No this is not another SEO entry that would compete for the first page of Google Search etc etc. This is actually my take on why David Cook won Yesterday’s (Wednesday night’s) American Idol. I was glued on the tube for two consecutive days watching the live telecast of AI on our Satellite TV while recuperating from flu. If you haven’t watched the said first part of the season finale, both David Cook and David Archuleta showed their very best in vying for the Idol crown. The only difference between the two is that Archuleta stayed safe by doing most of his songs in style that best befits him: ballad. while David cook wowed the audience with versatility and progression, avoiding any repetition of his previous performances and treating the audience to a “David Cook” that has never seen before on National TV. The most controversial portion of the show was when Simon Cowell managed to predict that David Archuleta would win by knocking David Cook in three consecutive rounds. But the American audience does not share Cowell’s criticism. And yes, on the results night, David Cook was announced as the winner smashing previous records and garnering a staggering 12 million lead against Archuleta. How did that happen?

1. Cook showed versatility and variation while Archuleta manifested predictability. A viewer can tell the pattern of Archuleta’s performance; first he’s gonna do a mellow intro with a change in tone and style of the lyrics, then he will take on a power chorus, raising the energy a bit higher and for the finale, a thundering belt with a prolong ending. That’s how Archuleta practically render his songs. While Cook pushes his limits by doing songs that are unpopular, risking new styles and according to his words, avoiding what he already did. In short Cook went for growth rather than for winning. The audience saw that, no doubt.

2. Cook went out of his box. He enjoyed all the songs he sang while Archuleta was too preoccupied with what the people and judges will say on his performance. This is critical since over-earnest people can sometimes stifle spontaneity and candidness. You can very well see that Archuleta picked the right songs, the right melody and the right arrangement so that his performance will be smooth, perfect and dramatic. Over the years, Idol wins when a performance as dramatic as the song tends to beg the favor of the viewers and Archuleta made it sure that he has followed the tradition. But Cook’s performance was not a winning moment as Cowell said. It may not be even dramatic or romanticized as Archuleta’s song “Imagine”. But Cook definitely showed what American Idol is really looking for: Raw and Unpredictable Talent that has all the potential and package to grow and mature as an artist.

3. America wanted a raw talent. They do not want another Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks in the making which put the AI into it’s bottom, ratings-wise. They wanted a very unripe talent that is waiting to bloom and Cookhas all the requirements for it. Archuleta on the other hand has been trained for years to sing and somehow managed to create his own set of standards for himself and limited his style only to ballads. He also won in a national Talent Search when he was 12 years old. While Cook who is a bar tender by profession and is only moonlighting in the bands arena is somehow raw and ready to be cooked!

4. Cook’s Cinderella story made an indelible mark on the viewers. Critics tend to forget that no matter the culture, religion or race, Cinderella stories are still a big hit among the fans. We can remember that David Cook, a bar tender by profession, was not the one who is originally going for the audition but his brother. A producer saw him and told him that he must audition for AI. Soon the brother he is accompanying was not even accepted in the AI, but instead David Cook was given the ticket to Hollywood. A little bit like the story of Sanjaya and Fantasia rolled into one. Whoever go against a person with an authentic Cinderella story and a talent for that is obviously playing with fire.

5. Most of Cook’s performances are unforgettable because he tends to arrange them himself and picks songs that are unpopular. He takes risk in every performance he does. Just an example, his rendition of “Billy Jean” and “Always be my Baby” which was thumb marked by their respective artists yet he brought it into a new level. Who can ever thought that an amateur bar tender can transform a pop song into an alternative mellow rock and a female “shriek-a-song” can become a ballad. Though Archuleta’s performances are also excellent, yet the two song mentioned made a very distinctive mark on Cook that even if Archuleta knocked him down thrice during the finale, viewers still remembers the two songs which made Cook not just only an Icon but also an artist in his own right.

6. Producers and Studio Recording Scions wanted David Cook to win and that’s the truth. It’s business baby. According to an insider report, Cowell has been asking most of the studio producers in Hollywood who they think would win, and they all said the same name: David Cook. It’s not favoritism but marketability. They analyzed that David Cook can attract both market of the sentimental ballad fanatics and the rockers all at the same time. While Archuleta can only hold the romantics and ballad lovers. There is also one fact that what made Cook more of a preference “managing-wise” because he has no father who meddles with his career. Archuleta’s father on the other hand was banned from the rehearsals because he was reportedly meddling with Archuleta’s song choices. This somehow became a preview of the difficulty that the handlers would face if Archuleta did win the contest. They don’t want another stage parent meddling with the career of their sons and daughters.

