IDOL MADNESS: Final Results and a Statement About the Game

What a crazy ride it's been.

IDOL MADNESS is now over, and the winner has been determined.

Before we get to that, however, a note about the game.

The idea for this game originated from an Idol Thoughts reader, and we determined that I would host it on my site. The hope was that we would be able to have a fun, spirited NCAA bracket style tournament among the Idol finalists, and determine who the Idol Thoughts readers thought was the best Idol contestant ever. Perhaps naively, we did not imagine how word would spread and the different fanbases would mobilize to support their favorites.

At first it was exciting -- in addition to bringing new readers to my blog, I thought it might be an interesting experiment in determining which finalists still had the largest fanbases. And for the first several rounds, voting turned out to be interesting. There was only one major upset in the first round (Diana Degarmo losing to Bucky Covington), and several surprises became clear, like the size of Constantine Maroulis, Bo Bice and Anthony Fedorov's fanbases. Voting was fair, results were interesting, and, by most accounts, everyone was having a good time.

As we got into the Elite 8 and Final Four, however, a bit of shadiness started to happen. Numbers started to look strange. I received word from polldaddy.com and Vizu.com, who were hosting the respective rounds, that illegal scripting had taken place. Polls were restarted; numbers were watched; warnings were issued. Everything was done in the interest of fairness.

I have no vested interest in any of these contestants -- I considered myself an anthropologist of sorts, interested only in seeing how several years of Idol history would play out in a competition like this. I did not care who won. I mean, if I was going to be pulling for anyone it would have been Kelly Clarkson, and she was upset early on. Again -- I had no interest in rigging the votes one way or another -- I did not care who won.

Most of you did not cheat, but those who did really put a damper on the fun of those who did not.

I tried everything I could to keep the game as fair as possible. If you feel like I could have done more, I apologize. I tried to determine, best I could, who to move on to the finals, based on the corrupted scores. If I made a wrong decision in not just canceling the game completely at the point I realized people were cheating, I apologize. But I was trying to finish the game for those who were playing fairly and had invested time in voting. If you voted and you feel like you wasted your time, I am sorry.

So, the winner of IDOL MADNESS is Clay Aiken, with Elliott Yamin coming in a close 2nd place, Bo Bice in 3rd and Carrie Underwoodin 4th. I have to admit, very sadly, it's a bit of a hollow result, since there is no doubt the game has been corrupted by fans on ALL sides (this has been confirmed to me by polldaddy.com.)

But I will say this -- Clay, Elliott, Carrie and Bo would be proud to know they have some extremely passionate and loyal fans, and even aside from the cheating, these four definitely did have the most total amount of fans vote. I believe Constantine Maroulis, Anthony Fedorov, Kelly Clarkson, Josh Gracin, Jasmine Trias, Kellie Pickler, Ace Young and many more would be pleased to know there fans are so devoted as well.

What I bet they would not be proud of is the cheating that took place for, let's face it, a fairly meaningless result (there's no prize involved, after all). Like I said, most of you did not cheat, but those who did really put a damper on the fun of those who did not. Clay, Elliott, Carrie and Bo would also likely not be proud of the level of vitriol you addressed each other and, quite frankly, me.

So there it is...the end of IDOL MADNESS. I wish it would have ended on a more celebratory note, but I thank those of you who committed to the game and participated fairly, and I hope if you've like other parts of Idol Thoughts you'll come back and check out what's going on here.

IDOL MADNESS Final Four: Tuesday Report

Reminder: Voting in this round ends February 24 at 11:59PM EST

All totals are as of Tuesday 2/19 at 4PM EST

Vote away!! (Click on any match-up to vote)

#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #2 Elliott Yamin
Elliott 44,045
Carrie 27,284

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #5 Bo Bice
Clay 132,978
Bo 114,641

Consolation Round: Jasmine, Ace, Josh, Constantine
Ace 10,125
Constantine 9,811
Jasmine 1,055
Josh 784

IDOL MADNESS Final Four Voting Now Live!

We're down to the Final Four of IDOL MADNESS -- who should make it to the finals??

Voting in this round ends February 24 at 11:59PM EST

You MAY vote multiple times in each match-up

Vote away!!

