Season 2 review LINK to read complete article

By Jillian Kuras

Season two was the year of big changes. The format of the show had considerable changes, as it should have. The AI craze had really just begun to escalate around the time of the season one finale. So when season two started, the excitement was bigger than ever.

The first two changes were apparent immediately. First off, Ryan Seacrest was flying solo. Season one co-host Brian Dunkleman had been given the boot and America let out one big "Woo Hoo!"

Also, instead of one night of auditions, America was treated to several nights. To me, it would perfect to see hour after hour of all the great auditions. The bad ones are simply a waste of time. We're never going to see those people again. Then when it comes time to vote in the top 30, we don't even know who the majority of those good people are.

Anyways, after the season two auditions ended, I could already tell this season would be completely different from season one. During season one, having the "look" of a pop star was almost as important as having actual singing talent. So much so that people were criticized for not looking like an idol should. That theory was completely useless however this time around because of auditions from such unknowns as Clay Aiken, Kimberley Locke, Frenchie Davis and Ruben Studdard. Voices like these just couldn't be denied, no matter what they looked like.

The next change came during the round that America was first able to vote. Instead of a top 30, season two would have a top 32. The contestants were divided into four groups of eight. The top two from each group would make the finals, totaling eight. The judges would then choose not one, but FOUR wild cards to make a final 12. While I liked the idea of having a final 12, four wild cards seemed a little ridiculous. I liked the season one format much better.

After the four groups competed and America voted, we had our first eight contestants- Charles Grigsby and Julia DeMato from group one, Ruben Studdard and Kimberley Locke from group two, Vanessa Olivarez and Rickey Smith from group three, and Josh Gracin and Corey Clark from group four.

So the nine Wild Card participants were Clay Aiken, Kimberly Caldwell, Trenyce, Chip Days, and Nasheka Siddall from the top 32 and Olivia Mojica, Janine Falsone, Aliceyn Cooney and Carmen Rasmusen from the Hollywood round. Three of the four Wild Card choices were obvious ones. America loved Clay Aiken so it was no surprise when the public voted him through.

So the top 12 began and there seemed to be an even spilt of the contestants for me- I liked 6, and I there were six I did not care for. The six that I liked and hoped would do well were Clay, both Kim's, Julia, Vanessa and Trenyce.

And I might as well get something out of the way right now- I am not a Ruben fan. Not at all. So even though there were people and performances I thoroughly enjoyed during season two, the majority of the season was filled with aggravation and frustration for me.

(We were left with) a top five of Kimberley Locke, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Josh Gracin and Trenyce. I really liked three of these five- Kim, Clay and Trenyce- so numbers wise there was a good chance someone I liked would win. Even though I was personally hoping for a finale of Clay and Kim, I knew that wasn't going to happen. Even with four weeks left, everyone in America knew the final two would be Clay and Ruben.

So just as everyone thought, we were left with Ruben and Clay as well as the biggest and most watched finale in Idol history. I've been sort of vague with my feelings of Ruben so I will quickly try to explain. I always thought Ruben had a nice, soothing, Luther Vandross type of voice. His spot in the top 12 was 100% deserved. However, as the weeks went on I liked him less and less.

First of all, his voice was very one dimensional. He always sang the same type of song, in the same key and in the same range. It was almost as if he was singing in a straight line if that makes sense. A very nice straight line, but still, it was nothing exciting. No highs, no lows, just the same old thing week after week.

Add that to the fact that he wore those stupid 205 shirts all the time and it was like watching the same performance over and over. He'd come out one week with his 205 shirt and my roommate and I would think, is this the same performance as last week? Not to say it wasn't good but come on, bor-ing!

I knew there was an excellent chance Ruben would win. The judges had done a fabulous job at brainwashing America. Simon compared Ruben to Kelly Clarkson when there were 11 contestants remaining. He then told America he thought Ruben should win when there were still 10 contestants left.