7. Archuleta’s father was pain in the ass according to idol insiders. He was the one choosing songs for Archuleta. But Archuleta denied the claim and there was one instant when Simon Cowell did not believed that he actually picked the song he sang in one of his performances. In an interview, Archuleta said he doesn’t know why Simon doesn’t believe that he chose the song, maybe because it is already a stigma, like what have embedded on the minds of the viewers, that his father is the one behind his song choices. Viewers did not forget that incident and was so disappointed that some neutral fans shifted to Cook instead of Archuleta.

8. Cook’s humility won the hearts of the audience. Though Archuleta’s innocence and august humility is evident yet in the final performance rounds, Cook was not disappointed despite the fact that Simon Cowell singled him out on his performances. And America saw the humility behind that great voice.

9. America was burned after the early elimination of Chris Daughtry and never recovered from it. In season 5 of the American Idol, Christ Daughtry, the first Rocker to step into the top 4 was easily eliminated, plummeting the Idol franchise in America into its lowest ratings ever. After that it continued its low ratings especially when Jordin Sparks was crowned in Season 6. The Rock fans stopped watching AI and labeled the show as a popularity contest rather than a talent show based on originality. Until David Cook came into the picture, who was never voted in the bottom 3, that was the only time fans became interested again with AI. Rock fans all over America rooted for Cook because they do not want to make the same mistake they did on Chris Daughtry who had a landslide record sale leaving behind Idol’s season 5 winner Taylor Hicks’s own record album.

10. Fools rushed in and defied the judges. After the very spicy comment of Simon Cowell during the finale performance, Cook fans rallied behind him not just for sympathy but a show of defiance on what the Judges thought that night. This proved that not all viewers care to listen to the opinion of the Judges. An analyst of the show even said that the taste of the judges and staff of American idol actually differs from what the viewers like. And the voice of the people prevailed for lo and behold, 12 Million votes was the differential given to Cook against Archuleta’s home driven votes. The demographic was even more surprising because age 18-49 was the group who mostly watched the show.

11. Smashing the theory that the one who sang last will win, David cook broke the emerging theory. He proved that singing last is not an advantage as what others thought on the previous seasons of AI. Viewers voted not on the premise of performance that night but on consistency, growth and over-all performance throughout the season. He otherwise disproved the theory that AI is a popularity contest because clearly, Archuleta is more popular than Cook among the judges and viewers alike. Cook was voted as the Idol because of his talent, humility, determination and positive attitude, no more no less.

12. Simon Cowell manipulated the viewers that backfired on Archuleta’s bid for the Idol Crown. When he declared that Archuleta knocked down Cook, the voters instead rushed to their telephone lines and bled their fingers to death just so they could vote for Cook who gained their sympathy. Clearly the performance of Cook was excellent than ever. But why do you think did Cowell made such an unflattering remark only to regret it and apologize for it the next day? Simply because it was Cowell’s strategy to gather votes for Cook. His seven years of stint in AI have made him more or less aware of how the viewers see him as an antagonist among the three AI Judges. He took the opportunity as an advantage because he knows that whatever he says on AI, people will do everything to contradict it. And the votes of Cook is the proof of that defiance. Before the Season Finale began, Cowell guested on Ellen De Generes Show, Oprah and Jay Leno where he publicly predicted that David Cook will win. Simon Cowell is tied up with Sony BMG and included in his deal with Fox is that whoever wins will be automatically signed up for a contract in Sony BMG. He wanted Cook to win so bad that he manipulated the viewers fantasy of thinking Archuleta won the rounds, but he fully knew that the voters will symphatize with David Cook because of his unflattering remarks. What Simon did on the Final performance was a reverse psychology to win more votes for Cook. Cowell knew that the competition was so tight that any of the two Davids could win. He then made this critical move in order to pour more votes for Cook and assure him the crown, to the detriment of Archuleta wherein his fans became lax after the Judges reassured that he won the competition. It all boils down to business and evil genius of Simon Cowell. Brilliant, utterly brilliant!

But then again, of all of the crap that Simon Cowell did say on American Idol, his remark on the results night was one heck of a truth: It doesn’t matter who wins in the competition because the Two Davids were the best Top 2 performers that AI ever had. They were both tremendous in their performances giving their very best till the end. Both were equal winners in their own right and in the eyes of America. The truth is, I never followed AI religiously before, till this season. This season was a blast because two great performers were very gifted with talent. They were not boring compared to the previous season finale in which annoyingly high pitched voices of winners were almost breaking the bulbs and lights of the Kodak Theater. This season, AI finally crowned the right and deserving Idol of all time. A bright future is waiting for the two Davids. Can’t get enough downloading on Itunes Cook’s studio recordings. Can’t wait for his CD to come out.

At last, America has its first American ROCK Idol!