Find Out Who Simon Cowell Thinks Should Win 'Idol'

May 4, 2006 — -- "American Idol" is down to its final four contestants.

Paris Bennett was voted off Wednesday night. If Simon Cowell were a betting man, he'd put his money on two of the remaining men.

"I think it will be between Chris [Daughtry] or Taylor [Hicks]," Cowell said. "But you can't rule out Katharine [McPhee] because she's just getting better and better."

Although the competitors come off as friends on camera, Cowell said, that's not exactly what it's like behind the scenes.

"You know, they don't really like each other that much," Cowell said. "They think they do. But they don't. They don't want anybody else to do well. They want to win."

Apparently, there's no love lost among the judges, either.

"You've got four colossal egos, with mine being the smallest in a very small space," Cowell said. "I swear, no doubt. Everyone thinks it's me. It's not. … Ryan [Seacrest has] got the biggest ego. Followed closely by Paula [Abdul]. Then Randy [Jackson], and then myself."

Cowell didn't stop there.

"Ryan would marry himself tomorrow," Cowell said. "I mean, literally. I mean he is the most egotistical person I have ever met in my life, and bearing in mind I am based in Hollywood that is quite a broad thing to say. But he has. And that's kind of one of the reasons why I like him. Paula's always had an ego. Randy's developed one. And so. … Shake it all up, you get a few fireworks occasionally."

Abdul's emotional behavior on the show has raised some concern among her fans, but Cowell said there was no need to worry.

"That's Paula," he said. "I mean, she is, you know, a bit crazy. But that's the way, that's the way she is."

American President?

A recent poll found that one in 10 Americans had voted for someone on "America Idol." Cowell said that he thought it would be higher. Thirty-five percent believed their votes for the new idol counted just as much as their vote in the presidential election.

"Absolutely," Cowell said, laughing. "But what if -- and I'll throw this challenge out to President Bush -- we do 'President Idol.' A couple songs, a bit of dancing, and I'll judge it. I'm more than happy to judge it. Maybe that's how we should decide the, the next president."

Cowell might not have time for "President Idol." He already has his hands full with "American Idol" and his own ABC reality show, "American Inventor."

Cowell said he had seen such good ideas on "Inventor" that he had been tempted to fund them out of his own pocket.

"There have been a couple of instances where I almost wrote a check to a couple of people," Cowell said. "But I thought, 'If I do it for one or two, then I'll end up doing it for everybody and I'm going to go broke.'"

The Softer Side of Simon?

It may come as a surprise that Cowell knows what it means to be broke.

"I was an '80s yuppie with a convertible Porsche living beyond my means, et cetera, et cetera, and I lost all my money when I was 30," Cowell said. "Literally lost everything. I owed the bank a fortune in money I'd borrowed. So I had to sell off everything and move back into my parents. And, in hindsight, it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

Cowell said the experience helped him learn not to borrow money, and made him appreciate the money he has now. He certainly has a lot.

Cowell reportedly makes $36 million a year on "Idol" and is worth more than $80 million. It's hard to believe that he actually still rents, but he has plans to move into his own mansion soon and is building a second one in Beverly Hills, Calif.