Are American Idol Contestants Puppets?

It has certainly appeared that way to me. And anyone who saw Bo Vice and Carrie Underwood's final competitive performance had to notice that the one song they were singing that was not recognizable since we were age 5 was a new song written for the winner that did not fit their voices or styles. That is why I believe the song was written prior to the start of the season. A greater concern for the artists centers around the legal agreements Idol contenders must sign with 19 Entertainment to be eligible for the prize booty. Some see Simon Cowell as a svengali. Don Heley will not let the show use his songs. Jimmy Webb states that music companies want complete control. They don't want artists to get too powerful. Read the entire article for a better understanding.
From my personal experience around performers, I have heard of many stories where the music companies already have songs ready to be released. They have the band that is gonna play the song and all they lack is the vocalist. The story is the same for all the formats, rap, grunge, alt, rock, country, etc.
Also, there is the stories about bands that have million sellers, but before they are paid the costs of the artwork on the album, the tour, the promotions all are deducted, and often the artist is in debt.
I thought many of the svengali stories would disapear when people like 50's rock and rollers got out their stories about how atrocious their music deals were. I guess everything goes in cycles.
So, is it worth it to compete to be an American Idol? Read it and judge for yourself.