Utah "Idol" Fans Get "Cooked"

For fans of Utah crooner David Archuleta, the seventh season of "American Idol" was a fairy-tale ride without the fairy-tale ending.

The roughly 3,000 people who gathered to watch a live feed of the results show at the EnergySolutions Arena were whipped into a frenzy every time the cameras cut to them during Wednesday night's telecast, waving signs and bursting with sheer noise.

Then, in a word - "Cook" - it was as if all the air had been sucked out of the room.

The smooth-voiced, 17-year-old from Murray High School lost - by 12 million votes - to the 25-year-old David Cook of Blue Springs, Mo., in Wednesday night's finale.

Mouths dropped, eyes widened and several teenage girls hugged and cried when host Ryan Seacrest announced that the "Idol" crown went to: "David," followed by a long pause, "Cook!"

"Did you feel that?" said Skippy Jessop, 30, his homemade sign now headed for the trash bin. "It felt like a punch in the gut. We all just stood there with our mouths hanging open."

An early favorite on the hit FOX television show, Archuleta's star rose higher and higher each week as fans and the program's judges were moved by his sweet-sounding ballads and shy, gentle personality. His performances drove thousands to post praise on the "Idol" message boards and Internet social networking sites.

"It is a major fairy-tale," Murray Mayor Dan Snarr said before the results were announced. "I used to see him sing at events around town and people used to pay him by feeding him dinner. Who woulda thought it would come to this? He literally used to sing for food."

Snarr isn't alone in his unabashed pride. Friends and strangers have rallied around the diminutive Archuleta, cheering each step of his success.

"It's really cool to drive through town and see signs for him all over. He's really brought the community together," said Molly Hutcheson, 18, a Murray High cheerleader.

Fans poured out the love Wednesday night, sporting homemade T-shirts and signs proclaiming their devotion, proposing marriage and nominating "Archie for President."

Trisha Webber's sign boasted 602 text-message votes for Archuleta - all of them sent during Tuesday night's final showdown.

"If everyone in here did that, that should be enough," she said hopefully before the show. "He's the better singer. He's more versatile. He can sing the phone book."

Afterward, a depressed Webber said she was stunned by the 12 million-vote deficit that gave Cook the title.

"Everyone in that stadium needed to vote 1,000 more times," the legal assistant said. "It hurts."

But Webber and others say this won't be the last note from Utah's newest favorite son. They said they expect Archuleta's star to keep rising.

"He's still a winner for sure," said Cecily Estrada, 19, who attended Murray High with Archuleta. "He's gonna be big no matter what."