Kris Allen Wins American Idol Season 8 Performs No Boundaries Video at The Insider

Underdog Kris Allen caused an upset when he won the season and took the American Idol title. Glam rocker Adam Lambert was called the favorite by Idol judge Simon Cowell. Congrats to Kris.

WINNER!!! Kris Allen performs No Boundaries - AMERICAN IDOL 05 19 2009 FINALE TOP 2 Adam

American Idol delivered a shocker Wednesday, as voters chose Kris Allen for the title over Adam Lambert, who had been considered a prohibitive favorite for much of the show’s eighth season.

Allen, 23, a college student from Conway, Ark., came into Idol’s final week as a hardworking underdog. Even on the last night of competition, judges favored Lambert in two of three performances. Though Allen visibly struggled with the coronation song, No Boundaries, written by judge Kara DioGuardi, viewers still sided with him over the flashier Lambert, whom judge Simon Cowell called a potential “worldwide star.” Tuesday’s performance show drew 23.8 million viewers, a 12% drop from 2008’s 27.1 million, but the singers’ supporters at home cast a record number of votes for the two, just under 100 million.

Going into the finale, much of the media and many fans dwelled on their obvious differences. But ultimately, their similarities carried them to the finale. Both took musical cues from last year’s winner, David Cook, frequently taking great liberties with their chosen material. That approach made them the season’s most interesting contestants.

Lambert grabbed early attention when, vowing to “fearlessly just give ‘em a show,” he auditioned with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Arguably Idol’s most technically adept vocalist to date, Lambert offered risky, unpredictable performances weekly, drastically altering Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire and singing falsetto-laced versions of The Tracks of My Tears and Tears for Fears’ Mad World. [USA TODAY]