You can always count on an American Idol season finale to be entertaining, but some really exceed expectations. Since the show premiered in 2000, the season finale has contributed some of the most dramatic reality tv moments - and not just because of the impressive performances.American Idol's reliance on live performances and voter interactions has proven to make the show fairly unpredictable. Even in cases where fans or production think things will go as planned, they don't. This has led to some chaotic finale nights unfolding. Below, we have insight into some of the most insane finale night moments at American Idol and how fans feel about the controversies.
8 Voting Issues Have Plagued American Idol Finale Night
From season one onward, voting issues have plagued American Idol finale night. In the show's early seasons, fans often complained about the hotline number being busy on finale night when they called to vote. When voting moved to text, providers like AT&T were accused of rigging the show by giving out free texting services to fans on finale night.
Viewers from the West Coast were outraged on American Idol finale night in 2020. Angry audience members took to Twitter, asking if the results were really fair if only the East Coast's votes were being counted. According to Billboard.com, even though all three finalists were from California, voting had closed by the time the full show aired on the West Coast. The overall disastrous voting process has led many fans to question the legitimacy of numerous winners.
7 Adam Lambert Losing To Kris Allen Shocked Fans
American Idol's 2009 finale night was full of surprises, with the biggest one being who was announced as that year's winner. To the surprise of even himself, Kris Allen beat the judge's favorite and one of the most powerful voices ever to grace the American Idol stage, Adam Lambert.
Everything about Adam screams star power. From his incredible voice to his magnetic stage presence, he blew viewers and the judges away week by week with his performances. By the time the finale came along, even Vegas was betting on Adam to beat Kris. But somehow, America found Kris's singer-songwriter a bit more their speed.
Huffington Post pointed to homophobia as the catalyst behind Kris's win over Adam. The article said the American audience was more inclined to agree with Kris's Christian background than Adam's being an openly gay man.
6 Samantha 'Just Sam' Diaz's Win Caused Controversy On Finale Night
Everything about the world, let alone American Idol was different in 2020. The show was forced to go remote after covid began running rampant, with contestants and judges recording the show from their homes. In a Reddit thread titled "Just Sam Shouldn't Have Won" fans of the show expressed their disappointment with the winner. Many felt Just Sam could have been a stronger singer or performer.
One comment mentioned that "America loves sob stories," with others adding that her background full of strife may have helped her win people's votes. She released new music after the show while also wiping her social media profiles clean of any American Idol references.
5 Fans Were Confused How David Cook Beat David Archuleta
Fans had deemed David Archuleta, the winner of his season of American Idol far before finale night. This added to their confusion when it was announced that David Cook won. It wasn't even a close call, with David Cook getting 12 million more votes than David Archuleta.
Many people and publications had theories about what happened, with MTV News pointing out that America truly loves an underdog. With so much attention being thrust on how great David Archuleta was, maybe people felt like they had to vote for David Cook or no one else would. When David Cook was announced the winner, everyone from the viewers at home to Simon Cowell himself was shocked.
4 Arthur Gunn Didn't Show Up For His Finale Night Duet With Sheryl Crow
Arthur Gunn shocked the American Idol finale audience by not showing up altogether. Not only was Arthur in the running to be crowned the winner that night, but he was also scheduled to perform with Sheryl Crow. According to host Ryan Seacrest, Graham DeFranco jumped on stage at the last minute, saving the performance.
Arthur addressed his absence via Instagram, telling fans, "I couldn't help but say no cause of some personal morals and values due to unpleasant environmental experiences." He's yet to further explain his reason for leaving the show.
3 Maddie Poppe's Win Over Gabby Barrett Shocked Fans
Gabby Barrett was a fast fan favorite during the rebooted American Idol in 2018. The show moved from Fox to ABC and brought along a new panel of judges with them, international pop session Katy Perry, country megastar Luke Bryan, and four-time Grammy-Award winner Lionel Richie. Gabby wowed the judges from day one, with all three predicting they had found the next American Idol.
When Gabby placed third on finale night, fans were shocked. Angry fans took to Twitter immediately, claiming the season was rigged. It did seem a little too happenstance that the winner and runner-up also happened to be dating. They even met on the show during Hollywood week.
Fans pointed out on Reddit & Twitter that it would make sense for producers to want Maddie and her boyfriend, Caleb Lee Hutchinson's love story, to be the defining storyline for the season, but it's never been confirmed.​​​​​​​
2 Ruben Studdard's Win Over Clay Aiken Left Fans Torn
Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken have one of the closest voting margins in American Idol history. Ruben won by a mere 124,000 votes, with both contestants collectively receiving over 24 million votes. Some of Clay Aiken's fans began to wonder if there was a conspiracy theory behind the winners of American Idol.
One caller claims to have phoned in over 300 times for Clay, never getting through to cast a vote for him. Another backed up her claim with similar tales following suit. Regardless, the outcome was never changed, and Ruben Studdard remains the crowned winner of American Idol season two. The episode also became one of the highest viewed of the series, garnering 38.1 million live viewers.
Fans' debates over the true winner never stopped the friendship between Clay and Ruben either, with the singers remaining close friends years after their time on the show. The pair announced on The View that they'll even be going on tour together in 2023.
"We're starting out this spring, and we're going to be celebrating the last 20 years since we did Idol and the music we've gotten to make and the friendships we made along the way," said Clay during the interview.
1 Was Lauren Alaina Really Sick Before The American Idol Finale?
Prior to the season 10 finale, rumors were floating around that Lauren Alaina was sick and wouldn't be able to perform. Some headlines said contestant Hayley Reinhart would replace the singer from Rossville, Georgia. Despite all the pre-show drama, Lauren made it to the finale. During the live finale, Lauren explained American Idol's onsite physician diagnosed her with a blown-out vocal cord and gave her medicine to allow her performance to go on.