And Ruben still remains the only Idol contestant to date to never get a bad remark from any of the judges. Seriously. Months upon months of performances and yet, not one negative comment. If there was really no room for improvement, shouldn't he have been a professional already?

And my one final gripe was Ryan Seacrest and his completely unnecessary way of introducing Ruben. Ruuuuuuuuuuuben Studdaaaarrrrrd! Seriously, give me a break. In a competition when it is so important to stand out so America remembers to pick up the phone and vote for you, is it really fair that the judges and host were doing all they could to do all but yell, 'pick Ruben! Pick Ruben!'

So in conclusion, when Ruben was declared the winner I was sad, but not surprised. Even though I think Clay had the better voice, better range, and better performance qualities, Ruben did take the title.

After the finale, and after Clay's single and record sales blew Ruben's out of the water, there was much discussion as to whether or not the right man won. I honestly don't think it matters who won; both would have still made a record. Clay has been more successful though in terms of record sales alone. Even though the difference in the votes came down to less than one percent, why did Ruben actually win?

This topic has been highly discussed throughout the past few years and there is one theory that I agree with. Some people seem to think that because Clay's lines were so busy during the time America had to vote, they were over jammed so much that no could get through. This resulted in more busy signals than votes.

Ruben's on the other hand were a little bit less congested so people could get through more easily and therefore cast more votes. The voting process wasn't quite as lengthy as it is now. America had less time to vote and each contestant also had fewer lines to vote on.

Best Performances of Season One

5th Place - Inseparable by Kimberley Locke
Kim had so many great performances in her last few weeks on the show it was hard to narrow it down for this list. This one was a favorite of mine though and had me begging America for Clay/Kim finale.

4th Place - Solitaire by Clay Aiken
Just an amazing performance from start to finish. I remember the dramatic single spotlight really selling the performance. This was of course the night that Neil Sedaka told Clay that this song now belonged to him. He later recorded this as a single and had great success with it.

Bronze Medal- Proud Mary by Trenyce
Trenyce's last week on the show included two great performances; this one, as well as Love Will Keep Us Together. Fifth place was a rip off for Trenyce and her fans.

Silver Medal - New York State of Mind by Kimberley Locke
This was the performance that had Simon telling Clay and Ruben to watch their backs. If only Kim had sung like this just a few weeks earlier…

Gold Medal - Bridge Over Troubled Water by Clay Aiken
Definitely the best song of finale night and one of the best of the whole season. Simon told Clay he thought it was enough to win him the competition but unfortunately, it was not.

Worst Performances of Season Two

5th Place - Flashdance by Julia DeMato
Poor Julia started out really strong in the early rounds and was a clear favorite of Simon's. However, her nerves really shook her up when she made it to the big stage and live audience of the top 12. Performances like this one didn't do her any favors and she soon found herself out of the running.

4th Place - Hopelessly Devoted To You by Carmen Rasmusen
Out of Carmen's 8 performances on the show, only 2 or 3 were average. The rest were so far below it was hard to just pick a few for this list. In her intro piece Carmen said she chose this song because it told the story of a girl in high school who falls in love with a boy and 'she could totally relate to it'. Ugh someone pass the barf bag.

Bronze Medal - Against All Odds by Corey Clark
This song has been sung a hundred billion times on AI but no one has sung it higher than Corey Clark. Corey was always known for having a voice higher than any guy should and he proved it with this song. Ever see that Friends episode where Monica is crying so loud and frantically that it turns to high pitched squeaks? And Chandler says, 'Okay Monica, only dogs can hear you now'. That's what this performance reminded me of.

Silver Medal - Call Me by Carmen Rasmusen
Wholesome country girl Carmen tried to show her dangerous side with this song and had most of America laughing. For those of you who watched the AI spin-off American Juniors, thirteen year old Lucy Hale sang this song better than Carmen did.

Gold Medal - Celebration by Josh Gracin
It still makes me cringe just thinking about this performance. Josh claims he was sick that night but for the sake of America, he should have stayed home in bed.