bother me, or you--there are a lot of people in this country who will not support gays in any way--so his votes started to drop off. And suddenly people discovered Kris. It's only an opinion, but I believe strongly that for the past several weeks, his votes have skyrocketed, and he was so far ahead of Danny and Adam (information AI would NEVER have released to the public) that the producers couldn't ignore the voting. To do so would have been to cut off their noses to spite their faces, so to speak. And let's face it, a huge upset is going to get them a lot more publicity than if they'd just let Adam win.

Nope, not at all suprised. Almost everyone I know preferred Kris, but conceded Adam would probably win. I really don't know anyone who was still supporting Adam at the end--not that they didn't like him, but they'd decided they liked Kris a little better.

Does it really matter? Adam will do MUCH better in second place--it's a better fit for him--like Clay and Daughtry, he will no doubt have a stellar career, with much more control over it, than he'd have had if he won. And I think winning will be just the right thing for Kris as well--the push of having a year of AI's support is going to be the best thing for him to get his career off the ground. Liking both of them, I truly believe they will BOTH shine and have the most amazing careers possible, with the way things ended up.

You really are in tune with whats going on in that show..thanks for your insight.It makes feel a little saddened in way however.My sister also thought that Adams sexuality lost him the votes and at first I thought she was crazy...but I guess it did. I am a conservative and that does not make me happy.

June

June

That's unfortunate that people will base their votes on someone's sexual preference, when it is a singing contest.

I don't watch AI, but the 2nd place people (and beyond) often do better than the winners anyway, so Adam should do well.

When you think of all the gay singers out there....kd lang, Elton John, Ricky Martin, Melissa Etheridge, their gayness hasn't hurt them any! I personally am very good friends with 2 women who are legally married. They are a terrific couple and a real blast to be around.

I was SO happy that Chris won. I, too, have nothing against Adam's sexual orientation but for me it was the fact that his songs all sounded the same and he always seemed to scream through them.

I only saw the last 5 minutes because once Allison was voted off I lost interest. I was watching Ghost Hunters until the last few minutes of Idol came on.

Way to go Chris!!!!

SamKaren
your resident DJ

What????????......Adam is......gay?

I think the Gokey votes switched to Kris. I'm not convinced Adam lost votes because he was gay. I agree that 2nd place is a better fit for Adam because he will have more control over his career. I thought Kris was totally surprised when his name was announced and Adam was very gracious about it.

Linda

At least he won't be bound by the AI contract and can do things on his own (or can he as a runner up?) Clay seemed to have more success than Reuben. (What Azzalea said actually).

Someone here mentioned that the young girls would probably vote for Chris and they seemed to be right.

It was a really good show last night with a lot of variety.

I think EVERYONE knew that Adam's career was already taking off (win or not) and will make it big. He's just too good not to get a recording deal or theatre work. So, watchers turned to Kris to make him the winner which will jump-start his career more than it would have if he came in second, IMO. He deserves it. So, all in all, this makes both of them winners.

I also think people got tired of hearing Adam scream when he sang. I know I did and I heard it from a few others. That screaming was/is really annoying on the ears.

Kris has a genuine, wholesome voice, and a personality and looks to match. I was hoping he would win, because I know Adams career won't fall by the wayside. He's just to good not to be picked up by producers.

Good going Kris...I have to say, that was probably the BEST moment in AI history when Kris' name' was announced because he really thought Adam had it in the bag.

Sidenote on Gookey: While he is really good, he sounded the same all the time and I think that's what lost it for him. He'll still do well in the field though.

I didn't care for Adam's singing until maybe three weeks ago, or was it four? I don't remember what he sang, but it was awesome. To me it was a one time thing though. I love him as an entertainer, but as far actual singing,I preferred Kris.

I was glad to see Danny make it to the final three, but would have been shocked if he hadn't been voted off when he was.

I didn't know Adam was gay. Are you sure he is? It would not have made a bit of difference if I had wanted to vote for him. I feel sure he has a successful future in entertainment. He has the look and the personality.

I wish Kris, Adam and all the other finalists the best.

Linda

OK...here's my take on this season's Idol and last nights results. I was thrilled that Kris won last night. I wasn't surprised, as I expected Danny's fan base to cast their votes for Kris. In the beginning of this season, I loved Adam. I loved his eyes, his voice and his ability to appear humble and grateful when nice things were said about him. During the entire season, my votes always went to Gokey, as I truly loved his voice. Kris was a cute kid, with a good voice and a broad appeal to the young ladies...and the older ladies. When Gokey was voted off, I couldn't bring myself to vote for Adam for a couple of reasons. First of all, I watched his humbleness diminish more and more, as each week went by and from that emerged a very talented young man that felt sure he was "entitled" to win this competition. It was obvious that he felt he was the "heir apparent" to the Idol throne. Also, I always had a bit of a problem with his lack of willingness to perform a country song on country night. The entire reason for having the contestants is to show versatility in all music genres and I don't think Adam did that. He let it be known, very arrogantly I must add, that he has no desire to ever play in Nashville or sing country music. Well, that mey be but still, show us that you have the ability to. Adam's sexuality had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to vote for Kris. I have very good friends that choose a lifestyle different from mine and I have no problem with their decisions. Also, if any of you have young teenage girls, you will know that the gay guys are very "hot" and popular right now. I voted for Kris Allen because I believe he was the best and most well rounded performer in the finals. IMO

I completely agree with Linda!

