People seem to be shocked that Kris Allen took down Adam Lambert in the season finale of "American Idol," but is it really that surprising? It shouldn't be.

Adam is a lot of things: talented, inspired, creative, and unique just to name a few. But he also rubs people the wrong way with an on-stage presence that can be a little too over-the-top for his own good. It's this persona that creates a real love/hate divide, and there doesn't seem to be a middle ground when it comes to his fan base. Adam isn't the kind of performer who can be completely embraced by "Idol's" vast audience.

And that's OK. Let's not shed too many tears for the über-talented, soon-to-be rock star.

Are you surprised Kris won?

Yes

No

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First of all, everything regarding "Idol" that I've looked at since the finale has been centered on Adam. Which begs the question: Will Season 8 be remembered as "the year Adam lost" or "the year Kris won"? It's way too early to tell, but I think it's safe to say Kris and Adam's careers will be closely compared for years to come.

For those who say that Adam's ambiguous sexuality had the most to do with his second-place finish, I'm not fully buying it. For a guy to get all the way to the finals of "American Idol," he needs to have a tremendous following and it seems as though people didn't let it bother them all that much. Is there an element of anti-gay bias? Of course, but I don't think that alone was enough to derail Adam's ability to win.

I would say Adam's biggest problem was overcoming his musical theater background. His tendency to over-embellish caused Adam apologists like myself to cringe, so just imagine how off-putting those performances could be to people who are on the fence.

Image © Fox Broadcasting

It came down to two very contrasting styles. Plain and simple, Kris has way more mass appeal than Adam.

And that's OK.

In five years, will it matter who won? No. Record sales will matter. Sold-out concerts will matter. So until then, let's give Season 8 an "incomplete" on its report card.

RANKING THE FUTURE OF THE TOP 13

From the second we saw Kris on the Top 36, it was apparent that he had a ton of talent to go along with his cookie-cutter image. (Anyone who claims to have seen him before the Top 36 is lying.) Once he reached the Top 13, Kris started finding his confidence and it created a snowball effect.

So let's give Kris some credit already. The guy is good. Damn good, even. Go sample some the studio versions he has recorded on iTunes if you don't believe me, and I think it's safe to say Kris will have a very successful recording career. On that note, I'd like to take a shot at ranking whose musical careers will work out the best from Season 8:

1) Kris Allen: He gets the top spot for now because he's a lot safer bet than Adam Lambert.
2) Adam Lambert: I'm confident Adam will be the most successful of the bunch, but Kris deserves the spotlight for now. Adam fans need to keep their fingers crossed that he goes in the glam rock direction with his debut album.
3) Matt Giraud: Kind of a jack-of-all-trades who can dabble in a bunch of genres. I could see him being featured in songs a la Justin Timberlake in T.I.'s "Dead and Gone."
4) Allison Iraheta: Unbelievable talent for a 17-year-old. Once she matures a little and finds the right niche, Allison could be a powerhouse.
5) Danny Gokey: If Danny is painfully honest with the limitations of his voice and on-stage ability, he could carve out a nice career in covering old Motown songs like Michael McDonald does.
6) Anoop Desai: It's amazing what producers can do in the studio with slightly above-average voices. I could see him being relevant in the R&B world.
7) Lil Rounds: She's got a great voice. Umm...that should translate to something, right?
8) Scott Macintyre: As long as he sticks with the piano, Scott can do some good things.
9) Megan Joy: She's really attractive. That seems to work for a lot of female singers in their early 20s.
10) Jorge Nuñez: Only because he could blow up in Puerto Rico.
11) Michael Sarver: I'm sure his act plays well to people who like country music.
12) Alexis Grace: I could see her on a side stage at some music festival in Texas.
13) Jasmine Murray: Hey, give her a break! She's only 16!

Thanks for reading, everyone! It's been fun following "American Idol" for the past five months, and hopefully this column has provided some insight or a couple laughs. Can't wait for Season 9!

* Phil just created a Twitter account, so feel free to start following him!

Story by Phil McRae

Starpulse contributing writer