In a competition you always strive to be number one, the best, the winner. However, there can only be one winner and this is true in music competitions as well. The winner from a music competition gets a lot of attention that likely result in fame and fortune. Sometimes though the runner up becomes more successful than or just as successful as the winner. We've seen this happen over time in music competitions such as Star Search and American Idol. Pop sensations Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears were runners- up on Star Search. Here are the runners-up from a more modern music competition, American Idol.
Starting in order of seasons, the runner up of season one was Justin Guarini. He lost to Kelly Clarkson, who is now one of the world's recognized recording artists. I would say in this instance, he had some fame but now as much as Kelly. He released two albums after American Idol that were called Justin Guarini and Stranger Things Have Happened.
Season Two, which aired in 2003, had some tough competition. The two finalists were Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken. The runner up that year was Clay Aiken. After the show, he had a lot of success in the mainstream pop music industry. Maybe even more than Ruben Studdard did. Clay has won numerous music awards and has released five albums. Ruben has released four albums, and is better known as an R&B singer.
The runner up in season three was Diana DeGarmo. She was beat out by Fantasia Barrino. She released two albums called Blue Skies and Unplugged in Nashville. Soon after American Idol, she decided to sing country music instead of pop music. I would say that Fantasia got more of the spotlight in this scenario. However, Fantasia doesn't have the fame that Clay Aiken or Kelly Clarkson has.
In season four the top two contestants were Bo Bice and Carrie Underwood. The winner of this was Carrie Underwood which left Bo as the runner up. Both of these contestants were not known for their pop music style. Bo sings southern rock and Carrie sings country music. Bo has only released two albums which are called The Real Thing and See the Light. In this case, the runner up didn't have as much success as the winner.
Season five was a fun one to watch and had a lot of character. The runner up was Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks was the winner. Katharine released two albums, and has great success as an actress. She has had roles in different movies and television shows such as the House Bunny and CSI: New York.
In 2007, season six aired. The competition was great and the runner up was Blake Lewis. The winner that year was Jordin Sparks. He has released two albums, A.D.D. (Audio Day Dream) and Heartbreak on Vinyl. The second album has some songs that will be release this year as singles and will have to be determined their position on the Billboard music chart.
Season seven had a young runner up, David Archuleta. He was beat out by David Cook. Archuleta got a lot of attention because of his age, looks, and great voice. He can also play musical instruments like the guitar and piano. He has been nominated and won a lot of Teen Choice awards for his music and talent.
Season eight which aired last year had so many great singers. It was narrowed down to Adam Lambert and Kris Allen. Adam Lambert was the runner up, but that hasn't stopped him from being so successful.
