Winter Olympics outdraws season-low 'Idol'

Fox's first Thursday "American Idol" results show hit a season low Thursday night, with NBC's Winter Olympics telecast taking the lead for the second time this year among total viewers.

NBC's Vancouver Games coverage drew 22.9 million viewers, which was down 12% in viewers from the same night in Torino in 2006. "Idol" (17.8 million viewers, 6.4 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) delivered the reality titan's lowest-rated episode since 2004 while continuing to reign in the adult demo, beating the Games by 45%.

“I never thought we would have the good fortune to beat the incredibly well-produced and enduring phenomenon of 'American Idol' even once," said Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics. "But twice? At best, I deeply believed we might come a little closer than we did four years ago, because the show is such a powerhouse. We are happy to rent 'Idol's' space for a few nights. All the thanks goes to the athletes of the world who give us these great stories to tell. Their stories are the stars of our show -- and led to these two ‘miracles’ -- just as the young entertainers are the stars of 'Idol.'"

Also Thursday: CBS' "Survivor" (11.5 million, 3.7) lived up to its name, down only 5% this week despite facing "Idol" and the Olympics.

Fox's "Kitchen Nightmares" (7.7 million, 3.7), taking over for "Past Life," was close behind at 9 p.m., boosted by "Idol" and delivering its second-best performance ever.

The series finale of ABC's "Deep End" (3.9 million, 1.1) was flat. Everybody else stayed out of the way.