Partway through the sixth season of American Idol,
Jordin Sparks pulled out a heated, melodramatic interpretation of "I (Who Have Nothing)," a riveting performance that helped the spunky teenager pull apart from the bland pack. Until that song,
Sparks had seemed like little more than an enthusiastic amateur, a teenager who loved to put on a show, but that rendition of the
Ben E. King classic revealed a flair for drama and subsequent weeks revealed that she took direction well, absorbing the judges' criticisms and attempting something a little different with each passing week. This separated her from her two main competitors, the beat-boxing
Blake Lewis, whose vocals always took a backseat to his style, and
Melinda Doolittle, the former backup vocalist whose reliability was a liability, as she never ever seemed to be challenged.
Sparks surprised by living up to those challenges -- she didn't always thrive, but she always strived, so she provided a rooting interest and the one real dramatic story line in a season painfully lacking in any kind of intrigue. She was the one contestant with a character arc, plus she appealed to the show's core constituent of teens because still seemed like a teenager, totally wrapped up the excitement of it all. When she won the title, it was like she was crowned Homecoming Queen.