I think everyone that was voting for Danny began voting for Kris, which pushed him ahead of Adam.

I do agree that I think they thought Adam would win. Last nights show was definitely more geared toward Adam. His perfirmance with KISS was so much more of a production than Kris' with Keith Urban. But I think Adam is much better off being a runner up. He'll do just fine!

The fact that Adam is gay, I think, didn't make people stop voting for him. I think it Adam lost votes it was probably because of his screeching.

I agree with some of the others that say Danny's votes went to Kris which helped him win.

The top 3 were Danny, Adam and Kris. When Danny was eliminated.. his fans would most likely vote for Kris who was a similar singer. I don't think the fact that Adam was gay had anything to do with it.

To be honest, I know several people that refused to vote for Adam due to his sexuality..I WAS NOT ONE OF THEM!! A friend of mine started sending text messages and talking about Standing up for God and Letting Good win over evil..She went on about gay rights and Adam being from California where all the gay issues were in an uproar.so therefore he would win just to further the gays. She actually wanted Danny to win, but when he was voted out, she changed her votes to Kris. I know she sent in 98 text messages for him Tuesday night..

My feelings on Adam.. I liked him at times..when he wasn't screaming at the top of his lungs..and last night when he sang with KISS and Queen, I thought he was great, but to buy an album of his..don't see it happening.

Adam is a class act. Kris is an average performer. I am so torqued this morning. End of story.

Jodi-

It wasn't about sexual orientation, but of course if the gay person loses, that is what some people that voted for the losing side say???, but I say let the person who got the most votes relish in his win. I didn't care who won, I like them both. Why does it always have to be about sexual orientation, race etc. and not about the real issue, who America liked best? And if a friend of yours did start texting people about "standing up for God and Letting Good win over evil" she did not twist anyones arm so tightly as to make them vote for Chris. Your friend does have freedom of speech. This is just what I think and thank goodness we live in America and we have the right to freedom of speech thus far, and I hope that we don't have this right taken away from us.

I don't think it really came down to sexual orientation either. Both guys were good, but neither was really Idol material. Adam will do much better in second place without Idol restrictions. Kris will get a boost where he otherwise didn't really have a chance. I think it was a win-win situation.

I don't think Adam was arrogant AT ALL. I think he was confident in himself but to me, thats what makes him such a good performer. He goes out on stage with confidence, he opens himself up completely to his performance and audience and lets his personality and talent just take over. I don't see that as arrogant at all. I think he was quite humble all the way through.

As far as him being gay...who cares. I dont know that he's ever come out and said "I'm gay" but the photos of him in drag, and kissing a guy that circulated online are what made everyone assume that. He could be gay, he could be bi, he wears makeup, he dresses in drag sometimes. What he does with his personal life is his choice.

Bottom line...to me...is that he is an awesome performer and will take it to the top from here.

The Idol boards are going wild! And much is the same, it is all because of Adam's sexual persuasion. I don't know if he is gay or not, to my knowledge he has not divulged it, nor should he, this is a SINGING competition.

I did not care for his inging, to my ear it was screaming. And like Ann, I was really put off by his ability to change singing styles when the week was country and I think that influenced all of the idols during disco week. I hope the rules change next year, that the competitors must stay within the venue.

I'm glad Chris won, I preferred his singing.

What did you all think of Kara's performance? Hubby and I were both cheering for her!!! The only thing that could have added to it was if Bikini Girl would have tripped!

I tried all night to vote for Adam. I could not get through at all.

For me the decision was easy - I voted for Adam because:

1) I liked his voice better than Kris's
2) I liked his stage presence - he really seemed to connect with the audience
3) I was fascinated with his appearance
4) I thought, while Kris is wholesome, clean cut, and apple pie, he is B-O-R-I-N-G
5) Adam has that "bad boy" image and I'm more attracted to that than the wholesome, clean cut, apple pie image.

Not in the least shocked.

I've never watched American idol, so they could have gotten naked on the stage and it wouldn't have shocked me. :-)

it was artist v/s same old same old... unfortunately the artist outside of the boring ole' norm lost. idol is really not at all about talent, it's about selling. wait until records come out thou...same old same old gets old and leaves their fans w/ many others' to choose from. ~ liz

No, especially after watching them both on Fox & Friends this morning. Adam was asked if Queen asked him to join them and he basically said "yes", and then said he couldn't really say but they were discussing it. He'd be perfect in that band, I didn't even know they were still together after the lead singer died??

The show was fun for me because I listened to that music in my pre-teen/teenage years. I was even a member of the KISS fan club, Lauren thought that was pretty funny.