#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #2 Elliott Yamin

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #5 Bo Bice

Consolation Round: Jasmine, Ace, Josh, Constantine

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8: Friday Report

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

Going into the last two days of voting in the Elite 8 round, 3 of the 4 matches are separated by less than 1%. Holy cow!

Jasmine maintains a very slight .6% lead over Bo Bice, while Elliott Yamin and Ace Young are tied (after more than 7000 votes) at 50%-50%. Carrie Underwood, meanwhile, has gained 1% since yesterday, which is enough to give her a very slim lead over Josh Gracin. These matches are going to come down to the wire!

Clay Aiken is still enjoying a healthy lead over Constantine Maroulis, while Anthony Fedorov and Kelly Clarkson are leading the pack for the #9 and 10 spots.

All numbers as of Friday 2/15 at 5:30PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote.

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias

Jasmine 50.3%-Bo 49.7%

Feb. 14: Jasmine 51.6%-Bo 48.4%

Feb. 13: Jasmine 51.4%-Bo 48.6%

Feb. 12: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Feb. 11: Jasmine 52.6%-Bo 47.4%
Feb. 10: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis

Clay 67%-Constantine 33%

Feb. 14: Clay 68%- Constantine 32%

Feb. 13: Clay 71%-Constantine 29%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young

Elliott 50%-Ace 50%

Feb. 14: Elliott 53.9%-Ace 46.1%

Feb. 13: Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 12: Elliott 50.7%-Ace 49.3%
Feb. 11: Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 10: Elliott 52.6%-Ace 47.4%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Carrie 50.2%-Josh 49.8%

Feb. 14: Josh 50.7%-Carrie 49.3%

Feb. 13: Josh 51%-Carrie 49%
Feb. 12: Josh 51.9%-Carrie 48.1%

Feb. 11: Josh 52.2%-Carrie 47.8%

Feb. 10: Josh 51.5%- Carrie 48.5%

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers
#1-Anthony, #2-Kelly C, #3-Bucky, #4-Kellie P

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8: Thursday Report

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

No major changes on this Valentine's Day, with Jasmine gaining .2% in her lead over Bo, and Elliott picking up more than 3% in his race against Ace. Josh Gracin's lead over Carrie Underwood has slimmed down to less than 2%, while Constantine Maroulis gained 3% in his war with Clay Aiken, though he remains down by a significant margin.

All numbers as of Thursday 2/14 at 5:30PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote.

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias

Jasmine 51.6%-Bo 48.4%

Feb. 13: Jasmine 51.4%-Bo 48.6%

Feb. 12: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Feb. 11: Jasmine 52.6%-Bo 47.4%
Feb. 10: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis

Clay 68%- Constantine 32%

Feb. 13: Clay 71%-Constantine 29%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young

Elliott 53.9%-Ace 46.1%

Feb. 13: Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 12: Elliott 50.7%-Ace 49.3%
Feb. 11: Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 10: Elliott 52.6%-Ace 47.4%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 50.7%-Carrie 49.3%

Feb. 13: Josh 51%-Carrie 49%
Feb. 12: Josh 51.9%-Carrie 48.1%

Feb. 11: Josh 52.2%-Carrie 47.8%

Feb. 10: Josh 51.5%- Carrie 48.5%

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers
#1-Anthony, #2-Kelly C, #3-Bucky, #4-Kellie P

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8: Wednesday Report

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

The newly started Clay/Constantine match-up (please click here to read a note about this match-up, which has been re-started due to voting irregularities) is heavily going toward Clay at the moment, while all other Elite 8 matches are still separated by less 3%. Keep on voting for your faves!

All numbers as of Wednesday 2/13 at 5:00PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote.

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias

Jasmine 51.4%-Bo 48.6%

Feb. 12: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Feb. 11: Jasmine 52.6%-Bo 47.4%
Feb. 10: Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis

Clay 71%-Constantine 29%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young

Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 12: Elliott 50.7%-Ace 49.3%
Feb. 11: Elliott 50.5%-Ace 49.5%

Feb. 10: Elliott 52.6%-Ace 47.4%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 51%-Carrie 49%
Feb. 12: Josh 51.9%-Carrie 48.1%

Feb. 11: Josh 52.2%-Carrie 47.8%

Feb. 10: Josh 51.5%- Carrie 48.5%

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers
#1-Anthony, #2-Kelly C, #3-Bucky, #4-Kellie P

Important IDOL MADNESS Note Regarding Clay Aiken vs. Constantine Maroulis

Due to repeated gaming/scripting attempts to manipulate the results of the IDOL MADNESS match between Clay Aiken and Constantine Maroulis, vizu.com, which operates the poll, has had no choice but to close the poll.

