Scotty McCreery needs to win American Idol. He needs to win for Jennifer Hudson and for Chris Daughtry and for Adam Lambert. He needs to win because he’s going to sell the most LPs, because he’s going to have the most hit singles and because he’s going to take home the most Grammy’s. He needs to win because he’s clearly, overtly and categorically the most talented contestant ever to set foot on the American Idol stage, and it’s about damn time people started voting with their heads and not their hearts.
For some reason, viewers seem to think that winning American Idol is always the best possible result for their favorite contestant. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s always best when performers finish in a place comparable to their ultimate chances of making it. In season four, Constantine Maroulis finished sixth. Since, he’s gone on to a very successful Broadway career, even generating a Tony nomination. Had he won, Maroulis would be considered a failure because there’s no way in hell he ever could have sold a million copies of a CD. The next season, Ace Young rode his striking handsomeness to a seventh place finish and a cameo on Bones in which he got murdered. Win. Now compare that to someone like Taylor Hicks, a good-hearted third place if I’ve ever seen one, who inexplicably won and later got dropped from his recording contract because he didn’t sell enough LPs. It’s not a matter of talent. Taylor Hicks is great, but he should have been appealing to a niche market with albums he wanted to make, not trying to move toward the middle to satisfy lofty expectations he couldn’t possibly achieve.
Scotty McCreery is the only true American Idol left in the field. He has a clear genre and staggering prospects for success. His voice is fully-matured and arguably the best Idol has ever seen. He’s the only one of the remaining three contestants who could possibly achieve Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood levels of stardom. That has to count for something. Let Lauren take a few years to find her place. Let Haley record some bluesy singles a hundred thousand people or so will cherish. And for the love of Travis Tritt, let Scotty McCreery win American Idol and sell a hell of a lot of LPs in the process. He needs to. For himself, for the others and for the show's credibility.
Read Jessica's argument for why Lauren Alaina should win HERE.
Read Kelly's argument for why Haley Reinhart should win HERE.
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