On the heels of David Cook, the Kansas City area has another reality show star in position to win their own show on HGTV. Jennifer Bertrand of Olathe (represent!) solidified herself in the final of HGTV’s Design Star against Matt Locke of Colorado Springs.

For the past several weeks, Bertrand and Locke have competed in numerous interior design challenges on HGTV’s version of American Idol. Since the Food Network and HGTV are on constant rotation in our house, we’ve been keeping tabs on the hometown girl. Next Sunday, she’ll compete for her own show on HGTV.

Of all the contestants, I’m glad it’s come down to Bertrand and Locke. While I imagine the producers would have liked the “I want my mommy” guy to go a little further, I’m glad that the two I picked from the very beginning as my favorites are in the final. This way, even if the hometown girl doesn’t win (as I’m sure many of those who are jealous of other Kansas Citians’ success might hope for), I can be glad because the other guy is good too (whereas if David Archuleta would have beat David Cook on American Idol, I’d have been pretty annoyed).

In the same way that heavy voting from the Midwest helped David Cook emerge victorious on Idol, let’s help Jennifer Bertrand continue Kansas City’s dominance of reality show contests! At the very least, maybe this blog post will encourage her to come do some work in our house for free…

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In the democratic primary, this would be a landslide. Not even close.

56% to 44%

David Cook wins American Idol by a landslide, just like I thought he should. Not only was I surprised he won, but I was SHOCKED at the margin.

The hometown KC-Blue Springs boy is the man. The haters will come out of the woodwork tonight. 

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I’ve never been a person to hide my hometown shame.

There’s a large part of me that wants David Cook to win because he hails from Kansas City. But for those that aren’t from Kansas City, here are some other reasons why David Cook should be the next American Idol:

1. He’s genuine. Say what you will about David Archuleta, I just don’t buy his “aw shucks” schlock routine. I believe that David Cook believes the words he sings. That was evident tonight.
2. He does things on his own terms. The difference in maturity between the two Davids tonight was evident. Instead of choosing the songs that America would like (as Archuleta and his father did), David Cook chose songs that HE wanted to sing. I think that shows more courage than choosing cheesy “In this Moment” ballads. The title of this reason could also be, “He’s not a puppet.”
3. Chris Daughtry should have won. I know that was two seasons ago, but America has a chance to make up for past wrongs. Taylor Hicks and Jordin Sparks could be more forgotten than they already are if American Idol were to actually crown a rocker as champion.
4. He wasn’t hand-picked by the judges. Just as last season was skewed to favor Jordin Sparks over Blake Lewis, this season has been heavily skewed for David Archuleta to win. He got Neil Diamond’s two most famous songs. He has either had the first pick the whole time, or there’s been a producer (or his dad) in his ear the whole season telling him which songs were the most sugary and would generate the most sympathy for him. David Cook has done everything against the grain, from his completely different arrangements to choosing songs that people might not necessarily know (or that he has not yet sung, like tonight with his choice of Collective Soul’s “The World I Know”).
5. He will sell more records than David Archuleta. This is a fact. David Archuleta is like the Jordin Sparks of this season. Good voice, malleable, BORING. David Cook will make a better record for the reasons above and more people will buy it. This is the truth. I will not be proven wrong by time on this one.

So there you go. Five good reasons why you should vote for David Cook over David Archuleta. Either way, he’s going to make a record and either way, he’ll sell more units than his younger counterpart. So light up those phones, America.

866-436-5701
866-436-5703
866-436-5705

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So Brooke went home tonight on American Idol. The fact that she stuck around as long as she did is a feat unto itself. After forgetting the words on Andrew Lloyd Webber night, I thought she was done for sure.

Other than David Cook, she is the only one who I could see myself actually paying for her music. She was kind and sweet and you could tell that she did not once take the opportunity on American Idol for granted.

I, for one, am tired of David Archuleta. Look, the kid is good, but I am starting to doubt his sincerity. I also think it’s kind of unfair that he got to sing Neil Diamond’s two most memorable hits (the only other argument that could be made is perhaps “I’m a Believer”, which Brooke sang). I’m sure that the others chose their songs for a reason, but it seems an awful lot like the producers are trying to skew the votes in the young dude’s favor (the Taylor Hicks effect).

And Jason Castro. You have made it very far in this competition without very LITTLE range. Now flash that smile at the camera one more time and stumble into just a little more money as you make it further. Same for you, Syeshia. You’re no Fantasia. You’re no Jennifer Hudson even. Lakeisha from last season had a better personality and your creepy baby laugh…it’s a good thing that you’re not doing that anymore because you’re lucky to still be around.

If David Cook does not win this competition, it’s rigged. I don’t know if he’s as good as Daughtry, but he’s better than the rest of those fools left by a landslide. America, you should seriously seek therapy if you stop voting for him. If he doesn’t win, America got it wrong (like two years ago when Taylor Hicks won).

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