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Paul Nelson reportingWell, it wasn't to be for Murray's David Archuleta. He came in second to David Cook to be the new American Idol. But what did the contestants think about how the show ended?
Ryan Seacrest announced, "The winner, by 12 million votes, of American Idol 2008 is David Cook."
Even though David Cook won one of the most coveted titles in music today, he's not necessarily counting on huge success.
"I actually walked into this with no expectations, and I'm walking out of it with no expectations. I think this show is a springboard, but it's still a crapshoot," he said.
Cook had nothing but good things to say about David Archuleta."He has more talent at his age than I know what to do with at 25," Cook said.
As for Archuleta, he's not taking the second-place finish too hard.
"I just can't believe that I made it this far. I didn't even know I'd make it past the first round, for Pete's sake," he said.
Archuleta says he feels more relieved than anything.
"You know, no more getting judged after each performance. It's like now we get to do what we love to do without it being viewed as a competition," he said.
At the after party, everyone was weighing in on the decision. Third place finisher Syesha Mercado echoed what many people said: the right David won.
"They both really wanted it, and I think David Cook was really passionate about it. He deserved to win," she said.
But, don't feel too bad for Archuleta. It's not like his hopes and dreams have been dashed to pieces. Former contestants Chikezie and Brooke White say Archuleta will have plenty of work.
Chikezie said, "Never fear about that kid. All you've got to do is buy his album when it comes out, you know? The kid's got a career ahead of him. I have no worries about him."
But others inside the party tell me they were expecting David Archuleta's name to be announced because of the reviews Simon Cowell gave him the night before.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
