Win or Lose, It's the Spotlight That Counts

American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert continues to make the media rounds in the afterglow of his controversial American Music Awards performance. Even for those who are not fans of Lambert and have never watched the show, the juggernaut that is AI is intriguing and to watch the futures of the winners and losers unfold is fascinating.

Going back to season one, winner Kelly Clarkson's star has certainly ascended nicely with four successful CD releases already on her resume'. Second-place finisher Justin Guarini hasn't had as much musical midas, although he's not digging ditches, either. Season two saw Ruben Studdard top Clay Aiken in the finale, though the voting results were questionable due to a phone bank system overload. Everyone who shops at a grocery store knows what Aiken is up to these days, but whatever happened to Studdard?

The third round of competition ended with Fantasia Barrino knocking out Diana DeGarmo, although it was the cameo appearances in this season that really shone through. It was here that the world first heard of William Hung and Jennifer Hudson, who was surprisingly cut. Hudson has since gone on to such ridiculous levels of success that judge Simon Cowell had to eventually admit he was wrong.

Country singer Carrie Underwood reigned supreme in year four, delegating rocker Bo Bice to secondary status. Underwood has, so far, sold well over 10 million records in the U.S. with her debut selling 7 million on its own. She also followed Clarkson's lead and swept all three major music awards in the 2006-07 season. Underwood continues her dominance and will soon embark on a tour to support her latest release.

Silver fox Taylor Hicks managed to stave off the likes of bald rocker Chris Daughtry who came in fourth, but who has enjoyed more success than any other competitors from season five. Jordin Sparks earned a record number of votes to beat Blake Lewis in year six, although Sanjaya Malakar was the name most talked about due to campaigns by Vote for the Worst and Howard Stern to keep the teen's hope alive.

The next year came down to a battle of two Davids: Archuleta versus Cook, who ultimately prevailed. Their subsequent CD offerings saw Cook hit platinum and Archuleta strike gold, further solidifying the AI voting results.

The 2009 competition, as we know, introduced Lambert's flamboyance to the world. But what of underdog winner Kris Allen? His post-Idol release has done okay, but not great compared to the likes of Clarkson, Underwood, and Cook. The moral of the story being, it doesn't seem to matter so much whether you win or lose – it's what you do with the exposure that counts.