An American Idol's Tale--Based on Hometown, Age and Gender That is

With American Idol’s season 10 finale just around the bend, we must wonder if the numbers add up in proclaiming the true talent in American vocalists.

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Year after year controversy spans the headlines with the closing of each American Idol season. Are the competition winners actually the best of the bunch, or are their chances for "Idol" victory higher based on their hometown, age and gender?

According to Kevin Downey with MSNBC, American Idol has developed a Southern accent proven strong when Arkansas’ Kris Allen ousted the season favorite and California native Adam Lambert, in season 8. Downey notes, “Six of the eight “Idol” winners have been from the South, including Kelly Clarkson (Texas) and Carrie Underwood (Oklahoma).”

American Idol Statistics Infographic (www.infographicsshowcase.com)
Only Jordin Sparks (AZ) and Lee DeWyze (IL) aren't from the South

The most controversial departure in this year’s season 10 of American Idol has proven to be forth runner up James Durbin from Santa Cruz, California, that Reuters declared “as a sure bet for going all the way to the finals, [but] got the least number of votes despite universal praise from the judges during the week of inspirational songs.” Did Durbin’s departure weigh on the fact that we’ve seen 15 California native finalists but not a single victor to the “Idol” thrown?

Idol Infographic by College Life
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Furthermore, Idol success seems to be greatly defined by the younger generation. According to College Life, one third of American Idol Finalists are in their early 20’s, with the youngest winner Jordin Sparks, who was 17 at the time, and the current finalists being Scotty McCreery who’s 17 from Garner, North Carolina and Lauren Alaina who’s 16 from Rossville, Georgia. Is it a coincidence that the season 10 finale is a head-to-head battle between a southern belle (Alaina) and a Southern gentleman (McCreery) who are also two of the youngest in this year’s competition?

According to the Los Angeles Times, the predominance of male success over the years has even moved Idol producers to reevaluate the voting system to accommodate the heavy female viewership that tends to vote more for male contestants. Randy Jackson, the only original judge still standing, stated “there’s a lot of young girls and young women voting…They really vote more for guys than girls,” even going on to predict two guys in the finale.  Although Jackson’s prediction wasn’t exactly spot on with Lauren Alaina in the final, she and fellow female contestant Haley Reinhart, were the only two girls left standing since early April with the departure of judge favorite Pia Toscano. Also the American Idol finale that raked in the most votes nation wide was the dual of the David’s—David Cook versus David Archuletta, that combined for a total of 97,500,000 votes according to College Life.

Idol Infograph by College Life
6 of 10 finalists shown are male

Overall, as an American Idol viewer, it’s safe to assume the winner will be a boy, aged late teens or early 20’s and most likely from the South. The odds seem to be in Scotty McCreey’s favor this coming Wednesday on Fox, but either way these stats may shed light on premature departures of names like Chris Daughtry (27), Adam Lambert (California) and Jennifer Hudson (female), who all turned out more successful than their fellow Idol contestants that took the crown.

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