American Idol Follow-up

When I heard my favorite radio personalities discussing Melinda's elimination from AI last night, I got this crazy feeling of anxiety. I had totally forgotten about how shocked I was last night when Ryan read the results. Poor Melinda. She is completely deserving of the title. But here is how I make sense of the situation:

When Katharine McPhee placed second last season, she signed on with the same record label as Taylor Hicks, the winner (I think). When her album came out, it was a poppy dance album, which is a far cry from her classy vocals during the show. But Melinda doesn't have to worry about selling out now, because she can take the Chris Daughtry and Elliott Yamin route and have more freedom with her album. She does not need the title of American Idol. Blake and Jordin will need more help, though. So in a way, even though Melinda is the most deserving of winning the title, she will be better off.

Maybe I should start factoring the American vote into my predictions. Next season, I will say "this contestant deserves to win, but knowing AI's past results, she will place third, at the most."