Claymates unite to make Aiken tops in 'Idol' fan poll
-
- January
- 29
About halfway through my recent countdown of the Top 20 “American Idol” Contestants of All Time, I created a Remote Access poll that asked readers to vote on the series’ most significant contestant from the first six seasons. The poll was open for two weeks and the Remote Access readers’ choice, by a landslide, was Clay Aiken.
In the process, Aiken’s fan base blasted me for ranking him as low as I did, dumbfounded that contestants Sanjaya Malakar and William Hung held higher spots on my list—fifth and sixth, respectively.
Although Aiken is a far superior performer, I stand behind my rankings because Malakar and Hung transcended their identities and the show to make a bigger impact on pop culture at large. Despite Malakar’s misguided fans, the slogan “Vote Sanjaya” was less about him and more of a mantra to millions who wanted to see the show crumble. And Hung’s audition not only is the standard by which all auditions are measured, I’m convinced more non-”Idol” fans know more about about his antics than anything Aiken has done on the show or since.
Nonetheless, the Claymates have spoken.
Aiken, runner-up on Season 2 and ranked No. 7 on my list, collected 859 reader votes—nearly one-third of the total 2,621 votes cast and well over twice as many as the next most popular contestant. The rest of the readers’ Top 5 were Kelly Clarkson (No. 1 on my list, 364 votes, 13.9 percent of all votes), Carrie Underwood (No. 2 on my list, 270 votes, 10.3 percent of all votes), Taylor Hicks (No. 17 on my list, 222 votes, 8.5 percent of all votes) and Constantine Maroulis (Unranked on my list, 180 write-in votes, 6.9 percent of all votes).
Check out the rest of the readers’ Top 20—and which contestant I now feel doesn’t deserve the Top 20 ranking I gave her—after the break.
6. Bo Bice (No. 13 on my list)
7. Elliott Yamin (No. 14 on my list)
8. Chris Daughtry (No. 3 on my list)
9. Jennifer Hudson (No. 4 on my list)
10. Blake Lewis (No. 9 on my list)
11. Melinda Doolittle (No. 12 on my list)
12. Fantasia Barrino (No. 8 on my list)
13. Sanjaya Malakar (No. 5 on my list)
14. Kellie Pickler (No. 27/Honorable Mention on my list)
15. Katharine McPhee (No. 16 on my list)
16. William Hung (No. 6 on my list)
17. Ruben Studdard (No. 15 on my list)
18. Jordin Sparks (No. 11 on my list)
19. Justin Guarini (No. 21/Honorable Mention on my list)
20. Ace Young (Unranked on my list)
Forget Malakar and Hung. In retrospect, I overranked Tamyra Gray at No. 10 on my list. Although she continues to work in the entertainment industry, many performers I ranked below her have been more in the public eye and worthier of discussion and consideration. If I had to do the list over again, I’d probably list her somewhere in the Honorable Mention section, move everyone else below her in the Top 20 up one notch and bump up either Justin Guarini, Kimberley Locke or Constantine Maroulis to No. 20.
Interestingly, Gray was 21st in the reader poll with eight votes, followed by Diana DeGarmo (No. 18 on my list) and Kimberley Locke (No. 22/Honorable Mention on my list).
Here are the rest of the readers’ poll results:
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 4:44 pm by Chris Serico.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
Share and Enjoy: del.icio.us Digg Reddit Google StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! | 
Print
| 
Email
Thanks for counting our votes! BTW, in case anyone doesn't know, the above picture is of Clay starring as Sir Robin in Spamalot, on Broadway through May 4th. Go see it, he is fantastic in the role.
I think you have really underestimated Constantine and I trust that in time you'll see that.
Very cool the way the fans ranked the most significant American Idols. Similar to how I might have projected the results, actually. Clay has earned what I would consider his rightful place in this poll, even if I did vote for someone else. If anything, this poll shows that the basis for "significance" has a different meaning for everyone. And that while we all might have our personal favorites, all the idols are significant in their own way.
If I may, I'd like to sincerely say thank you for counting and acknowledging Constantine's write-in votes.
Clay Aiken blew me away every week on AI2…No one else has even come close. Sure there are other idols who have had alot of success but none can hold a candle to him in my book. He is not only a great singer but also a great performer.
Thank you for having the graciousness to acknowledge the views of the fans and to put our idols in the rightful order in which they are best suited. True, I personally favor Clay, but all the other idols are equally deserving of respect and applause for all their personal achievements. Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul tells their individual stories and is both heartwarming and a real tearjerker. Don't miss it.
We spent years out of our lives supporting all these fine idols. Instead of trying to always rank them against each other, why can't we just celebrate all their collective accomplishments and focus on how they have enriched our lives.
I'm sorry, I can't help it. Corrections are so dull… BUT Sedaka called Kimberly Locke ear-delicious, not Aiken. He told Aiken he sang like Agassiz played tennis. Oh, and the judges didn't cut Aiken, the public did in Group Two. The judges brought him back for the wild card show. I also think you might have included that Aiken is a Unicef Ambassador and has raised a lot of money for them as he traveled in Indonesia, Uganda, Afghanistan, and Mexico after the floods. I came late to Idol – Aiken has a lot of fans who never have watched Idol at all.
Corey,
Thanks for the Locke-Aiken and Aiken cut corrections. You're right on both counts. Dull, yes, but important.
Chris
Corey, N.Sedaka might have said Kimberly was ear-delicious,which she was, but when interviewed by Paula Abdul Mr,Sedaka was asked if he could pick the winner for season 2 who would it be and he said Clay Aiken. And yes the judges brought Aiken back for the Wild Card, but the public voted him back. And Paula also interviewed Lionel Richie and asked him the same question and he also said Clay Aiken.
Melinda Doolittle are a amazing singer, she will releases her first Album in June of 2008. A website to support her in her new career, if you want to join us will be fantastic. www.mdstreetteam.com