Let's take a look at what went down behind the scenes of last night's final American Idol results show of the year...

The Grand Finale
Within minutes of his – and everyone's – hearing Ryan Seacrest announce Jordin Sparks as this year's American Idol, Blake Lewis was backstage, facing the press. "It's bittersweet right now," he said, "because it's over, and like three seconds before I got on the stage with Jordin at the end of the – it was just like, 'Oh, man, it's done. This is like the last moment I get to step on the American Idol stage, and the journey has truly been a blessing.' "

And just what was it Blake whispered in Jordin's era as Ryan's was breaking open the envelope? "I told her two things," said Blake. "I said, 'I love you, Jordin Sparks.' And I said, 'If it comes down to me singing this last song, will you do a duet with me?' "

Cutting a Rug
The American Idol Finale red carpet completely blanketed the Hollywood Walk of Fame – except for one particular star in the sidewalk: Ryan Seacrest's. A square hole was cut in the red carpet so everyone to see it. Everyone, that is, but Carrie Underwood, who was caught by surprise when she suddenly noticed the name – and then had to do a little hop, skip and a jump to avoid tripping on it.

Paula's Prediction
On the red carpet Paula Abdul rightly predicted Jordin Sparks would be victorious at the finale, but acknowledged that the female finalist had the upper hand when it came to the final song, "This Is My Now." "They shouldn't have given the same song to both male and female – it was more of a female song," Paula told People magazine. "What they've done the last few years is have songs written for the guys and songs written for the girls."

Mother Knows Best
Blake Lewis's mom agreed about her son's lineup for his final performance. "I liked the first two [songs] and the last one. I knew that he wasn't hot on it, and Jordin did a better job," she said. "[But] I love it when he does rock because I'm an old rocker, so that was cool. He does very little rock so I loved the Bon Jovi!"

The Roaring Crowd
A radiant and confident Jordin owned the carpet in her Badgley Mischka dress, shining above all else around her as she made her way past the media throng. For his arrival, Blake came in a sea of his top 12 Idols surrounding him like a human shield – while fans went crazy screaming his name. Also making their way into the foray: Jennifer Hudson, Taylor Hicks, Constantine, Mandisa and even more former Idols.

Teddy Bear Hug
Former Idol Ruben Studdard had nothing but good words for the two finalists. "I think they're both totally unique," said the Velvet Teddy Bear. "You know, Blake has that urban hip-hop flavor going for him. Jordin, you know, she's a cleancut young lady – very smooth."

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.