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The greatest television phenomenon of recent years has been American Idol. For the lucky few, it has been their ticket to fame and fortune.

While some winners have, quite frankly, disappeared without trace, the likes of Jordin Sparks and Kelly Clarkson have proved they have the talent to stay in the game. They have a lot to thank American Idol for.

In ordinary circumstances, finishing as runner up would be devastating, but not in this competition it isn’t. There are many who have gone to outshine the ones who were crowned the winner, so coming second is no hardship as far as the American public is concerned.

We’ll have a look now at some of the most famous runners up who have American Idol to thank for a great career, even though they didn’t actually win.

As far back as the second season, runners up made their mark. Clay Aiken shuffled onto stage looking like a rabbit caught in headlamps, he looked so out of place we felt sorry for him. Then he began to sing, and we were absolutely blown away.

Although Clay was beaten on the night by Ruben Studdard; his career since that night has proved to be much more successful than his victor. He has enjoyed phenomenal success on Broadway and is proving to be very popular and extremely bankable. With a solid fan base behind him, Clay will be around for a long time to come.

The seventh season of Idol introduced us to the adorable David Archuleta. The strength and maturity of his amazing voice belied his fresh faced and youthful looks. His career has gone from strength to strength and he thoroughly deserves the plaudits that are lavished upon him.

The big star of this season was the charismatic Adam Lambert. His attitude and persona won him a legion of fans and coming second to Kris Allen has done him no harm at all. His star is definitely in the ascendancy and he looks as if a long term career is guaranteed.

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