‘American Idol’ bests ‘Dancing’ in ratings

Fox show had 27.1 million viewers, while the ABC show had 20.1 million

Frank Micelotta / AP

David Archuleta performs on March 4 on "American Idol." The performance show drew 27.1 million viewers.

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updated 7:19 p.m. ET May 21, 2008

NEW YORK - Olympic skater Kristi Yamaguchi is used to winning with a lot of people watching, and Tuesday’s “Dancing With the Stars” finale was no exception.

The conclusion to ABC’s competition was seen by 20.1 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. That’s a season high for this round of hoofing, won with a perfect score by the Olympic gold medalist.

Dancing hasn’t beaten singing in prime time, however, and Tuesday was no exception.

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The penultimate “American Idol” on Fox, with David Archuleta and David Cook competing to be this year’s winner, was seen by 27.1 million viewers, Nielsen said.

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The two shows did not directly go up against each other, except for three minutes when “American Idol” ran over its scheduled time.