American Idol Champion Rankings

We the people have spoken, and named our American Idol for the year 2010. (Although since they let you vote multiple times, some people spoke a lot more than other people.) The final Idol under the reign of the great Simon Cowell goes by the name of Lee Dewyze, and it appears he won over voters with his raspy voice and a nearly complete lack of anything resembling charisma. So, with 9 seasons in the books, it seems an appropriate time to take a look back with my personal rankings of all the American Idol champs of seasons gone by. We start with #9, and work our way up to the best Idol. Keep in mind that rankings are completely biased and take into account overall talent, marketability and any post-Idol success.

9. Taylor Hicks - Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine that this season never happened. Other times, I just sit and wonder how a 29 year-old dude with gray hair, horrible dance moves and ADHD won a singing contest over the likes of Daugtry.

8. Lee Dewyze - I suppose Mr. Dewyze can go out and prove me wrong by selling millions of records and becoming a relevant recording artist, or he could just continue standing around with that bored look he had on his face most of this season.

7. Ruben Studdard - Ruben was larger than life when he was on the Idol - literally - but his biggest accomplishment post-Idol is probably losing 80 pounds through a vegan diet and strict exercise routine.

6. Jordin Sparks - Sparks sang the national anthem at the Super Bowl and has won a prestigious NAACP Image Award, but only has one top-10 hit so far, and that featured renowned girlfriend-beater Chris Brown.

5. Kris Allen - It's still early for Mr. Allen, but from the sounds of his first album, it seems he may end up being the top-selling Idol winner in the not-so-coveted 45-65 demographic.

4. David Cook - Cook set a record for most singles debuting on the Hot 100 at one time, and his first album hit #3 on the charts. If he ever releases another successful album, he'll be like a version of Daugtry that actually won American Idol.

3. Fantasia Barrino - Has found more success on Broadway for her performance in The Color Purple than in her recording career, but if you're into that kind of thing, I guess that's pretty cool.

2. Carrie Underwood - With 3 Billboard Country #1 albums (2 overall Billboard #1's) and a song about Jesus driving a car, you can definitely make a case for Underwood as the best Idol alum.

1. Kelly Clarkson - You gotta give it up for the original Idol who has had 4 top-3 Billboard albums, the ridiculously catchy song Since U Been Gone, and had her name yelled by Steve Carrell as he got his chest waxed in 40 Year-Old Virgin. What else could you possibly ask for?