American Idol Finale Photos, Reaction: Kris Allen Shocked, Adam Lambert Excited

Kris Allen is your new American Idol.

Left speechless when Ryan Seacrest initially asked him how it felt, Allen continued to express utter consternation backstage.

"I felt shocked almost every week that I made it, and to be the American Idol, I’m completely shocked."

The champion also had nothing but kind words for fellow finalist Adam Lambert: "I feel like he deserves this just as much as I do. He’s an amazing performer, gifted guy and really just an amazing guy. It was fun doing this with him."

Where will Kris go from here, in terms of making an album?

"I think it’s pretty obvious that I’ve done a lot of the singer-songwriter, pop-rock kind of thing and that’s something I want to do."

Do you think Kris Allen is a worthy champion?

Lambert, meanwhile, isn't about to shed any tears over his second place finish.

"I felt so good. I got to sing with Queen and KISS!" he told OK!, reflecting on the two-hour finale. "First or second, it doesn’t matter to me; I got to sing with two great, heroic rock bands."

The flamboyant rocker also sung the praises of his friend and rival:

"I think Kris is incredibly talented and he’s a good person, so to me it was like, we know it’s going to be close; whatever happens, happens. We’ve made it this far, got to do a really cool finale and we’re both going to get to do great things now in the future."

But, it had to be asked, does Adam think the combination of his sexuality and Allen's Christianity played a role in the outcome?

"The blogs have a lot of opinions, don’t they? I think Kris won because he’s a great artist and I was happy to be runner-up to that."

Amen. Let's just admire these two finalists for what they are: great musicians and people.

Click on the photos below to enlarge various photos from the American Idol finale: