Kris Allen is the eighth American Idol

American Idol season 8 is the most forgettable season of my favorite television show. Kris Allen, who hails from Conway, Arkansas, has been crowned the eighth American Idol, defeating runner-up Adam Lambert from Los Angeles, California, after nearly 100 million votes cast nationwide. A total of over 624 million votes were cast throughout American Idol season 8. I am not a big fan of Kris Allen, nor do I dislike him. One reason is that he hails from Arkansas, the state where the corporate monster Wal-Mart is headquartered. The only finalists of this season I dislike are Michael Sarver, Megan Joy, and Alexis Grace. I am extremely disappointed that Jasmine Murray, my all-time favorite American Idol contestant, will miss out on the Idol summer tour along with Jorge Núñez and Alexis Grace.

Here is how season 8 went down:

Winner: Kris Allen
Runner-up: Adam Lambert
3rd place: Danny Gokey
4th place: Allison Iraheta
5th place: Matt Giraud
6th place: Anoop Desai
7th place: Lil Rounds
8th place: Scott MacIntyre
9th place: Megan Joy
10th place: Michael Sarver
11th place: Alexis Grace
12th place: Jorge Núñez
13th place: Jasmine Murray

Will Kris Allen be a success in the future like David Cook or will he turn out to be a joke like Taylor Hicks? The way I see it is that Kris Allen may turn out to be a joke and be down there with Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks while Jasmine Murray will go from zero to hero and be up there with Kelly Clarkson. Therefore, Kris Allen will turn out to be a fake Idol, while Jasmine Murray will be a true sleeper Idol.

Here are my rankings:

#1 Jasmine Murray
#2 Lil Rounds
#3 Anoop Desai
#4 Matt Giraud
#5 Jorge Núñez
#6 Adam Lambert
#7 Scott MacIntyre
#8 Kris Allen
#9 Danny Gokey
#10 Allison Iraheta
#11 Michael Sarver
#12 Megan Joy
#13 Alexis Grace

Kris Allen is not my American Idol. Jasmine Murray is my American Idol, although she is the first boot. I like the previous American Idol David Cook better.

An all male top 3

For the first time in American Idol history, with the last girl standing, Allison Iraheta, being voted off, American Idol season 8 gets an all-male top 3. This season of American Idol is the popular opposite of season 3 in terms of gender. Season 3 has eight female finalists and an all-female top 3, whereas season 8 has eight male finalists and an all-male top 3.

A record-breaking 64 million votes were cast according to Ryan Seacreast. Iraheta is the youngest finalist of American Idol season 8, being born in April 1992. Her elimination has shocked many viewers and commentators. The mentor Slash stated: "Allison didn't deserve to be voted off so soon. She has amazing potential." The band director Rickey Minor has also been shocked about her elimination. Iraheta landed in the bottom 3 many times prior to her elimination. The commentators have attributed her elimination to American Idol's predominately female voting base, which favors male contestants, while I favor African-American female contestants myself.