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DeWyze, Bowersox and James never thought of themselves as front-runners. By James Montgomery Crystal Bowersox Photo: MTV News Modesty is an underrated trait — unless you’re a finalist on “American Idol,” a show that exists solely to discover music’s next great megastar. The whole point of appearing on it is to win, thereby securing a recording contract and the opportunity to become unbelievably famous and wealthy. Modesty, it would seem, has no place on the “Idol” stage. Except for the just-completed ninth season, that is. Because, wow, was this season’s top three modest. At no point during the show’s run did any of the contestants seem to think that they could actually win, and despite the best efforts of journalists — who labeled the final three as “the front-runner” (Crystal Bowersox), “the underdog” ( eventual champ Lee DeWyze ) and “the dark horse” (Casey James) — that never really changed. In fact, based on conversations we’ve had with all three finalists, none of them ever remotely considered themselves the favorite. Not in the slightest. “I never considered myself to be the front-runner, simply because ‘American Idol’ is a show where literally anything can happen,” Bowersox said. “A lot of people that went home we never expected them to go home. … My goal was just to do my best each week and see what happened.” “Not only did I not think that I was the front-runner; I knew that I was not,” James laughed. “A lot of people got into reading the things on the Internet, and I just stayed away from all that. So I don’t know if there was anything that said that, but I never feel that way, and I don’t think it was really the case, either.” “I mean, people were saying stuff like that to me, I’m not going to lie about that, they’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re going to win,’ and I’d be like, ‘Oh, well, there’s still seven weeks to go,’ ” DeWyze added. “I never thought I had it in the bag or anything, but I think you have to have a sense of confidence in yourself, especially when you’re in a competition … [but] being a front-runner or an underdog, or whatever people said, it was hard not to listen to that stuff. You have to ignore it, because it is not a good thing.” That modesty holds true even now that the show is over. Sure, DeWyze is happy he won, but Bowersox and James seem positively giddy that they didn’t. “I’m cool with number two,” the dreadlocked dynamo smiled. “I gave it my best shot.” “I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” the Texas heartthrob added. “I mean, honestly, for me, I’m not going to say anything other than I feel like I’m exactly where I should be.” Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos Lee DeWyze: From Illinois Boy To ‘American Idol’ Star Crystal Bowersox’s ‘American Idol’ Experience Related Artists Lee DeWyze

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‘American Idol’ Season Nine: Neither Lee, Crystal Nor Casey Thought They’d Win