Crystal Bowersox

Throughout the competition, the dreadlock-wearing Bowersox consistently earned praise for her gut-wrenching renditions of such classics as "Long as I Can See the Light" (1970) by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Midnight Train to Georgia" (1973) by Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Roger Miller's "Me and Bobby McGee" (1971). The season-long frontrunner never lost her steam and the support from her fans during the tight race, even after developing complications from diabetes that forced her to take a leave of absence from the show to recover. A few weeks into the competition, Bowersox had also considered leaving the show because she was reportedly emotionally drained and homesick; she stayed after host Ryan Seacrest talked her out of it. She made it all the way to the finals where she faced off against alt-rocker Lee DeWyze. While Bowersox was the sure favorite to win, she lost the title to DeWyze. Fresh off her "Idol" appearance, Bowersox released her version of Solomon Burke's 2006 folk song "Up to the Mountain (MLK Song)." In December 2010, she released her debut album, Farmer's Daughter, which landed at No. 28 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 100,000 copies. However, when RCA Records, the parent of Bowersox's label Jive Records, announced that Jive was being dissolved in 2011, Bowersox was one of the artists let go by RCA. Her second album, All That For This (2013), was released by the respected roots and world music indie Shanachie Records. In late 2013, Bowersox released a socially-minded holiday song called "Coming Out For Christmas," and announced her own bisexuality. She also debuted a new look, having chopped off her trademark dreadlocks in favor of a more conventional shoulder-length cut.