As such, all results up until this point in that match only will be null and void.

The new poll for the Clay vs. Constantine match-up can be found here.

If this happens again, I will have no choice but to remove this match from consideration, and the winner of the Jasmine/Bo contest will receive a free pass to the Final 4.

Please vote fairly!

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8 Matches Now Live!

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

See the results of the IDOL MADNESS Sweet 16 Match-Ups

Here are the Elite 8 match-ups. Vote away!

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers

Decide between contestants eliminated in the Sweet 16: Kelly Clarkson, Kellie Pickler, Gina Glocksen, Blake Lewis, Anthony Fedorov, Bucky Covington, Melinda Doolittle and Latoya London.

IDOL MADNESS Sweet 16 Results -- Upsets Galore

Voting for the Sweet 16 round of IDOL MADNESS is now over, and the results are in!

Let's be honest -- this is a fan club war. To be fair, each of the contestants' fan communities seem to have been alerted to the contest, so it is an equal playing field in that respect, and who wins is determined by how actively their fan club is working to get out the vote. However, it should be acknowledged that were the general public voting on these match-ups, the results might be different.

Having said that -- several shockers in the Sweet 16, leaving us with some very interesting Elite 8 match-ups. Voting starts later tonight or tomorrow, so keep an eye on Idol Thoughts and get ready to vote!

Here are the results...

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice def. #1 Kelly Clarkson

51%-49%

Shocker! In a match that easily could have gone either way, the original Idol barely lost out a victory by just 2%. She was down 4% as of yesterday, and actually pulled ahead for much of today, but even with the power of the Kelly Clarkson Express behind her, she couldn't finish on top. Kudos also to the folks at BoBice.com and BonafideBice.com for putting up a good fight.

#6 Jasmine Trias def. #10 Kellie Pickler

50.4%-49.6%

Kellie had actually pulled ahead on Wednesday, thanks in large part to the folks at KellieFans.com, but Jasmine has some very loyal supporters, and they managed to propel her to a very slight victory.

(Please note, there was a technical glitch with the closing time of this poll.

I have checked with the folks at vizu.com, who run the poll, and they have confirmed that this was the accurate result as of Feb 7 11:59PM EST. They, and I, apologize for any confusion).

Seacrest Bracket

#2 Clay Aiken def. #3 Melinda Doolittle

57.9%-42.1%

Never underestimate the Claymates! Clay had the lead from the get-go and never let it up. The next chanllenge for the vast number of Aiken-maniacs out there? Constantine Maroulis and his devoted followers. Should be an interesting battle!

#9 Constantine Maroulis def. #13 Bucky Covington

76.1%-23.9%

This one was never a contest, despite the hard work of the country singer's fans at Buckymania.blogspot.com -- Constantine's Greek posse is just too powerful! They better be revving up for a big fight with the Clay fans in the Elite 8!

Abdul Bracket

#3 Elliott Yamin def. #7 Anthony Fedorov

55.5%-44.5%

This one was a nailbiter right from the start, with Anthony actually pulling ahead on Tuesday in the match-up that received far and away the most amount of votes (more thank 11K). Thanks to anthonyfanclub.com, Anthony put up a good fight, but yaminions.com, etrainstation.com and others pulled their boy Elliott to the finish line on top.

#9 Ace Young def. #5 Blake Lewis

51%-49%

Though Ace never gave up the lead, he was only up by 0.4% with less than three hours of voting remaining, and finished up by just 2%. That he pulled out the victory despite the combined efforts of teamplaid.com, blakelewismultimedia.com, and others is a true testament to Ace's fans, especially the ones at youngville.com and clubace777.com. A battle with Elliott in the next round should be very interesting indeed.

