How is it possible, you wonder, that Susan Boyle lost “Britain’s Got Talent” just days after Adam Lambert lost “American Idol“? There may be a harsh reality behind both reality TV shows that got it wrong. Boyle and Lambert may have lost public contests because of their private lives.

Many observers believe Boyle and Lambert lost since they were so heavily favored to win that voters picked opponents because they wanted their votes to have maximum effect. But that didn’t stop earlier “American Idol” front-runners Fantasia Barrino, Taylor Hicks and Carrie Underwood from prevailing.

Personally, I think the results of these contests reveal more about the prejudices of the voters than they do about the real talent of contestants. In Lambert’s case, he obviously had greater artistic chops than Kris Allen, just like Clay Aiken was so clearly superior to Ruben Studdard, but both lost as whispers that they might be gay became deafening.

In the case of YouTube sensation Susan Boyle, she was probably defeated by one of the same things that propelled her to the finals: her frumpiness. She had enough support among a passionate minority to get her thus far, but when she needed the backing of a majority of the masses, she flopped.

In the end, take solace, fans of Boyle and Lambert — over time they will have more substantial showbiz careers than the rivals who beat them, just like the outcome of Aiken versus Studdard. Those passionate minority fan bases will become more energized to rally behind their idols, proving them to be the real winners.