Is Oprah Sabotaging Zach Anner?

Zach Anner became a beloved Internet celebrity almost overnight when he auditioned for Oprah Winfrey’s “Your OWN Show” contest—but could Oprah herself be taking away his shot at a show? Anner’s audition tape was getting far and away the most attention and the most votes until recently, when the second-place contestant mysteriously—and swiftly—surpassed him. (Geekosystem.com offers a complex analysis of whether the system was rigged.)

Anner himself doesn’t seem to be too concerned—Oprah is “probably too busy helping children and building schools to notice someone like me,” he says, and anyway, he’s back in the lead. Time promises to post a video of its entire interview with Anner later today—writer Megan Gibson declares him “as likeable in person (well, ok, over Skype) as he is in his videos.”