Jackson Bracket

#1 Carrie Underwood def. #12 Gina Glocksen

58%-42%

Who knew Gina still had so many fans? She put up a fair fight, but superstar Carrie waltzed easily to victory.

#7 Josh Gracin def. #3 Latoya London

66.4%-33.6%

After taking out Chris Daughtry in the round of 32, Gracin had no problem with Latoya in the match that received the lowest amount of votes. Carrie Underwood, however, poses a slightly more daunting challenge.

IDOL MADNESS Wednesday Report -- Only One More Day to Vote in the Sweet 16 Match-Ups!

Voting for all Sweet Sixteen matches ends Thursday February 7, 11:59PM EST.

It looks like it's going to come down to the wire for several Sweet 16 matches.

Kelly Clarkson has lost her lead to Bo Bice -- she's now down by 4%! Elliott Yamin and Jasmine Trias, meanwhile, have managed to crawl back after falling behind yesterday in their matches against Anthony Fedorov and Kellie Pickler, respectively. Ace Young has gained .3% since yesterday -- will he manage to hold onto that lead and upset Blake Lewis?

Elsewhere, Clay Aiken, Constantine Maroulis, Josh Gracin and Carrie Underwood held onto their significant leads.

Here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen match-ups as of Wed. Feb 6 at 3:30PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Bo 52%-Kelly 48%

Feb. 5: Kelly 50.5%-Bo 49.5%

Feb. 4: Kelly 52.6%-Bo 47.4%

Feb. 3: Kelly 54.2%-Bo 45.8%

#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Jasmine 52.4%-Kellie 47.6%

Feb. 5: Kellie 50.7%-Jasmine 49.3%

Feb. 4: Jasmine 55.5%-Kellie 44.4%
Feb. 3: Jasmine 54.7%-Kellie 45.3%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle

Clay 59.4%-Melinda 40.6%

Feb. 5: Clay 58%-Melinda 42%

Feb. 4: Clay 60%-Melinda 40%

Feb. 3: Clay 53.8%-Melinda 46.2%

#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Constantine 76.3%-Bucky 23.7%

Feb. 5: Constantine 76.2%-Bucky 23.8%

Feb. 4: Constantine 76.1%-Bucky 23.9%

Feb. 3: Constantine 76.9%-Bucky 23.1%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Elliott 54.2%-Anthony 45.8%

Feb. 5: Anthony 50.2%-Elliott 49.8%

Feb. 4: Elliott 51.4%-Anthony 48.6%

Feb. 3: Elliott 50.2%-Anthony 49.8%

#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Ace 51.2%-Blake 48.8%

Feb. 5: Ace 50.9%-Blake 49.1%

Feb. 4: Ace 51.6%-Blake 48.4%

Feb. 3: Ace 53.3%-Blake 46.7%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Carrie 58.4%-Gina 41.6%

Feb. 5: Carrie 57.3%-Gina 42.7%

Feb. 4: Carrie 58.1%-Gina 41.9%

Feb. 3: Carrie 56.6%-Gina 43.4%

#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 68.8%-Latoya 31.2%

Feb. 5: Josh 70.1%-Latoya 29.9%

Feb. 4: Josh 73.1%-Latoya 26.9%

Feb. 3: Josh 72.6%-Latoya 27.3%

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Elite 8: Sunday Report

Voting in this round ends Sunday February 17 at 11:59PM EST

With the first couple of days of voting in the Elite 8 round underway, results are closer than ever, with all four matches separated by less than 5%! Jasmine, Constantine, Elliott and Josh currently have the leads, but Bo, Clay, Ace and Carrie are far from out of contention, especially with over a week of voting in this round still to go. Anthony is currently running away with the consolation round, but Kelly Clarkson, Bucky Covington and Kellie Pickler are taking a stab at those 9th and 10th places as well.

All numbers as of Sunday 2/10 at 5:45PM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote.

Cowell Bracket
#5 Bo Bice vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Jasmine 50.4%-Bo 49.6%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Constantine 51.1%-48.9%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #9 Ace Young
Elliott 52.6%-Ace47.4%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #7 Josh Gracin
Josh 51.5%-48.5%

CONSOLATION ROUND: Determining the 9th and 10th place finshers
#1-Anthony, #2-Kelly C, #3-Bucky, #4-Kellie P

IDOL MADNESS Sunday Report

Voting for all Sweet Sixteen matches ends Thursday February 7, 11:59PM EST.

