Scotty McCreery Wins American Idol 2011 Crown - Video

We’ve seen some of the best go home.

We’ve met two new judges this season.

We’ve learned we don’t miss Simon after all.

And now we know the winner of American Idol 2011 season 10.

17-Year-old country crooner Scotty McCreery took home the gold tonight and is the new American Idol 2011 winner.

Even after last night’s last minute scare, 30 minutes before going live, that Lauren Alaina had lost her voice and Haley Reinhart would be his new competitor.

Scotty made his hometown of Garner North Carolina proud by winning the tenth season’s top prize after a record breaking 122 million votes put him over the top. 

“Scotty had what it took to go the distance and everybody in Garner is very proud of him. The entire town went into shock when we heard that Scotty had won.”

Scotty beat out 17-year-old country singer Lauren Alaina, and emerged as a frontrunner after the eliminations of Jacob Lusk, Haley Reinhart, James Durbin, Stefano Langone, Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, and Pia Toscano.



So what prize does the winner of American Idol get?

The winner receives a record deal with a major recording label for up to six albums. All previous winners have reportedly earned at least $1 million in their first year after being named winner. Several have gone on to become superstars.

In addition, the top ten finalists go on the road with the “American Idol Summer Tour” kicking off this June and making each contestant a nice six-figure income.

This season of American Idol was a vast improvement over prior seasons. The ousting of bad guy Simon Cowell and the addition of Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez ignited a fresh fire under the show.

Not that this season was without problems and drama.

Related: Was Idol’s James Durbin Arrested?

Things got a bit rocky when Pia Toscano was voted off before smooth operator Stefano Langone. Fans revolted and started a grass roots effort to have her reinstated - but ultimately failed in their attempt.

Fans were ecstatic when Pia announced she had signed a record deal only two days after being voted off the show.

Related: The Pia Toscano and Stefano Langone Drama

And fans cheered when alt-rock sensation Casey Abrams was welcomed back after the judges used their one “save” of the season.

However, some viewers felt that the addition of famous record producer Jimmy Iovine may have led some Idols astray by giving bad advice or pushing them towards a particular song.

Jacob Lusk for example, criticized Iovine for giving him bad advice that Jacob felt ultimately cost him his chance at winning. 

Related: AI’s Jacob Lusk Arrested in L.A. – Mug Shot

And Chris Medina lashed out at producers when he was not invited to the finale live show. He felt that the show really played up his sad story about his fiancée, who suffered a debilitating brain injury, and then dumped him after he was eliminated.

Related: Chris Medina not invited to Idol Finale?

But all-in-all it was a great season. We really believe the changing of the guard propelled American Idol back to what it was in the early days.
And we congratulate Scotty for going the distance and bringing home the win.

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American Idol’s Chris Medina Not Invited to Finale Show – Shame on A.I.

Remember Chris Medina from American Idol?

Sure you do.

He was the Milwaukee contestant who told the sad story about his Fiancee Juliana Ramos being in a car accident, suffering life threatening brain injuries, and now confined to a wheelchair.

The story brought Jennifer Lopez to tears. Chris made it through the elimination rounds and made it into the top 40 before he was sent home.

Early on, American Idol seemed to focus on Medina and Juliana's story like a laser beam, even going as far as having Juliana come into the audition room to meet the judges.

It really is a tragic story and the producers at Idol really played it up – some say for the ratings. But how far are they willing to go to show the love now?

Not very far.

Chris says he has not heard from Idol since he was eliminated, and that he has not been asked to be in the audience during the finale show like many of the other contestants.

He does say that the opportunity to share his story has helped get the word out about his fiancee and the incredible medical bills that are mounting.

Since his exit from A.I he has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Live with Regis and Kelly, Good Morning America, and On-Air with Ryan Seacrest.

In fact, the day after he was eliminated he released a single on iTunes called “What are words” that has sold over 75,000 copies to date. The song is about his relationship with Juliana and the emotions that erupt with these types of brain injuries.

Even though the producers of American Idol seem to be missing in action, host Ryan Seacrest has done something for the young couple.

In a radio interview with Chris, Ryan announced $35,000 worth of donations for his Juliana’s medical bills. It brought the singer to tears and is really a touching video – it even had actor Topher Grace entering the studio early to say he would match the donation for a total of $70,000.

Watch Ryan Seacrest Radio interview with Chris Medina


Medina’s latest video for his single “What are words” is very touching and we can see why he made it into the American Idol top 40. He really does have a great voice.

Watch Chris Medina Music Video “What are words”


Hopefully, American Idol will get wind of all the press about this and offer Chris and Juliana a front row seat next week during the final show of the season.

So, was American Idol just using Chris Medina for ratings?

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Jennifer Lopez Breaks Down on Idol(Video)

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