Sorry, but Randy's comment comes off as very hypocritical to me. He has said many, many times he thinks Kelly & Fantasia are the best Idols; I could care less about his personal opinion, but he should stick by it, instead of trying to come off as "buddy buddy" with every fanbase.
I know he has said Carrie is insanely talented, but he has never struck me as someone with any depth of musical knowlege (or someone with anything constructive to say). This comment just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.
Simon may not have been the nicest judge at times, but he never changed his opinion, and stated it respectfully and honestly. Sometimes I feel like the judges (except for Simon) didn't truly realize they had something incredibly special with Carrie, but now that's she's a superstar they're trying to take all the credit for it. It's hard to explain, but it's just a feeling I've had for awhile.