Sweet 16 voting is underway, with almost every match separated by less than 100 votes. The closest battle right now is between Elliott Yamin and Anthony Fedorov (just 0.4% between them), but matches between Kelly Clarkson and Bo Bice, Carrie Underwood and Gina Glocksen, Clay Aiken and Melinda Doolittle, and Blake Lewis and Ace Young are all too close to call at this point, and with five days left of voting, anything could happen.

Here are the results for the Sweet Sixteen match-ups as of Sun. Feb 4 at 10:30AM EST.

Click on any match-up to vote!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Kelly 54.2%-Bo 45.8%

#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Jasmine 54.7%-Kellie 45.3%

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle

Clay 53.8%-Melinda 46.2%

#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Constantine 76.9%-Bucky 23.1%

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov

Elliott 50.2%-Anthony 49.8%

#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Ace 53.3%-Blake 46.7%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Carrie 56.6%-Gina 43.4%

#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Josh 72.6%-Latoya 27.3%

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Round of 32 RESULTS!

Click on the draw above to see final percentages.

The voting is now closed for the Round of 32 of IDOL MADNESS, and the results are in!

There were quite a few surprises in this round, with four former champs and last year's most successful alum going down.

A word about the game -- Yes, some of the votes are shocking, but since only one vote per computer is allowed, the results are as fair as possible. It seems that the contestants that are having the most success are the ones whose fans are spreading the word to vote for their contestsant.

Back to the results...

#1 seed Fantasia got beaten pretty handily by #9 Ace Young, while fellow #1 seed Taylor Hicks had an epic battle with #9 Constantine Maroulis that didn't go his way. #2 Jordin Sparks fell to a surprisingly strong Anthony Fedorov, while fellow #2 Ruben Studdard didn't have a chance against Kellie Pickler. They weren't the only #2 seeds to fall -- Chris Daughtry was shockingly upset by Josh Gracin.

#4 Katharine McPhee got down early to Gina Glocksen and never came back, #6 Jasmine Trias fought off an early deficit to come back and win decisively over #3 Tamyra Gray, and while #5 Bo Bice had a tight contest with Jennifer Hudson, he led most of the way. The tightest match of the round was definitely the struggle between #4 Blake Lewis and #5 Kimberley Locke, with Lewis eeking out a win by just .4%.

Other winners include #1 Kelly Clarkson (over #9 Chris Richardson), #2 Clay Aiken (over #7 RJ Helton), #3 Latoya London (over #11 Anwar Robinson), #3 Melinda Doolittle (over #6 Vonzell Solomon).

Match-ups in the Sweet 16 to look forward to include #1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice and #2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MATCH-UPS AND VOTE IN THE ELITE 8

IDOL MADNESS Wednesday Report -- Only One Day Left to Vote in the Round of 32 Matches!

There's only one more day of voting in the Round of 32, so spread the word to vote for your faves!

Voting for all Round of 32 matches ends Thursday January 31, 11:59PM EST.

Here are updates (as of 1/30 at 5:00PM EST) of the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Click on any match-up to vote!

There look to be several upsets underway, and with only one day left of voting, there's very little time for some favorites to rebound. Among those in trouble: Taylor Hicks, Fantasia, Jordin Sparks, Chris Daughtry, Ruben Studdard and Katharine McPhee!

Matches to keep an eye on:
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
Today: Kelly 65.7%-34.3%
Jan. 29: Kelly 65.1%-34.9%
Jan. 27: Kelly 64%-36%
Jan. 26: Kelly 65.5%-34.5%
Jan 25: Kelly 67%-33%.

