Two guys named David were in the finals for American Idol this week.  David Cook (25) and David Archuleta (17).  I would jokingly call Season 7 of American Idol, the David Archuleta show because he was the mostly likely winner, but he had one major thing against him…  his fans were too young to stay up and vote for the finale!

Of course both David’s will have fans of various ages, but it’s quite likely that the majority of their fans could be from different groups.  The voting on the final show started at 9pm ET and was apparently open for 4 hours. 

Let’s assume that David Archuleta has a young teen audience.  Just considering the Eastern time zone, if voting started at 9pm ET, how many young voters would still be up voting after 11pm and as far as 1am?  I’m guessing that David Cook’s fan base could simply stay up longer.

David Archuleta’s humbleness, giggles and stumbling responses did show his young age, but technically his singing was superior.  He may not yet be in his prime for a touring deal yet.

Could the decision of the producers to have 4 hours of voting have affected the outcome?

One website was claiming to predict the result based on busy tones received when repeatedly calling the contestants’ numbers.  I wonder if they found David Archuleta’s numbers easier to dial as the evening went on.

Of course, the producers have likely known the voting pattern for the whole season including the finale – it’s a business after all…