"I can't thank you [enough] for keeping me around," said Sparks, the daughter of retired NFL player Phillippi Sparks. "Thank you so much for everything. Mom, dad I love you."

After the show, Sparks told Phoenix's Fox 10 News, "It hasn't really hit me yet. It's weird. It's weird to know I don't have to wake up tomorrow and learn a new song. ... Oh, this is so weird. I was telling myself, 'Whatever you do don't pass out.' I was running through the lyrics of the song."

"I love that she won," Lewis told the news outlet. "I wouldn't have it any other way.

"We're all winners; the top 10 is going on tour together," he added, referring to the upcoming "American Idols Live [ tickets ]" tour. The itinerary is included below.

On Tuesday (5/22), during the final performance show, host Ryan Seacrest said, "It's going to be a tough one to call." Sparks landed high marks for her singing ability, while Lewis was dubbed the best performer. Judge Randy Jackson even admitted, "This is a very interesting show tonight. I feel like we've got the great entertainer versus the great singer."

Cowell had comparable remarks after Lewis sang Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name."

"I thought the performance was great but the singing was flat. I don't think it matters, because it was your best performance."

The same night, Cowell was forced to apologize to Sparks after she and Blake each sang the original song "This is My Now." Earlier in the season, he said he didn't think she was good enough to make the finals.

"I want to say to you publicly now, I was wrong," Cowell said. "We forget sometimes it is a singing competition and you just wiped the floor with Blake on that song."

Wednesday's two-hour finals special kicked off with Sparks and Lewis singing a rendition of The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There." Sparks returned for a second duet, this time with season-two winner Ruben Studdard, for Marvin Gaye's "You're All I Need to Get By."

Idols new and old came out for the season finale. This season's top-six women sang "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," then joined Gladys Knight for renditions of "I Feel a Song" and "Midnight Train to Georgia." The top-six male contestants sang "Oh Baby, Baby," and teamed with Smokey Robinson on "Being With You."

First-season winner Kelly Clarkson [ tickets ] sang her new single, "Never Again," and rapper Doug E. Fresh joined the beatboxing Lewis for the rap classic "The Show."

Pop stars made appearances as well. Gwen Stefani, who served as a mentor during an episode this season, sang her latest single, "4 in the Morning," via satellite from a tour stop in the Boston area.

Green Day made a surprise appearance, singing "Working Class Hero," a cover of a John Lennon song.

J Records Founder Clive Davis paid tribute to Carrie Underwood [ tickets ] for selling more than 6 million albums in the United States. He said her success was combustible, and thanked her producer and arranger. He also acknowledged Chris Daughtry, whose band Daughtry has sold 2.5 million albums.