I also don't think Adam lost votes for his sexuality, a lot of people didn't like his "screeching" as some of you call it. I liked it, but then I grew up listening to bands who screamed and screeched alot-lol...and still listen to them.

I thought it turned out perfectly. IMO, Adam is the more talented singer because he has a far wider vocal range and can change octaves in a microsecond. Kris also has a great voice, but I feel that Adam in second place will still be able to market himself better than Kris could have done. So it's better that Kris won, because second place needs someone who has enough confidence and drive (like Daughtry and Aiken) to showcase themself even without Idol's backing, which Adam definitely won't have a problem doing.

I used to think that Adam was kind of arrogant until he landed in the bottom three a few weeks ago. His demeanor was exactly the same as when he was one of 'the top chosen' - a very gracious smile *instantly* and he remained gracious through the entire "bottom three" process. That really changed my perception of Adam.

The same thing happened last night - I DVR'ed it and watched his exactly first facial movement in slo-mo - the same as before. An instant smile followed by an instant embrace. I thought that was quite remarkable.

From Kris's initial reaction, I kind of felt that Kris felt he didn't 'deserve' to win, which is just a *shame*. Each sings in a different musical genre and I felt that each was equally as good in their own genre.

However, I felt that after hearing Cook perform, to be honest I thought David Cook was better in general than either Adam or Kris. Adam sometimes screeches (to me) but he does it in key - that's just remarkable. Cook is always in key and never screeches at all.

However, my preference in music is the Kris/Gokey style by far.

If I voted in these contests, I honestly don't know who I would have voted for.

I've never bought any song or recording from any of them. I guess I'm not their target audience *LOL*

I think it could just be the "title" of the show...if it was called "American Singer" or something like that, Adam might have won. I think the word "idol" makes it harder for an "out of the closet" gay person to win. I've seen many clips of Adam online where he could be called a drag queen and doubt that helped him any. I have no opinion one way or the other about his lifestyle. I didn't like any of them this year, but I had expected Adam to win.

It wouldn't have mattered to me at all about sexual orientation. I was hoping Kris would win just because it is more my type of singing. He is a good all round musician where as Adam is a good all round entertainer. I don't care for Adam's screeching which is probably why I chose Kris to win. Both will go far in the music field.

America did Adam a huge favor by not voting him the American Idol. He's a rebel and even though he is bound to do the AI concert tour, he will still be free to pursue his own path and not be on the puppet strings of AI record producers.

Both Kris and Adam will do very well for themselves. I prefer Kris' singing over Adam's, but I like Adam's stage presence.

Its funny to me that a couple of you mention you were put off by Adam not performing a country song in true country style. Thing is, there were other genre's of music that didnt get performed in their typical "style" - Disco - not all of them got into the disco groove. They made the songs their own. Rock - I dont thing Danny or Kris truly rocked out in true "rock" style. So what makes Adam not singing a country song with that country twang any different than the others??

I also think Adam will do fine in the end.

JMO...but one thing about "Idols" is they have a shelf life of about 1-2 years. For me..when I think of an "Idol" I think of David Cassidy or Bobby SHerman. I don't think a lot of the pre-teens went ga-ga over Adam because Chris is more "clean cut".

SamKaren
your resident DJ

Ditto to Linda, Jodi and Sephia. And I agree with pickyshopper as well.

I voted at least 50 times for Adam -- after the first hour or so, getting thru was about 70% successful by cell phone, 40% by land line.

Whoever won, the show itself was terrific. Rod Stewart was the only star to perform without any contestant participation -- what's up with that? And even though I'm an Adam fan, Kris's duet with Keith Urban was wonderful. I loved David Cook's song. I think I'll download it this afternoon.

I would have been seriously PO'd if Adam had lost to Danny. Danny always sounded the same. Kris improved dramatically week by week throughout the season.

I "downloaded" (extracted from YouTube) many of Adam's STUDIO versions of his songs -- in many of them he did not "screech" at all or as much, so I don't know why he did in performance. His studio version of "Feeling Good" is awesome. I hope he considers putting it on a CD if he records solo. It would be a mistake for him to join Queen -- too restricting, and people will forever be comparing him to Freddy Mercury.

I wasn't shocked at all. Once Danny left my money was on Kris. I loved the "told you so" call I made to my sister after the show last night.

Adam seemed like he expected was going to win and so did everyone on the show.

I could see the tide change a week or so ago from the things I saw posted on the internet. Not everyone was gung ho for Adam as they had seemed to be weeks before.

I loved the Tears for Fears song but his screeching on some of the songs hurt my ears. LOL I can see Adam on Broadway - he loves the make-up and the acting out so I think he will do okay. I have said since the beginning of the show that I see Adam as a Rocky Horror Picture Show type character. He fit in quite well with Kiss.

Nope, not shocked at all.

Anne

I loved them...all three of them and didn't care who won. They were all winners really. I think Adam was really really good, loved that song he sung "Mad world"....Kris really stood out for me in the last few weeks and he turned out to be a new favorite for me. Adam is going to go far. I hope Danny does too. Last night's show was great!