You can with American Idol. The South predominately watches the show (for some reason they did a study on who watches American Idol). Then, the South likes to vote for Southerners to 'make them proud' (majority of the winners come from somewhere south of the Missouri Compromise line. In this competition they had a guy who showed 'christian like' values and 'look' versus the flamboyant guy from San Diego (Hollywood versus 'middle America')
Then you had rightist commentators on Fox News for example (Southern staple) talking about the guy from California's chances (he was the favourite, will be a star) because photos leaked of him seen kissing a guy. Of course this becomes dinner table table conversation and water cooler talk for the South. They focus on these issues more than the event.
So once the pictures were out, the guy was done, it didn't matter. Then to make it worse, you had a the 'good ole boy' running against him. So it was rally around one of us en mass.
Season 1- winner Kelly Clarkson from Texas. Runner Up: Justin Guarini from Georgia- 'metro sexual' or "could be gay as he's got the look" (he's not getting married aparently to a woman)
Season 2- winner: Rueben Studdard, black, from Alabama, sings Motown. Runner up Clay Aiken, obviously in the closet gay, this was talked about, he would deny of course, from South Carolina, was percieved to be the better singer. Came out of the closet a couple years ago.
Season 3- winner: Fantasia Barrino, black, teenage mother, poor, not a happy childhood, North Carolina. won by less than 2% of the vote
loser: Diana DeGarmo, white, still in high school at the time, from Georgia, played up the good girl image, white people liked her a lot.
Season 4- winner: Carrie Underwood, Oklahoma. Famous for talking about her christian roots and upbringing while doing the usual southern sexuality, won rather easily, went into country music, will have a career forever.
loser: Bo Bice, from Alabama. Southern rock and Christian music guy born again christian, played up the rebel white image, was married during the show (still is) had a kid (enter young family man demo).
Season 5- winner: Taylor Hicks, from Alabama, has no talent whatsoever, won on his southern charm and southern eccentricism of being a good boy. While he was running away with it, people started studying the southern link to American Idol.
loser: Katharine McPhee, from California, L.A. Had that 'west coast child' appearance aka 'unchristian' used sex appeal. Started dating and married her manager 20yrs her senior while during the show (was 18 or something can't remember).
Season 6- winner: Jordan Sparks, Phoenix, dad was a professional football player, was young still in high school. She played the 'I wear a purity ring' which she wore during the entire show. Deeply Christian Evangelical, before famous would sing at christian evangelical gatherings.
loser: Blake Lewis from Seattle, Washington, jokester personality, beat boxer, punk hair highlighted, played up sexual inneundo (against Sparks 'purity') created alter egos during the show. Screamed liberal west coast kid.
Season 7- winner: David Cook, born in Texas, raised rural Kansas City Missouri. Rocker persona. As the first real actual 'rock 'n roll guy' (played guitars, fan of grunge etc). He had the white mall vote locked.
loser: David Archuleta, 16 years old, mocked for his femin voice, tenor, hispanic, parents from Honduras, grew up in Utah, in the boy scouts. He is a devout Mormon, would pick songs that were only appropriate to his faith. (He wouldn't sing the verse about no religion in Imagine by Lennon for example).
No non-southerner or someone who would not appeal to the southerners has won.
