The accusation that Kris Allen won due to a boost of voting from phones provided by AT and T, has been debunked in a statement released by the network.
- May 28, 2009
AceShowbiz - FOX has come forward to set things straight on the allegations that the voting resulting in Kris Allen's win in "American Idol" this season is based on unfair count. Similarly, the show's sponsor AT&T released a statement that "it's quite a leap to suggest that a few individuals could have impacted the final results."
FOX insists that the final result pointed out to Kris winning over Adam Lambert, with no foul play. "Fox and the producers of 'American Idol' are absolutely certain that the results of this competition are fair, accurate and verified," a statement from FremantleMedia North America, 19Entertainment and Fox Broadcasting Company is read.
"Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the 'American Idol.' We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition."
The statement came out as response to the report by The New York Times that points out a possible flaw in the voting process. The publication noted that two parties were held in Arkansas shortly after the finale performance and AT&T reps were present to assist Kris' supporters on a feature called Power Texting, allowing multiple messages sent in one push of a button.
The phone company took stance in their action, saying the demo phones, reportedly 80 in total, were meant for strictly business. "Going forward, we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants," AT&T stated on Tuesday, May 26.
For one thing, FOX did not release the difference in number between Kris and Adam, which may have contributed in the fans' rampant about unfair voting. Last year, the network announced that 12 million votes separated winner David Cook and runner-up David Archuleta.