#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Today: Kellie 60.4%-39.6%
Jan. 29: Kellie 60.3%-39.7%
Jan. 27: Kellie 59%-41%
Jan. 26: Kellie 67%-33%
Jan 25: Kellie 66%-34%

#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Today: Jasmine 66.6%-33.4%
Jan. 29: Jasmine 65.1%-34.9%
Jan. 27: Jasmine 67%-33%
Jan. 26: Jasmine 72%-27%
Jan 25: Jasmine 75%-25%

#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice
Today: Bo 56.8%-43.2%
Today: Bo 55.8%-44.2%
Jan. 27: Bo 58%-42%
Jan. 26: Bo 54%-46%
Jan. 25: Bo 55%-45%

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Today: Constantine 60%-40%
Jan. 29: Constantine 58.9%-41.1%
Jan. 27: Constantine 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Constantine 61%-39%
Jan 25: Constantine 75%-25%

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
Today: Clay 73.4%-26.6%
Jan. 29: Clay 74.1%-25.9%
Jan. 27: Clay 70%-30%
Jan. 26: Clay 58%-42%
Jan 25: Clay 52%-48%

#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
Today: Melinda 66.7%-33.3%
Jan. 29: Melinda 66.6%-33.4%
Jan. 27: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 25: Melinda 64%-36%

#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington
Today: Bucky 69.8%-30.2%
Jan. 29: Bucky 69.3%-30.7%
Jan. 27: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 26: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 25: Bucky 72%-28%

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
Today: Ace 67.4%-33.6%
Jan. 29: Ace 67.2%-33.8%
Jan. 27: Ace 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Ace 68-32%
Jan. 25: Ace 69%-31%

#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
Today: Anthony 57.9%-42.1%
Jan. 29: Anthony 56.5%-43.5%
Jan. 27: Anthony 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Anthony 52%-37%
Jan. 25: Jordin 58%-42%

#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
Today: Elliott 78.1%-21.9%
Jan. 29: Elliott 77.7%-22.3%
Jan. 27: Elliott 76%-24%
Jan. 26: Elliott 77%-23%
Jan. 25: Elliott 81%-19%

#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
Today: Blake 51.2%-48.8%
Jan. 29: Blake 51.1%-48.9%
Jan. 27: Blake 51.7%-48.3%
Jan. 26: Blake 51.5%-48.5%
Jan. 25: Kimberley 50.2%-49.8%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Today: Carrie 71.5%-28.5%
Jan. 29: Carrie 71.7%-28.3%
Jan. 27: Carrie 72.4%-27.6%
Jan. 26: Carrie 76%-24%
Jan. 25: Carrie 80%-20%

#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
Today: Josh 54%-46%
Jan. 29: Josh 53.9%-46.1%
Jan. 27: Josh 58%-42%
Jan. 26: Josh 50.3%-49.7%
Jan. 25: Chris 55%-45%

#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Today: Latoya 56.7%-43.3%
Jan. 29: Latoya 57.5%-42.5%
Jan. 27: Latoya 58.5%-41.5%
Jan. 26: Latoya 57%-43%
Jan. 25: Latoya 62%-37%

#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
Today: Gina 54.9%-45.1%
Jan. 29: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 27: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 26: Gina 52%-48%
Jan. 25: Katharine 53%-47%

See all of today's Idol Thoughts Headlines

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News, Recaps, Rankings and Commentary

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Tuesday Report

Spread the word to vote for your faves!

Remember, voting for all Round of 32 matches ends Thursday January 31, 11:59PM EST, so there's plenty of time to still vote!

Here are updates (as of 1/27 at 7:00PM EST) of the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Click on any match-up to vote!

Chris Daughtry appears to be making a last minute push in his battle with Josh Gracin; Jordin Sparks and Katharine McPhee are still struggling with Gina Glocksen and Anthony Fedorov, respectively; Blake Lewis and Kimberley Locke continue to meet each other vote-for-vote; and Taylor Hicks and Constantine Maroulis' fanbases continue to spar.

Matches to keep an eye on:
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
Today: Kelly 65.1%-35.9%
Today: Kelly 64%-36%
Yesterday: Kelly 65.5%-34.5%
Jan 25: Kelly 67%-33%.

