AI Season 2
[back to top] Contestants
Place | Name / Hometown | #Ep | #Pf. | Average Rating | Hi | Lo | σ | 0-19 | 20-39 | 40-59 | 60-79 | 80-100 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Birmingham, AL
|
12 | 18 |
| 90 | 39 | 16.8 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | ||
2 |
Raleigh, NC
|
13 | 19 |
| 93 | 16 | 16.3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 7 | ||
3 |
Hartsville, TN
|
11 | 15 |
| 91 | 34 | 16.3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | ||
4 |
Westland, MI
|
10 | 12 |
| 81 | 9 | 15.8 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | ||
5 |
Memphis, TN
|
10 | 11 |
| 87 | 37 | 17.6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ||
6 |
Woods Cross, UT
|
8 | 8 |
| 52 | 8 | 17.4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
7 |
Katy, TX
|
8 | 8 |
| 66 | 16 | 17.4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
8 |
Keene, TX
|
6 | 6 |
| 51 | 19 | 21.7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
10 |
Brookfield, CT
|
4 | 4 |
| 70 | 19 | 17.8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
11 |
Oberlin, OH
|
3 | 3 |
| 54 | 26 | 18.3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
12 |
Atlanta, GA
|
2 | 2 |
| 74 | 42 | 19.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
DQ |
San Bernardino, CA
|
4 | 4 |
| 64 | 21 | 20.3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Place | Name / Hometown | Avg. Rtg. | SF | FI | Solo | Lo1 | Growth | #Ep. | B3 | SAge | FFact | RFact |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Birmingham, AL
|
62.9 | 81.0 | 61.8 | 62.9 | 39.0 | -2.21 | 12 | 1 | 28.8 | n/a | n/a |
2 |
Raleigh, NC
|
68.2 | 79.0 | 66.9 | 68.2 | 16.0 | -1.25 | 13 | 0 | 27.3 | n/a | n/a |
3 |
Hartsville, TN
|
63.8 | 81.0 | 62.6 | 63.8 | 34.0 | -1.08 | 11 | 4 | 28.8 | n/a | n/a |
4 |
Westland, MI
|
42.6 | 81.0 | 39.1 | 42.6 | 9.0 | -3.09 | 10 | 2 | 20.5 | n/a | n/a |
5 |
Memphis, TN
|
64.6 | 73.0 | 62.8 | 64.6 | 37.0 | -1.26 | 10 | 4 | 18.9 | n/a | n/a |
6 |
Woods Cross, UT
|
28.9 | 22.0 | 29.9 | 28.9 | 8.0 | -2.15 | 8 | 3 | 18.6 | n/a | n/a |
7 |
Katy, TX
|
44.8 | 55.5 | 41.2 | 44.8 | 16.0 | -5.17 | 8 | 3 | 20.5 | n/a | n/a |
8 |
Keene, TX
|
39.8 | 46.0 | 38.6 | 39.8 | 19.0 | -2.77 | 6 | 2 | 23.0 | n/a | n/a |
10 |
Brookfield, CT
|
38.0 | 70.0 | 27.3 | 38.0 | 19.0 | -14.20 | 4 | 3 | 24.3 | n/a | n/a |
11 |
Oberlin, OH
|
36.3 | 54.0 | 27.5 | 36.3 | 26.0 | n/a | 3 | 1 | 26.7 | n/a | n/a |
12 |
Atlanta, GA
|
58.0 | 74.0 | 42.0 | 58.0 | 42.0 | n/a | 2 | 1 | 30.0 | n/a | n/a |
DQ |
San Bernardino, CA
|
37.3 | 64.0 | 28.3 | 37.3 | 21.0 | -11.90 | 4 | 1 | 26.0 | n/a | n/a |
Place | Name / Hometown | Avg. Rtg. | HTH | W | L | T | Pct | Strk | Solo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Birmingham, AL
|
62.9 | 31 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 0.597 | 8 | 8 |
2 |
Raleigh, NC
|
68.2 | 26 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0.885 | 12 | 12 |
3 |
Hartsville, TN
|
63.8 | 34 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 0.471 | 6 | 6 |
4 |
Westland, MI
|
42.6 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 0.769 | 3 | 3 |
5 |
Memphis, TN
|
64.6 | 29 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 0.759 | 4 | 4 |
6 |
Woods Cross, UT
|
28.9 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0.400 | 1 | 1 |
7 |
Katy, TX
|
44.8 | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0.600 | 1 | 1 |
8 |
Keene, TX
|
39.8 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0.833 | 1 | 1 |
10 |
Brookfield, CT
|
38.0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.800 | 1 | 1 |
11 |
Oberlin, OH
|
36.3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.800 | 1 | 1 |
12 |
Atlanta, GA
|
58.0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.333 | 1 | 1 |
DQ |
San Bernardino, CA
|
37.3 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0.333 | 1 | 1 |
Place | Name / Hometown | #Ep | #Pf. | Average Rating | Hi | Lo | σ | 0-19 | 20-39 | 40-59 | 60-79 | 80-100 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SF |
Burbank, CA
|
1 | 1 |
| 35 | 35 | 21.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Memphis, TN
|
1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Phoenix, AZ
|
1 | 1 |
| 33 | 33 | 14.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Sacramento, CA
|
1 | 1 |
| 19 | 19 | 12.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Boulder, CO
|
1 | 1 |
| 39 | 39 | 23.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Toledo, OH
|
1 | 1 |
| 38 | 38 | 21.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Memphis, TN
