Last night’s American Idol 2008 performance show was a bit of a let down for me. I wasn’t thrilled with a David vs. David Finale to begin with. The extra hype and cheesy bits they added (like the boxing theme at the start of the show) really didn’t help. My biggest disappoint met was in the performances.

I reread my post from last night which praised both performers. Yet now as I think back on the performances, while I liked them, they sounded great, I can remember performances from both Davids which I liked better earlier in the season. Maybe it was the song choices, maybe it was the higher expectations I had for the finales, maybe it was the added stress they were feeling, or maybe it was a combination of all of these factors. Whatever the reason, in the end, I know that I switched over to the Dancing With The Stars Finale at 9, feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

That being said, I do feel like both performers did a good job last night. based solely on my personal tastes, I definitely enjoyed David Cook’s songs more than I did David Archuleta’s. I think that David Archuleta did a much better job of giving his fans what they want than David Cook did. The judges certainly liked David Archuleta better. I also think that Archie’s (I like that nickname for him) style of music is much more in keeping with the American Idol fan base. I think there is little doubt in anyone’s mind that David Archuleta is going to win tonight.

I find this slightly annoying because Archie has been the favorite from almost week one. I feel like they could have declared him the winner 12 weeks ago and given me back the 24 hours of my life I spent in front of the TV. This may also be another contributing factor to my dissatisfaction with last night’s show. It isn’t just American Idol either. On Dancing With The Stars last night, Kristi Yamaguchi won. She has also been the favorite to win since the first week. It is almost like having the Yankees win the pennant every year. No one’s surprised and in the end no one cares.

I think that the biggest problem with reality TV as a whole this spring was a lack of real competition. People who watch sports will tell you that a good game isn’t a blow out. Its one where the teams are pretty evenly matched and they keep it close throughout the game. That didn’t happen this year. If you want to keep my interest and therefore keep your ratings make it a fight to the finish. I want the contestants to be neck in neck all the way to the end. The seasons I have enjoyed most are the ones where the dark horse comes from behind to win.

While I think Archie will win tonight, it doesn’t really matter. David Cook will still get a huge record contract and become a star. People loved his music and will buy it. I know I will. Look at all of the idols who didn’t win and have still made it big: Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, Elliot Yamin. American Idol is so big that as long as you make it close to the end you’ve made it. While I am interested to find out who will win tonight, to some extent my interest is purely academic since to be honest both of them have already won.

Check out all of Wild Bluff Media’s American Idol Coverage

SirLinksALot: American Idol

Get your all your American Idol Updates from AmIdolUpdates.com