American Idol: Results Shocker

After Tuesday night's American Idol, I quietly conceded to myself that at this point in the competition, anyone could go. Each contestant had their strengths and weaknesses when it came to both performance and voting. So why was I so shocked when Ryan told the world that Chris Daughtry was going home?

One reason is because Chris Daughtry was the most marketable Idol that the show has featured in years. He has the whole package: good look, good image, good voice. He's one of the only contestants on the show who you can not only imagine their first single, but also their first music video. So why did audiences choose to send through Katherine "choker" McPhee, through to the next round, instead of the so clearly capable Chris?

We could speculate all day, arguing about Idol and completely neglecting our work, friends, and lives. But my instinct on this one here is that Chris was just too steady, too constant for Idol viewers to really get excited about him. There was never an instant of doubt that Chris would deliver each week with good vocals and a well thought out stylized performance. So we all just forgot about him. We forgot to vote for him.

During the judging of Tuesday night's performance, Paula waved her hand dismissively at Chris and said "We'll see you in the next round," as if it was a foregone conclusion. It was as if she didn't even feel it was worth her time to judge him because he always delivered such performances. Idol contestants need to be controversial, they need to impress but they also need to take risks and push the limits of people's expectations of them every single week. A prime example of someone who did that beautifully this week is Elliott, who no one really expected to go through and then somehow ended up in the top two.

I'll admit that I'm a little crushed that Chris is going home this week. I was one of the ashen faced fans who turned off their TVs and sat stunned when the broadcast was over. I would have preferred to bid farewell to Katherine McPhee or Taylor Hicks. But that's why Idol is a triumph in the ratings. It's interactive TV. We care. And in an anything-can-happen competition, caring means watching, voting, and crossing your fingers that things will turn out the way you want them too... even though sometimes it doesn't always work that way.