‘American Idol’ finale rankings: Is Kree Harrison or Candice Glover likely winner?

Have you had enough time now to stop complaining about the “American Idol” judges, and to get over the shocking elimination of Angie Miller from the show Thursday night? Let’s hope so, since we have very important business to attend to now: Trying to actually figure out who, in between Candice Glover and Kree Harrison, is actually going to win the whole shebang.

If you look at this battle in the same terms as one from a cheesy kung-fu movie, both fighters are evenly matched. They possess great skill, creativity, and have supporters willing to fight for them even when they have put down the microphone. They also have chances of a bright, very successful career once the end credits roll and they can get away from this mess of a show.

We’re not just ranking these people to be kooky or cute: We’ve tried to consider every little detail, whether it be voting results, viewer feedback, voting history, the judges’ own remarks (if they even matter), and even who needs this more to be successful down the road.

The rankings (drum roll, please)

2. Kree Harrison – This is very, very tough when you seriously look at how evenly matched both of these ladies are. Candice and Kree have each given “Idol moment”-worthy performances, whether it be on her end “Crying” or more recently “See You Again.” She also has a little bit of underdog status going for her here, and if you look at what happened with Lee DeWyze, sometimes the underdog can come out on top.

The reason that we give Kree the #2 ranking comes down to the details. Overall, Candice may have a few more moments on the season, the judges have been kinder to her as of late, and we don’t necessarily get the same sort of killer instinct from Kree that she has to win this or otherwise her dreams are going to collapse in front of her with music notes falling out of the sky. (Then again, Angie Miller had so much killer instinct that even that old Super Nintendo game of the same name declared “we’re not worthy!”.) She has the votes of country fans, but we feel almost as though a win could benefit Candice more, given that pop / R&B has been a harder community for “American Idol” contestants to be embraced by over the years.

1. Candice Glover – “Love Song.” “Somewhere.” We could sit here all day and talk about the moments Candice has had while on the show, and she, like Kree, has done everything with professionalism and class while some other people have made snide remarks about each on Twitter. Candice has the best voice this competition has seen probably since Melinda Doolittle, and she didn’t even win.

When we say that Candice needs the win more than Kree, we’re not slamming her or trying to insinuate that she’ll end up living in a box somewhere with a second place crown. It’s just that she may be at a different stage in her professional career. Kree already has friends in Nashville, and will be able to dive into a studio and cut an album no matter what. This win could give Candice a secure spot as the Adele / Jennifer Hudson hybrid for the future, and while we’ll be happy with either person winning (since you can’t go wrong either way), we will be pulling for her.

Now, we turn it over to you. It’s an easy poll below, one way or another. Make your selection, and we’ll see if the CarterMatt community calls it. If you’re not done reading about “American Idol,” be sure to check out the shocking news suggesting that the entire panel could be informed of their dismissal on Monday.

Photo: Fox