He's not boring.
Anoop, for arbitrary example, is an interesting guy on a personal level because he's really smart and it's always fascinating to see a really smart person on a reality show, but he's a dull, wedding band-level singer. A lot of the other contestants are likable and have "a story," which is relevant on this show for reasons surpassing logic, but I don't care about them because they are boring. Allison Iraheta is the only exception I can think of, because she seems crazy in a good way, and she can actually sing, but she's not half the entertainer Adam is. Can you imagine going to an Adam Lambert concert? With production, costumes and a set list that Adam Lambert has complete creative control over? Even Madonna would be like, "Damn! It's only a concert! Tone it down!"

He's a risk taker.
When other Idol contestants defend their performances by saying "I took a risk," they usually mean "I sang a boring and/or too hard for me song." Or in Megan's unique "Rockin' Robin" case, a stupid and mind-blowingly irrelevant song. When Adam Lambert defends his risks, he's defending turning "Ring of Fire" into an over-the-top belly dancing routine, and doing it well. You can't tell me the man doesn't have a vision.

He's the best singer there.
The guy's range is incredible, and he sings circles around all the other contestants every week. I hear a lot of complaints about him being too musical theater, and I don't think that's inaccurate, I just don't think that's inherently a criticism. What does that even mean? He's a classically trained super-ham with great stage presence? It's not like he's going out there all the guy from the Bring It On auditions who sings "Give My Regards to Broadway"; he sings pop songs in a pop way. It's just that his voice is so perfect technically that he sounds like you paid 85 bucks to sit and listen to him sing. He's a more creative Aiken with a Christian Siriano haircut and a trunk full of Lincoln Park After Dark, and I don't think that's a bad thing. I think it's a fantastic thing.

He's unique without being terrible.
Which is more than I can say for Megan, who they keep calling unique because she dances weird. To borrow the old Top Chef fan pastime, it's called American Idol, not American Can'tdance.

On a side note, Dial Idol is predicting that Adam's safe tonight, which is great, but it's also showing Danny Gokey as getting the most damn votes last night. I actually don't think he's that terrible, but why, why, why is he so insurmountably popular? Why? I don't think it's the dead wife thing anymore, I really don't. But I also don't understand what the hell else it could be, because he's not that great of a singer. Has America lost its mind?