So why did St. Pete's Michael "Big Mike" Lynche fail to make the top three in American Idol? (Video after the break.) For that matter, why did he almost get kicked off several times before last night's final defeat, landing at the bottom more than once and at one point surviving only because the judges voted to keep him? (And that's not even counting the since-discounted rumor that he was going to be dropped from the show because his father had leaked info about his reaching the top 24.)

In the early days of the competition, Lynche seemed like a sure bet for top three and even #1 status. He had one of the best voices, if not the best voice, of the season (or of many seasons before). His stage presence was polished, especially compared to newbies like Aaron and Casey. He came off as a genuinely nice guy, with a new-baby backstory that seemed like it would be irresistible to Idol voters ; and he was cute, in a big-teddy-bear-with-a-porkpie-hat kind of way.

But no. And the theories are abounding.

This article appears in May 13-19, 2010.