Curtis Finch Jr. was the first of the five men to be eliminated in succession on “American Idol” this season. Just in case any fans or “Idol” staffers forgot about him since the March 14, he quickly reminded them that he’s still around – and a bit skeptical about how the season unfolded.

“I think it’s been really pushed that they wanted a girl to win,” Finch said of the competition during an interview with “The Ralphie Show.” He clarified that by “they,” he meant the show producers. “That’s fine with me, because I think the girls are extremely talented.”

“I think they set it up in a way,” the singer explained. “From ‘Hollywood Week,’ yunno they separated the boys and the girls.”

Long-time “Idol” vocal coach Michael Orland didn’t believe that the fix was in.

“That’s how America voted,” Orland said. “It didn’t matter. What did they pick five bad boy singers? I thought we had five fairly strong boy singers. I thought the girls gave stronger performances every single week.”

Season two finalist Kimberly Locke argued that while weaker male singers may have been chosen this year, she has found “Idol” to be one of the fairest shows on television.

“Every year there is a conspiracy, or someone thinks there is a conspiracy,” she noted. “On season two, on the chyron for the numbers, they put up the wrong number for the wrong contestant. The votes got all messed up. The following weeks to come, standards and practices were there every day.”

Locke noted that working conditions and equal camera time were also monitored carefully. The competition crowned it’s season 12 winner Candice Glover last week.