Bartender turned rocker David Cook has been voted the 2008 American Idol by a monumental margin of 12 million votes over his 17 year old competitor David Archuleta. This came as a surprise to many, especially after the slam judge Simon Cowell put on Cook earlier this week.
During Tuesday’s performance show, Cowell and Randy Jackson said that Archuleta clearly won the night.
Yet is was just last week when Cowell predicted that Cook would take the title. “He’s done more to deserve it over the eleven weeks. He’s taken more risks, he’s done things with certain songs that have been more interesting.”
Meanwhile, the teen cutie David is glad the grueling AI is finished. "No more getting judged after each performance,” the runner-up says. "Oh, let me enjoy this for a second."
As for Cook's plans, he was asked backstage about his expectations after the win: "I actually walked into this with no expectations and I’m walking out of it with no expectations," he said. "This show is a springboard, but it’s still a crapshoot. I could easily walk out of this arena and be just a regular Joe tomorrow. I hope that’s not the case. It’s kind of up to everybody else."
