Lee DeWyze Wins American Idol Season 9

The ninth season has officially come to a close, with Lee DeWyze taking home the title of the next "American Idol."It was only the second time in the show's history where neither of the final two contestants - DeWyze and runner up Crystal Bowersox - had ever finished in the bottom two or bottom three with viewer votes.

The other two to accomplish the feat were Season 7 winner David Cook and runner up David Archuleta. Former winners Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks and Cook never landed in the bottom three with viewer votes either.Speaking of viewer votes, the show also paid tribute to departing judge/co-creator Simon Cowell, with a star-studded performance featuring past winners (dressed in black) and past contestants (wearing white).Following the tribute, Cowell took to the stage to thank fans and tell them that it doesn't matter who replaces him as judge on the show because it's the voters who are really the ones doing the work."I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support, [and] the fun," said a visibly emotional Cowell."The show goes forward, it will be different."

Despite the addition of a brilliant Ellen DeGeneres, this season was perhaps the weakest ever - in addition to the lack of Paula Abdul on the judges panel, the show also seemed to lack the talent it's had in the past; and had numerous comparisons to Karaoke.Maybe DeWyze will go on to prove everyone wrong.