Kris Allen

Throughout the heated competition, Allen was viewed as the "dark horse," but he steadily gained fans for his folk-inspired interpretation of songs like Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" (1992) and Bill Withers' hit single "Ain't No Sunshine." Before he nabbed a spot in the Top 2, Allen took a huge risk and performed a stripped-down version of Kanye West's "Heartless" (2008), accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. It paid off. He was soon pitted against Adam Lambert, whose provocative outfits, powerful vocals, and headline-making antics made him the season-long front-runner. In the finals, however, Allen clinched the highly coveted title in what was considered one of the competition's biggest upsets. In November 2009, Allen released his self-titled debut album featuring his version of "Heartless" and the lead single, "Live Like We're Dying." After the album's first week of sales, it sold a disappointing 80,000 copies, making it one of the lowest debuts for any "Idol" winner.