#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
Today: Kellie 60.3%-39.7%
Jan. 27: Kellie 59%-41%
Jan. 26: Kellie 67%-33%
Jan 25: Kellie 66%-34%

#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
Today: Jasmine 65.1%-34.9%
Jan. 27: Jasmine 67%-33%
Jan. 26: Jasmine 72%-27%
Jan 25: Jasmine 75%-25%

#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice
Today: Bo 55.8%-44.2%
Jan. 27: Bo 58%-42%
Jan. 26: Bo 54%-46%
Jan. 25: Bo 55%-45%

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
Today: Constantine 58.9%-41.1%
Jan. 27: Constantine 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Constantine 61%-39%
Jan 25: Constantine 75%-25%

#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
Today: Clay 74.1%-25.9%
Jan. 27: Clay 70%-30%
Jan. 26: Clay 58%-42%
Jan 25: Clay 52%-48%

#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
Today: Melinda 66.6%-33.4%
Jan. 27: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Melinda 66%-34%
Jan. 25: Melinda 64%-36%

#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington
Today: Bucky 69.3%-30.7%
Jan. 27: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 26: Bucky 71%-29%
Jan. 25: Bucky 72%-28%

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
Today: Ace 67.2%-33.8%
Jan. 27: Ace 66%-34%
Jan. 26: Ace 68-32%
Jan. 25: Ace 69%-31%

#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
Today: Anthony 56.5%-43.5%
Jan. 27: Anthony 56%-44%
Jan. 26: Anthony 52%-37%
Jan. 25: Jordin 58%-42%

#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
Today: Elliott 77.7%-22.3%
Jan. 27: Elliott 76%-24%
Jan. 26: Elliott 77%-23%
Jan. 25: Elliott 81%-19%

#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis
Today: Blake 51.1%-48.9%
Jan. 27: Blake 51.7%-48.3%
Jan. 26: Blake 51.5%-48.5%
Jan. 25: Kimberley 50.2%-49.8%

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
Today: Carrie 71.7%-28.3%
Jan. 27: Carrie 72.4%-27.6%
Jan. 26: Carrie 76%-24%
Jan. 25: Carrie 80%-20%

#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
Today: Josh 53.9%-46.1%
Today: Josh 58%-42%
Yesterday: Josh 50.3%-49.7%
Jan. 25: Chris 55%-45%

#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
Today: Latoya 57.5%-42.5%
Jan. 27: Latoya 58.5%-41.5%
Jan. 26: Latoya 57%-43%
Jan. 25: Latoya 62%-37%

#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
Today: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 27: Gina 55%-45%
Jan. 26: Gina 52%-48%
Jan. 25: Katharine 53%-47%

See all of today's Idol Thoughts Headlines

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Round of 32 Match-Ups (All Brackets)

Voting for all Round of 32 matches ends Thursday January 31, 11:59PM EST.

Here are the Round of 32 match-ups in all divisions. Vote away!

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #9 Chris Richardson
#2 Ruben Studdard vs. #10 Kellie Pickler
#3 Tamyra Gray vs. #6 Jasmine Trias
#4 Jennifer Hudson vs. #5 Bo Bice

Seacrest Bracket
#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #7 RJ Helton
#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #6 Vonzell Solomon
#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Abdul Bracket
#1 Fantasia vs. #9 Ace Young
#2 Jordin Sparks vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #6 Nikki McKibbin
#4 Kimberley Locke vs. #5 Blake Lewis

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #9 Mandisa Hundley
#2 Chris Daughtry vs. # 7 Josh Gracin
#3 Latoya London vs. #11 Anwar Robinson
#4 Katharine McPhee vs. #12 Gina Glocksen

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page

IDOL MADNESS Seacrest Bracket RESULTS!

There is still time to vote in the Abdul Bracket!

Click to see the just-released first round match-ups of the Jackson Bracket!

Seacrest Bracket First Round RESULTS:

#1 Taylor Hicks def. #16 Matt Rogers
#2 Clay Aiken def. #15 Jessica Sierra
#3 Melinda Doolittle def #14 Amy Adams
#13 Bucky Covington def. #4 Diana Degarmo
#5 LaKisha Jones def. #12 Ryan Starr
#6 Vonzell Solomon def. #11 Kimberly Caldwell
#7 RJ Helton def. #10 Sanjaya Malakar
#9 Constantine Maroulis def. #8 Trenyce

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Wednesday 1/16 Report

Voting for the Cowell and Seacrest brackets of IDOL MADNESS is underway, and there continues to be huge response, and some very close match-ups that may come down to the wire.

