Idol Suspense High;
Two Contestants Remain for Record Contract Prize
Reuters--Los Angeles
Edmonton Sun (Alberta, Canada) August 30, 2002

The frenzy surrounding television hit American Idol reached fever pitch late Wednesday as the Fox TV talent search narrowed its list of contenders to two in front of millions of prime-time viewers.

In a development fans called a no-brainer, fuchsia-haired finalist Nikki McKibbin was voted off the show, leaving the soulful Kelly Clarkson and hunky Justin Guarini as the final pair vying for a recording contract with a major music label.

The show that began earlier this summer with some 10,000 pop star wannabes has seen the field whittled down over time, with TV viewers and loyal fans voting off finalists each week.

In the course of the contest, American Idol: The Search for a Superstar has won some of the summer's highest viewer ratings and on Wednesday attracted its biggest audience yet.

An estimated 16.7 million people tuned in to see Nikki get nixed, making Idol the most watched show of the night and likely the most watched show of the week, according to data tracking firm Nielsen Media Research.

The previous high for the show, which airs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, was 15.3 million viewers last week. That's when fans gave the boot to singer Tamyra Gray in one of the show's most controversial moments, owing to her huge popularity.

Next week marks the finale of the competition, with Justin and Kelly set to perform in a regular one-hour edition on Tuesday night.

That will be followed by a two-hour special Wednesday, in which the original 30 finalists will return and the final winner will be announced.

Both of next week's shows will be broadcast live from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre, home to the Academy Awards.

The show is an import of Britain's Pop Idol, which also took that country by storm when it aired from late last year until early 2002. The show was a boon to its network, ITV1, with the finale attracting more than 70% of 16- to 34-year-old viewers.

In the U.S., the show has propped up Fox's ad sales because much of its fan base comes from viewers 18- to 49-years old, the audience that advertisers covet for their spending power.