No Dice for Bo Bice?

Even though country singer Carrie Underwood beat out Southern rocker Bo Bice on American Idol's May 25th finale, both of the Bible Belt-bred contenders landed recording contracts. Underwood's debut, expected to be slick Shania Twain-style country pop, seems a safe bet to hit big. But Bice's future is more uncertain: Can a rocker survive American Idol?

"When you go on American Idol, you've sold your soul to a point," says judge Simon Cowell. "If you try to revert back to being a rocker, the audience might say, 'I don't believe you anymore.'"

Similarly, getting time on rock radio looks to be an uphill battle for Bice. "Credible rock radio won't go near it," says KROQ DJ Stryker. "But with the right band behind him, he could be a 3 Doors Down, Creed type of singer." And, as Cowell points out, "He won't need rock radio to build his career."

Past runners-up have a mixed track record. Clay Aiken went on to sell more than 3 million CDs, but discs from Justin Guarini and Diana DeGarmo tanked. Still, Bice is optimistic.

"I got into this so I could get some better gigs around town," he joked after the finale. "Never in a million years did I think that this would get so out of hand."