American Idol: Taylor Hicks, Kellie Pickler still offer terrific value

If you love American Idol and love even more betting on American Idol, chances are you think that Chris Daughtry will win.  He's listed with odds of 7 to 5 at PlayersOnly.com (See Web Site Here).  This means that for every $5 bet, you would receive a payout of $7 if Daughtry were to win.

But there are a few dark horses in this competition that seem to be garnering a tremendous number of votes each week if we are to believe those sites the likes of Dial Idol that measure busy signals for each contender.

Taylor Hicks reportedly had the most votes this past week, and aside from being entertaining, he wasn't necessarily a standout.  Hicks however has that certain "It" factor that has translated into a significant and loyal fan based.  Hicks pays a respectable $5 for every $2 wagered.

Kellie Pickler, whose voice does compensate for her noted dimwittedness, is still listed with payout odds of 5 to 1 going into next week at  PlayersOnly.com (See Web Site Here).  That's $5 for every $1 or $500 for every $100 bet.

Eliminated from the "Idol" quest this week was Bucky Covington, 28, of Rockingham, N.C., who received the fewest call-in votes from viewers following Tuesday night's performance show.

On that broadcast, during which the singers all performed songs by the legendary British rock band Queen, Hicks sang the band's hit "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

The song selection was a change in plans for the Alabama singer, who had planned to perform Queen's rock anthem "We Are the Champions" on the show this week.

But give Kellie Pickler some credit.  She took on not just one of Queen's most powerful songs, but one of the most powerful songs ever written, "Bohemian Rhapsody".  It wasn't the best version of this song we ever heard, but this little country girl did manage to pull it off nonetheless.

Kellie Pickler haters have created a web site demanding she be thrown off the show.

Votefortheworst.com is currently endorsing Pickler as the worst competitor on the show. And anti-Kellie Pickler sites such as kickpickler.com and ihatekelliepickler.com are vocalizing their displeasure with the 19 year-old singer.

It is not known how large of an anti-Pickler following there is, but she is yet to appear among the bottom three.

Both Pickler and Hicks hail from the Southeast United States, traditionally an American Idol stronghold.  But then again, so does Chris Daughtry.