Remember, Cowell Bracket voting ends Thursday at 11:59PM EST and Seacrest Bracket voting ends Saturday at 11:59PM EST. The Jackson bracket will be posted on Friday morning.

Cowell Bracket Report -- Click for drawsheet and first round match-ups

Most of the favorites continue to cruise in the Round of 64 voting, with Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Tamyra Gray, Jennifer Hudson and Bo Bice all headed for relatively easy victories.

The last two match-ups, however, look like they will end in upsets -- #10 Kellie Pickler is currently enjoying a 63.7% to 36.3% lead over #7 George Huff, and #9 Chris Richardson is dominating #8 Scott Savol, 70.5% to 29.5%.

Seacrest Bracket Report -- -- Click for drawsheet and first round match-ups

This bracket features the tightest match-up so far, between #4 Diana Degarmo and #13 Bucky Covington. They've gone back and forth over the past two days, but as of this writing Bucky has a slim lead, 53.7% to 46.3%, over the Season 3 runner-up. This one is going to be a battle to the finish.

Top seeds Taylor Hicks, Clay Aiken, Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones all look headed for expected victories, but #9 Constantine Maroulis looks bound to pull of an upset win over #8 Trenyce -- he's currently leading by more than 70% of the vote. #7 RJ Helton and #10 Sanjaya Malakar are also locked in a bit of a battle, with RJ currently holding off Sanjaya 57.4% to 42.6%.

To vote in any of the match-ups, click on the links in the right side navigation bar.

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS: Seacrest Bracket Seeding and First Round Match-Ups

View The Results of the Cowell Bracket First-Round Match-Ups

Vote in the Just-Released Abdul Bracket

Voting for the Seacrest Bracket Ends Saturday January 19 at 11:59PM EST

SEACREST BRACKET 1st Round Match-Ups

#1 Taylor Hicks vs. #16 Matthew Rogers
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #15 Jessica Sierra
#3 Melinda Doolittle vs. #14 Amy Adams
#4 Diana Degarmo vs. #13 Bucky Covington
#5 LaKisha Jones vs. #12 Ryan Starr
#6 Vonzell Solomon vs. #11 Kimberly Caldwell
#7 RJ Helton vs. #10 Sanjaya Malakar
#8 Trenyce vs. #9 Constantine Maroulis

The #1 seed in the Seacrest bracket is Season 5 winner and Soul Patrol captain Taylor Hicks. With a bracket that includes Clay Aiken (#2 seed), Melinda Doolittle (#3), Diana DeGarmo (#4) and Lakisha Jones (#5), this bracket could be anyone’s game. A potential 4 vs. 5 match-up would have possibly two of the biggest female voices on the show head-to-head for a place in the Sweet Sixteen.

In the other half of the brackets, Season 6’s favorite head of hair makes his appearance at the #10 seed. Sanjaya faces off #7 seed RJ Helton for the chance to face #2 seed Clay Aiken. Clay should easily handle the legally-challenged #15 seed Jessica Sierra (though crazy things could happen in a single-elimination tournament).

Remember, voting starts now!

IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME Main Page

Seed / Name
1 Taylor Hicks
2 Clay Aiken
3 Melinda Doolittle
4 Diana Degarmo
5 LaKisha Jones
6 Vonzell Solomon
7 RJ Helton
8 Trenyce
9 Constantine Maroulis
10 Sanjaya Malakar
11 Kimberly Caldwell
12 Ryan Starr
13 Bucky Covington
14 Amy Adams
15 Jessica Sierra
16 Matthew Rogers

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IDOL MADNESS: THE GAME

IDOL MADNESS (Seacrest) Sweet 16: #9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Cowell Bracket
#1 Kelly Clarkson vs. #5 Bo Bice
#6 Jasmine Trias vs. #10 Kellie Pickler

Seacrest Bracket
#2 Clay Aiken vs. #3 Melinda Doolittle
#9 Constantine Maroulis vs. #13 Bucky Covington

Abdul Bracket
#3 Elliott Yamin vs. #7 Anthony Fedorov
#5 Blake Lewis vs. #9 Ace Young

Jackson Bracket
#1 Carrie Underwood vs. #12 Gina Glocksen
#3 Latoya London vs. #7 Josh Gracin

Visit the IDOL MADNESS Main Page