Idol experienced its first — but hardly its last — voting controversy after favorite Tamyra Gray was eliminated prior to the struggling Nikki McKibbin. McKibbin fielded plenty of heat from viewers — who claimed, among other things, that she used her young son to pander for votes — and Idol's audience was convinced that the voting was fixed. It wasn't, of course, and McKibbin was sent packing the next week, making way for a young singer named Kelly Clarkson to nab the first season's crown.