Clay Aiken has grown very accustomed to second place.

ADVERTISEMENT
Aiken lost his Congressional bid for North Carolina's second district in the U.S. House on Election Day Tuesday, but on the flip side, he gained his own reality special, Us Weekly reported.

Aiken, who finished as the runner-up on American Idol's second season and became a gay activist after coming out several years ago, ran as the Democratic candidate and was defeated by Republican Renee Ellmers.

The singer apparently couldn't help but comment on how he had finished as a runner-up once again.

"About 11 years ago, after American Idol, we came up short in another vote," Aiken told his supporters in a speech following his loss, according to Us. "We found reason to be happy. We found opportunity to see a win. Tonight we see quite a few wins as well."

Ironically, Aiken, 35, also finished in second place, losing to Arsenio Hall, when he had competed on The Celebrity Apprentice's fifth season.

Aiken announced he was running for Congress in early February against Keith Crisco in the Democratic primary. Aiken reportedly got to face Ellmers in the general election after Crisco suddenly died on May 12.

The single dad might've lost the race, but he nailed down his own TV special in the moments following his defeat.

Esquire Network announced late Tuesday night a four-hour docuseries will air in early 2015 featuring Aiken's political preparations and pursuits as well as his campaign trail.

"We were granted incredible access during the making of this documentary, and in turn were able to capture the internal workings of an American campaign -- the good, the bad and the ugly," executive producer Simon Chinn said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Fellow producer Jonathan Chinn reportedly added, "We're thrilled to be partnering with Esquire Network, who are tackling topics that are not only popular and entertaining but also smart and thoughtful."

"Ultimately, this series is a raw and honest look at American politics through an incredibly unique and compelling candidate," said Esquire Network executive Matt Hanna, according to The Reporter. "The opportunity to work with amazing documentarians Simon and Jonathan Chinn, gave Esquire Network the perfect opportunity to explore politics and its intersection with celebrity."

The untitled series is being produced by Lightbox. In addition to Jonathan and Simon Chinn, Mitchell Tanen will also be serving as an executive producer.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.