In what had to be the most drawn out talent contest of all time, the small town girl from Texas took home the million dollar record contract but ... I have to say that Christina Christian (no typo, her parents really named her that) and Tamyra Gray were punked out by the call-in votes and exited much earlier than they should have.

However, it is very evident that finalists Kelly and Justin Guarini (the only hit with the young gals) are both bound for some level of stardom after the show. Kelly gets an instant single and the notorierty, probably a talk show tour as well, but all 10 finalists are going out on a tour. I can't help thinking of it as a little bit Brady Bunch, but whatever.

Overall it was an entertaining show other than Dunkleman and Seacrest, the buffoons who hosted it. Dunkleman's saving grace was a one liner ripping the Florida voters in the second to last episode. If not for Simon Cowell the "judges" (who had zero say when the field hit 10, and only picked 1 of the final 30 to reach that 10) would have been a complete bust. You can count on AI2 next summer.