Most American Idol contestants would kill for an opportunity to crowned winner of the popular talent show. However, for Blake Lewis, who finished as the runner-up on American Idol season 6, he did not care about being hailed as the champ.

Lewis, a 25-year old native of Bothell, Washington, was known for his eccentric, hip hop and beatbox style of performing. Given his distinctness as an artist, many of his fans believed that the American Idol contestant would succeed with or without the crown.

Looking back, Chris Daughtry, who was a contestant on season five, did not end up as the winner but had led a very lucrative and promising career after Idol.

Based on article published by RealityTV World, Lewis never really perceived his participation on the show as something competitive. Although there had been clearly a lot of competition involved, he just considered it as simply performing. And that's what he did. He performed his utmost best each segment as he progressed and earned a spot in the final two.

As an artist, he just wanted to channel his creativity in his performance, which clearly showed on American Idol. And now that the program already claimed its winner in the form of Jordin Sparks, he felt nothing but relief on his defeat.

Although American Idol had done positive exposure for Lewis as an artist, he still did not want to win because of contractual reasons. Nevertheless, he felt like a winner just by landing a spot in the top ten.

Even as a runner-up, Lewis has gained national exposure with his stint on American Idol. At present, Lewis songs from Idol are now on sale at iTunes and americanidol.com. He has also signed with 19 Entertainment and expects to release an album by the end of this year.