'Idol' Losers Who Made It Big

Idol' Losers: The Top 'AI' Also-Rans

Poor Kimberley Locke. She lost to Ruben and Clay; now she's been knocked out of the top-10-selling 'AI' losers (she's No. 11). But don't cry for her. She's got a steakhouse, endorsement deals, a No.1 dance-chart album and a new beau (her 'Celebrity Fit Club' trainer, Harvey Walden IV). Proof that losing on 'Idol' can still make you a winner. Click on to see the top 10 winningest 'AI' losers.


-- By Mickey O'Connor

Fox

10. Blake Lewis
SEASON 6 (Runner-up)
WHO HE LOST TO: Jordin Sparks
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: Because the pint-sized beatboxer went against the advice of guest mentor Jon Bon Jovi and cranked out a tweaky, deconstructed version of "You Give Love a Bad Name" that added an arty gloss to a rawk classic. And 'Audio Day Dream,' Lewis' debut album, has already sold 286,000 copies.

Fox

9. William Hung
SEASON 3 (rejected at auditions)
WHO HE LOST TO: Everyone
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: Well, believe it or not, Hung has released three albums since becoming 'Idol''s go-to punchline with his painful rendition of Ricky Martin's 'She Bangs.' And, well, 295,000 people bought them. So that's why he's on this list. OK?

Lisa Blumenfeld, Getty Images

8. Bucky Covington
SEASON 5 (8th place)
WHO HE LOST TO: Taylor Hicks
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: A self-titled debut album was No. 1 on the Billboard country charts in April, has sold 303,000 copies and charted two singles, making it the best debut of a new country artist this year. In '08, he'll open for both Trace Adkins and Dierks Bentley on their current U.S. tours.

Stephen Shugerman, Getty Images

7. Katharine McPhee
SEASON 5 (runner-up)
WHO SHE LOST TO: Taylor Hicks
WHY SHE'S STILL A WINNER: After wowing us on 'Idol' with 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,' McPhee put out a debut disc that peaked at No. 2 on Billboard, selling 363,000 copies. Her recording label just dropped her, but she's focused on acting and co-stars with Anna Faris and Rumer Willis in two upcoming pics.

Fox

6. Elliott Yamin
SEASON 5 (3rd place)
WHO HE LOST TO: Taylor Hicks
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: Nice guy Yamin's self-titled debut disc went gold on the success of the hit single 'Wait for You,' just making the 500,000-copies-sold mark at the end of '07. He opened for Whitney Houston at a concert in Kuala Lumpur and released an Xmas album in conjunction with NBC and Target.

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5. Kellie Pickler
SEASON 5 (6th place)
WHO SHE LOST TO: Taylor Hicks
WHY SHE'S STILL A WINNER: When Pickler guest co-hosted 'The View' in January, Rosie O'Donnell presented her with a gold record for her debut album, 'Small Town Girl' (679,000 copies to date). During a November stint on 'Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?' she questioned if Europe was a country.

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4. Josh Gracin
SEASON 2 (4th place)
WHO HE LOST TO: Ruben Studdard
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: The hunky former Marine parlayed his 'Idol' fame into a self-titled debut album that went gold (692,000 copies) and yielded three Top 5 country singles, including the No. 1 'Nothing to Lose.' He's got 'I Keep Coming Back,' a new album scheduled for an '08 release.

Fox

3. Bo Bice
SEASON 4 (runner-up)
WHO HE LOST TO: Carrie Underwood
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: His debut, '05's 'The Real Thing,' went gold (670,000 copies); a second album, 'See the Light,' has sold 30,000 copies since its October release. Despite slow sales, a video for a single from the album, 'Witness,' is No. 1 on VH1's VSpot Top 20 Countdown.

Vince Bucci, Getty Images

2. Chris Daughtry
SEASON 5 (4th place)
WHO HE LOST TO: Taylor Hicks
WHY HE'S STILL A WINNER: 'Daughtry,' the debut album of Daughtry's band -- uh, Daughtry -- was the top-selling album of 2007, moving 3.6 million copies and earning four Grammy nominations. Come February, the band will open for Bon Jovi, giving coming in 4th on 'American Idol' a good name.

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