Bice competed weekly against fellow rocker Constantine Maroulis, his long hair, bell bottoms, and drug rug tunics against Maroulis' biker jacket and stockpile of New York City swagger. Eventually Bice won out (to the shock of some Idol fans), and went all the way to the winner's circle where he was AI runner-up to corn silk Oklahoman Carrie Underwood. The following summer Bice participated in the usual post-Idol tour with his fellow contestants; he also endured the traditional pry into his past life, which had evidently included brushes with drug possession. In the meantime, the release date of his debut album was pushed back. Real Thing eventually arrived in December 2005. Produced by Clive Davis, it featured collaborations with rockers Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) and Richie Sambora, as well as songwriting pros John Shanks and Max Martin. The album was certified gold, but RCA dropped Bice from its artist roster. He formed his own label, Sugar Money Records, and released See the Light on the new imprint in 2007, following it with Different Shades of Blue in 2010. ~ Johnny Loftus