Does Lambert’s ‘American Idol’ loss matter?

And of course there was the sexuality theory, which held that some voters were not comfortable with the perceived ambiguous nature of Lambert's orientation. The singer has never addressed the issue, saying only: "I know who I am."

The simplest theory, though, was that producers, judges and everyone else simply underestimated Allen's considerable appeal. Starting out slow, the 23-year-old college student and worship leader kept upping his game, with innovative offerings like his acoustic take on Kanye West's "Heartless."

"The show didn't really GET Kris Allen," said Michael Slezak, who blogs about "American Idol" for Entertainment Weekly's Web site. "They didn't know what to do with him. It's no secret that Simon and company wanted Adam and Danny in the final. Kris messed up their plans."

Now, of course, the "Idol" machine will go to work for Allen. "I still think it pays to be a winner of this show, if only for the promotion," Slezak said.

In the end though, he noted, it all comes down to having a strong sense of who you are as a singer and making sure that vision comes through. By that measure, both Allen and Lambert should do well.

"All Adam needed from this show was the publicity," reasoned Edgar, the fan from Canada. "He has the talent. He has the showmanship. He just needed to get his name out there."

And he sure did that. Indeed, the crazy publicity that "Idol" bestows on all its finalists is enough to make more established performers consider trying out. Warren, the songwriter, has mentioned to singers that they should consider it. Sometimes, they say it's too tacky for them.

"I'd tell anybody, 'Don't have attitude about this. Don't think it's not cool,'" Warren said. "We all need that break. We all need that chance to be seen and heard."

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