Alienhits loves... American Idol!

My favorite season of American Idol comes to an end next week with a dream finale (well, #1 Dream Finale would have been Adam/Allison, but a #2 Dream is acceptable). The pompous, irritating Danny Gokey is finally gone and now it's down to Adam and Kris. My pick is very clear, and I am very worried. This is why...
Although the press and the judges would like to think so, Adam is not the frontrunner in this race. He has a number of factors against him at this point. First of all, Kris is one of the most likable underdogs the competition has ever seen. Everyone likes to vote for the underdog. In this season's storyline, Kris is the humble everyman. What makes him so dangerous is that he's actually really talented. He's played the "fly under the radar" strategy to perfection, along with the judges' help. They've never overly praised him, never "pimped" him... which makes him extremely relatable to the viewer. His instincts are on point. The only thing I could picture holding against him is originality. Sure, he changes up plenty of songs ("acoustifies" them, if you will), but vocally his sound is pretty familiar to anyone who listens to U.S. radio.
Adam, on the other hand, is unlike anything the show has ever seen. I cannot think of any American artist in the past couple of decades that sounds anything like him. Because of this, I'm baffled that the show has gone to such great lengths to coronate him... and disgusted that he might lose for that very reason. Of course, it's not Adam's fault that the producers have often given him the plum spot (it's all business--i.e. ratings--after all). Nor is it his fault that the American press has fallen for him, putting him on covers and crafting articles that might as well just declare him the winner. It's not his fault that Katy Perry performed last week with a sparkly "Adam Lambert" on the back of her cape. Yes, the producers have built him up--maybe even overly praised him--but that shouldn't cost him the competition. It is a talent show, after all... and his unique talent and charisma is undeniable. And that's taking nothing away from Kris.
My fear for the finale is that people vote against, rather than for. It's the only time in the competition where that fear is relevant, and I've seen it happen before. Remember X-Factor a couple years ago, where the uber-talented Rhydian lost to the likable (but honestly pretty marginal) Leon? It didn't really matter then, because they both failed on the charts... but in that case the runner up barely even got a chance at post-show success. He was a fan-favorite, attention-stealing competitor, just like Adam. I'm fearing a rerun.
One thing's for sure... I will be glued to the television, voting my fingers off. It's gonna be one hell of a finale, with two deserving, talented competitors. I can't remember the last time that I liked both of the top two. Every year I think that Idol's going to lose its hold over me, but every year I become totally obsessed. I can't wait to have my life back next week!