'American Idol': Kris Allen Crowned the Winner in Finale Shocker

Tonight, in a finish that left even the winner shocked, Kris Allen, a 23-year-old from Conway, Ark., came in first on season 8 of "American Idol."The runner-up, 26-year-old Adam Lambert of San Diego, had been considered the likely winner since nearly the start of the season. His inventive performances and huge vocal range consistently won the best critiques from the judges while Kris, an assuming pop-rocker, flew under the radar for much of the season.After the results of the voting on Tuesday’s final performance episode were announced (reportedly, nearly 100 million votes were cast, a show record), Kris was basically speechless. "Are you serious?" he asked host Ryan Seacrest. "Are you friggin’ serious?" Asked how it felt to win, he said, "It feels good, but Adam deserves this."Kris ended the night in a shower of confetti, singing what will likely be his first single, "No Boundaries," which was co-written by judge Kara DioGuardi. Ironically, that was the song that most highlighted the judges’ preference for Adam after both finalists had performed it on Monday’s show. In their final comments, the judges had almost seemed to be trying to prepare Kris for his inevitable loss.