Although I am no fan of Blake Lewis on American Idol Season 6 that does not prevent me from recognizing how wildly popular he is amongst the audience. Following what I considered a surprise dismissal of Phil Stacey over LaKisha Jones the landscape has really changed, and as a result Blake Lewis finds himself in a very interesting position.

Looking at the Top 4 for American Idol 2012 this season reminds me of the kids’ game, ‘One of these things is not like the others,’ and no, I don’t just mean that he’s the only white kid left. Blake Lewis now remains as the last rocker standing. Melinda Doolittle did a great job of proving she could handle a rock song very well last week, but that still doesn’t make her a rocker, nor is that where she wants to be. I think it’s also safe to say that Jordin Sparks and LaKisha Jones proved that rock was not their best thing, and that’s okay, it doesn’t have to be. All three of those ladies shine deeply in genres where Blake Lewis could go shallow.

So now Blake Lewis has the rock market cornered which, depending upon the upcoming themes, could be a huge swing in the votes in his favor. This week is going to be the Bee Gees week, which will likely be a better fit for Blake than his remaining competitors. I’ve yet to hear what the few remaining weeks will present, so it’s hard to see how long this advantage could last for him.

Rock isn’t Lewis’ only edge at this point though. Obviously Blake is the only male contestant left so those voters who tend to lean towards male performers will all have their votes funneled to Blake. The sex factor hasn’t always proven to be in the men’s favor though when reflecting upon recent American Idol seasons. When it’s come to a duel of the sexes the women stand at 2-1 over the men. Overall the women again have the winning record with 3-2 when examining all seasons’s top Idol picks, regardless of the final duo.

Four weeks ago I never imagined I would have to contemplate this scenario, but here we are at the final four of American Idol Season 6 and Blake Lewis remains with a couple of high cards in his hand. He’ll still need to overcome what I see as lesser vocal abilities (just like Jon Bon Jovi said, beatboxing isn’t singing) when stacked up against the likes of Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks. But with those two being more closely similar in style and subsequently fighting over the same niche it should leave Blake Lewis fans undistracted. I anticipate Blake easily surviving this week and skating into the Top 3 while we see LaKisha take her delayed exit. From there on if he can restrain himself to moderate risks he should have a very good chance at Top 2. Can Blake Lewis really end up taking home the title of this season’s American Idol? It’s possible, more so than I’d like to admit, but I’d still wager against it.

Side note: Despite what Paula Abdul said last week about how she saw a twinkle in Jon Bon Jovi’s eye and how he was digging what Blake Lewis did with ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’, JBJ was, in fact, not pleased with the rendition. Entertainment Weekly interviewed American Idol’s musical director, Michael Orland who was there with Jon Bon Jovi, and he had this to say, “I was in the room with Bon Jovi with him and Bon Jovi was not digging it at all.” Okay, that concludes my jab at Blake Lewis.

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