Finalists Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina are seen onstage before McCreery is named the winner of “American Idol” on Wednesday.
Scotty McCreery's deep voice, devotion to country music and wholesome schoolboy image endeared him to his fans, and Wednesday night they crowned him the king of the 10th season of "American Idol."
McCreery, 17, who won over 16-year-old finalist Lauren Alaina, is the youngest "Idol" winner in the show's history. Host Ryan Seacrest revealed at the beginning of the show Wednesday that votes from Tuesday's "Idol" totaled more than 122million. Seacrest also noted that this season's "Idol" has generated a grand total of some 750million votes.
At the end of Wednesday night's two-hour spectacle, McCreery's victory speech was brief and humble.
"It's been a year since me and Lauren Alaina tried out now ... me and her have been together since day one, and we're going to stay together," McCreery said. "Never in my wildest dreams ... I have to thank the Lord first, though, because he got me here."
The results were revealed after a season finale that featured the show's "top 13" finalists and several major musical artists, including Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Bono.
Some "Idol" finalists also paired up with major players for special duets, including James Durbin, who rocked "Breaking The Law" with Judas Priest; McCreery, who sang "Live Like You Were Dying" with Tim McGraw; and Alaina, who sang "Right Now" with former "Idol" queen Carrie Underwood.
Milwaukee's Naima Adedapo - daughter of local jazz singer and storyteller Adekola Adedapo - took center stage in some group performances, including "Idol" renditions of Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and a medley of songs from Beyoncé's catalog.
The finale came after a Tuesday night performance show that was dramatic before it even began.
Word spread an hour before that show that Alaina had lost her voice and couldn't finish rehearsals. Third runner-up Haley Reinhart reportedly was called in and getting ready to take Alaina's place.
But Alaina showed up, and the reports about voice troubles were immediately addressed.
"I'm here. I'm ready to sing," Alaina told viewers. A physician appeared on stage and explained that Alaina had been "pushing her voice" during rehearsals and blew out one of her vocal cords.
He added a low-tech explanation of how she was treated: "We gave her a lot of medicine."
With that, Alaina and McCreery launched into a faceoff that was dubbed "the boy next door versus the Southern belle."
Each sang three songs: A repeat of their favorite song from the season; a song chosen by their own idols (Carrie Underwood for Alaina, and George Strait for McCreery) and a song chosen by baseball-cap-wearing music producer/mentor Jimmy Iovine.
McCreery delivered solid but sometimes uninspired performances, first of Montgomery Gentry's "Gone," followed by George Strait's "Check Yes or No" and finishing with "I Love You This Big."
Alaina's delivery was sometimes hurried, but her voice didn't fail her and in fact hit some satisfyingly soaring notes. Her big moment, though, was her final song, "Like My Mother Does."
Wearing a flowing white gown, Alaina sang to her mother in the audience. Seacrest soon took her lightly by the hand and led her down the steps to her mother, where Alaina sang and hugged her mom.
Season 10 was marked by criticism that the judges were soft in their analyses of contestants, as well as the growing sense that the show - despite being the most watched program on television - had lost much of its energy and ability to surprise.
During the final performance show, judge Randy Jackson declared, "They're both in it to win it!"
Two new judges and format changes, including lowering the age limit to 15, did little to change that perception.
Midway through the season, many wondered whether the judges were capable of criticism. Jackson, the veteran of the group, proclaimed repeatedly that various contestants were "in it to win it!"
This season also set a new benchmark for self-promotion among the judges, with Lopez debuting her new single and performing it, then scurrying back to the judges' table to continue that evening's festivities. When she was named "the most beautiful woman in the world" by People magazine, "Idol" made a big deal of it, shining a bright white spotlight over her in an angelic fashion.
Steven Tyler launched both a memoir, "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" and music video for his single "(It) Feels So Good" - giving his solo career a nice shot in the arm.
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