American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry was "robbed," "wrongly kicked off," and invited back to the show because "[host Ryan] Seacrest didn't give out the right phone #'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The day after the day after Daughtry's elimination from the Fox singing competition the Internet continued to buzz with rumors, speculation and wild speculation that shadowy forces and/or ineptitude thwarted the bald rocker's widely assumed ascension to the May 24 season finale.

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The chief conspiracy theory centered on Idol's oft-maligned phone lines. Some fans complained that their Tuesday night votes for Daughtry were misdirected to lone female standing Katharine McPhee, whose voice was said to have greeted them with thanks of support, MSNBC.com reported.

In what has become an annual tradition, Fox and Idol producers defended the show's voting process.

"AT&T and the independent voting company that oversee the voting have confirmed that there were no issues with the phone lines after Tuesday's show," the two groups said in a statement Friday.

And according to MSNBC.com, which checked the tapes, there were no issues with Ryan Seacrest's reading of the phone numbers Tuesday night. And thus was shot down another high-flying Daughtry rumor: That due to the host's on-air goof, Daughtry was being asked back, and that the show was planning a do-over. (He wasn't, and it isn't.)

Saying it doesn't comment on rumor, the network declined to respond to a story advanced by New York disc jockey Maria Milito who said on Thursday's Countdown with Keith Olbermann that she'd been told by "an anonymous source" that Daughtry had been "eliminated" by the Idol powers-that-be, and not by a show of the votes. Per Milito, the move was done to save face in light of a recent revelation by Daughtry on his MySpace page that said that his band, Absent Element, had a current record contract, an Idol no-no. One potential plot hole: According to Fox, Daughtry does not have a MySpace page.

A popular Daughtry petition at PetitionOnline.com, meanwhile, steered clear of Oliver Stone-isms, and classic argument-making techniques, in demanding a recount.

"Ask anyone who they thought was going to win American Idol this year, and 90 percent of them would say Chris Daughtry," the petition said. "We are shocked and saddened that this has happened. This is a HUGE mistake."

The petition didn't suggest how the mistake came to be. But it did suggest that if Fox rejects its call for a recount, "it will only PROVE that this show is rigged."

As of late Friday, the petition boasted 22,961 virtual signatures.

To be sure, not every voice on the Internet and elsewhere was screaming for justice or screaming about injustice. On the message boards of DialIdol.com, the busy-signal-measuring site which correctly predicted Daughtry's demise, the conversation was calm and coolly statistical. (Of course, weeks back, when DialIdol.com predicted Elliott Yamin would get the hook, and Kevin Covais got it instead, talk turned to Idol "adjust[ing]" its numbers.)

Even on the official Idol boards some cooler heads prevailed. As for the suggestion that a phone glitch delivered Daughtry votes to McPhee, one poster asked: "If you dialed the right number [for Daughtry] and heard Katherine's voice, why do you keep voting?"

Concluded the poster: "This is such a farce. It's ridiculous."

In the online gaming world, PinnacleSports.com, which had Daughtry down as the singing horse to beat, said it was surprised, but not totally shocked by the results--it called Daughtry's performance on Elvis night "lackluster," and noted that it "dropped his odds significantly" after Tuesday's show. (Taylor Hicks is its new favorite.)

For his part, Daughtry has allowed that he was, as his slack-jawed response suggested, surprised by his early exit. Beyond that, he has not joined any public call for recounts, revotes or Supreme Court challenges. He is due to hit the road with the Idol tour July 6, and presumably is weighing an offer from Fuel to become its new frontman.

With Idol down to its final three--Hicks, McPhee and Yamin--Fox reminded their constituents Friday that "you can't take your votes for granted on this show."

"We encourage fans to support their favorites," Fox said, "and vote for the person they want to see as the next American Idol."

And if all else fails, there's always message boards for venting.