The greatest television phenomenon of recent years has been American Idol.
For the lucky few, it has been their ticket to fame and fortune.
Some of the winners have gone to have great careers and become household names; Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have enjoyed phenomenal success and sold millions of records thanks to American Idol.
This must be one of the only contests in the world where coming second doesn't make you a loser.
A great many singers who have finished runner up have gone on to enjoy commercial success, sometimes even overtaking the ones who beat them on the night.
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.
Cast your mind way back to season 2, a skinny, nerdy look guy looked like he'd strayed from science club.
Then he opened his mouth and started to sing, and America fell in love with Clay Aiken.
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 runner up from season 7 was the incredibly cute David Archuleta.
He placed himself firmly in the hearts of the American public and still remains there today.
This guy keeps popping up all over the place and has worked hard to carve himself a very successful career.
It looks as if this year's second placed contestant Adam Lambert is taking his place on this list too.
He was beaten on the night by Kris Allen but in the months since that night, Lamberts career is going from strength to strength while Allen's seems to have stalled.
For the lucky few, it has been their ticket to fame and fortune.
Some of the winners have gone to have great careers and become household names; Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have enjoyed phenomenal success and sold millions of records thanks to American Idol.
This must be one of the only contests in the world where coming second doesn't make you a loser.
A great many singers who have finished runner up have gone on to enjoy commercial success, sometimes even overtaking the ones who beat them on the night.
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.
Cast your mind way back to season 2, a skinny, nerdy look guy looked like he'd strayed from science club.
Then he opened his mouth and started to sing, and America fell in love with Clay Aiken.
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 runner up from season 7 was the incredibly cute David Archuleta.
He placed himself firmly in the hearts of the American public and still remains there today.
This guy keeps popping up all over the place and has worked hard to carve himself a very successful career.
It looks as if this year's second placed contestant Adam Lambert is taking his place on this list too.
He was beaten on the night by Kris Allen but in the months since that night, Lamberts career is going from strength to strength while Allen's seems to have stalled.