January 3, 2004 -- STUNNED "American Idol" champ Kelly Clarkson abruptly left the set of "World Idol" New Years' night after fans snubbed her in favor of a gap-toothed plumber from Norway.
Clarkson, who had been favored to win the competition, appeared dazed by the loss and did not stick around to congratulate Kurt Nilsen, 24, the good-natured father of two who won.
Clarkson placed second.
"We didn't get to talk. I think she went back to her hotel I guess," Nilsen told The Post yesterday.
The talk of the "Idol" world yesterday was how upset Clarkson appeared on the show, which was taped Thursday afternoon in London and broadcast through various time zones across the world.
She appeared to grow increasingly disgruntled as the votes from different regions were tallied and it became clear she was losing to an otherwise-unknown singer from a small Scandinavian country.
Nilsen is a fan of Clarkson. He traveled all the way to New York from Norway last year to hear her sing at Giant Stadium.
It was his first trip to the U.S.
Kurt, too, seemed surprised he could not find her after the show.
"Everybody wanted to talk to me and take pictures," he said. "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."
What was clear was that winning the first annual showdown of "Idol" winners from around the world will change the young man's life dramatically.
His single is being a released this week in England and discussions are underway to see if it will get a U.S. release.
"We have to now take the next couple of weeks to have meetings," says his manager Jan Fredrik.
If his record is released here, Nilsen will have to deal again with the idea that he doesn't have the classic good looks of a pop music idol.
Despite his new, relative wealth, Kurt says he will not have his teeth fixed to remove what has become his trademark - a wide space between his front teeth. "I'm really happy the way I am because if I changed my look I think people would think that I had [sold out]," Nilsen said.
Nilsen returned to Norway yesterday after spending New Year's day in a London studio were the holiday show was
filmed.
He was greeted at the airport in the seaside city of Bergen, by thousands of hysterical fans, a marching band the city's mayor and other assorted dignitaries. He later was congratulated via phone by Norway's Prime Minister.
It was Nilsen's strong performance of U2's hit "Beautiful Day" in a "World Idol" special that aired on Christmas Day that left "Idol" judges and millions of viewers from around the world star-struck and ultimately helped him snare the title of "World Idol."
The show aired in more than 22 countries and was seen by millions of viewers.
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