(RNN) - Season 11 contestant Joshua Ledet sang "It's a man's world" as he exited the American Idol stage just one week shy of the finale.
On Idol, it is indeed just that.
It may not be Ledet's season for the taking, but it's hard to ignore one glaring fact: A girl hasn't won the competition since 2007 when Jordan Sparks beat out beat boxing Blake Lewis for the title.
If you haven't checked your calendar lately, it's 2012.
At least this year a girl has a shot at the title: Jessica Sanchez, 16, and Phillip Phillips, 21, will go head to head Tuesday night in the final competition of the season.
Since Sparks won, during two of the past four seasons a girl hasn't even made it to the finale.
In 2008, the Battle of David Squared, rocker David Cook prevailed against squeaky clean teen heart throb David Archuletta.
In 2009, Kris Allen and his boy-next-door charm defeated the flamboyant and flashy Adam Lambert.
What's a girl to do?
Idol could level the playing field by giving each caller only one vote … or hey, even 10. But they won't do that.
"We had 8 million votes last night!" doesn't sound nearly as impressive as "We had 100 million votes last night!" - even if Seacrest does his typical "play up the drama" shtick.
Teachers could assign lots of homework on Tuesday to keep teens extra busy, thus leaving them less time to text vote for hours on end.
But short of that, we're left to rely on the general good taste of the American public - and mostly teen girls who text and phone late into the night, logging hundreds of votes - who surely understand the talent, sacrifice and polish of a well-crafted, well-honed artist.
Oh wait, LMFAO is a thing.
So, why does it matter that Idol - or America - gets it right?
As an avid defender of the show for 11 seasons now, even I realize it's teetering precariously on the brink of irrelevance as the weeks of a season draw to a close if talented contestants are constantly getting the boot in favor of the token pretty face with an average voice.
Just as the season hits what should be its competitive peak (cleverly designed by the network to happen just ahead of May sweeps), viewers often reach the peak of frustration as favorites wash out far too early ... to be capped off by one final heaving gasp when the winner is crowned.
If there is any sort of leveling of the playing field, it's this: Losing doesn't necessarily ensure future obscurity.
One of the biggest shocker eliminations in Idol history spawned one of its biggest album sellers to date. Chris Daughtry, a fourth-place finisher in 2006, trails only Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood in total Idol album sales.
Katherine McPhee, Season 5 runner up, just wrapped up her first season on NBC's musical drama Smash.
Jennifer Hudson channeled her vocal prowess into a role in Dreamgirls. She may not have the title of "Idol," but she definitely has an Oscar, so I doubt she cares.
Two Idol success stories have gone on to sell more records than any contestant - winner or not. According to February numbers from Billboard, winners Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood have combined for more than 20 million in album sales.
But even winning doesn't necessarily ensure success.
If you look at Clark's and Underwood's individual album sales, they both have sold more albums than the other winners combined. Eight other seasons' worth of winners.
So, in spite of some questionably shaky notes over the season, I'm here to make a bold prediction. And by bold, I mean inevitable. (Bold like the color beige, oatmeal and James Taylor music are bold.)
Phillip Phillips, the aw-shucks-mannered Dave Matthews wannabe from Georgia, will win it all.
And, convinced a girl - no matter how talented - will never win again, I will throw up my hands in frustration, swearing off the show for all time.
At least until next season's auditions.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Copyright 2012 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
Jennifer Bowen is a lead producer with Raycom News and an avid Idol fan. In spite of her many attempts to quit the show, she inevitably finds her way back.