|
1 | 1 |
| 47 | 47 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Columbus, IN
|
1 | 1 |
| 61 | 61 | 14.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
SF |
Hartsville, SC
|
2 | 2 |
| 57 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Murfreesboro, TN
|
1 | 1 |
| 31 | 31 | 18.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Staten Island, NY
|
1 | 1 |
| 22 | 22 | 18.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Terre Haute, IN
|
1 | 1 |
| 28 | 28 | 20.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Homestead, FL
|
1 | 1 |
| 19 | 19 | 20.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Folsom, NJ
|
1 | 1 |
| 25 | 25 | 19.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Woodland Hills, CA
|
1 | 1 |
| 54 | 54 | 19.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Orange County, CA
|
1 | 1 |
| 16 | 16 | 15.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Macon, GA
|
1 | 1 |
| 56 | 56 | 21.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Athens, GA
|
1 | 1 |
| 42 | 42 | 16.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Royse City, TX
|
1 | 1 |
| 17 | 17 | 16.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
|
1 | 1 |
| 11 | 11 | 14.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Honolulu, HI
|
1 | 1 |
| 45 | 45 | 24.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
New York, NY
|
2 | 2 |
| 46 | 23 | 16.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Edmond, OK
|
1 | 1 |
| 8 | 8 | 10.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
SF |
Henderson, TN
|
1 | 1 |
| 32 | 32 | 23.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Place | Name / Hometown | Avg. Rtg. | SF | FI | Solo | Lo1 | Growth | #Ep. | B3 | SAge | FFact | RFact |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SF |
Burbank, CA
|
35.0 | 35.0 | n/a | 35.0 | 35.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 30.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Memphis, TN
|
2.0 | 2.0 | n/a | 2.0 | 2.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Phoenix, AZ
|
33.0 | 33.0 | n/a | 33.0 | 33.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 17.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Sacramento, CA
|
19.0 | 19.0 | n/a | 19.0 | 19.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Boulder, CO
|
39.0 | 39.0 | n/a | 39.0 | 39.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 27.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Toledo, OH
|
38.0 | 38.0 | n/a | 38.0 | 38.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 35.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Memphis, TN
|
47.0 | 47.0 | n/a | 47.0 | 47.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 30.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Columbus, IN
|
61.0 | 61.0 | n/a | 61.0 | 61.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 4.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Hartsville, SC
|
55.5 | 55.5 | n/a | 55.5 | 54.0 | n/a | 2 | 0 | 28.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Murfreesboro, TN
|
31.0 | 31.0 | n/a | 31.0 | 31.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Staten Island, NY
|
22.0 | 22.0 | n/a | 22.0 | 22.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 19.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Terre Haute, IN
|
28.0 | 28.0 | n/a | 28.0 | 28.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Homestead, FL
|
19.0 | 19.0 | n/a | 19.0 | 19.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 16.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Folsom, NJ
|
25.0 | 25.0 | n/a | 25.0 | 25.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 20.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Woodland Hills, CA
|
54.0 | 54.0 | n/a | 54.0 | 54.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 27.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Orange County, CA
|
16.0 | 16.0 | n/a | 16.0 | 16.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 30.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Macon, GA
|
56.0 | 56.0 | n/a | 56.0 | 56.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Athens, GA
|
42.0 | 42.0 | n/a | 42.0 | 42.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 14.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Royse City, TX
|
17.0 | 17.0 | n/a | 17.0 | 17.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 7.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
|
11.0 | 11.0 | n/a | 11.0 | 11.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 9.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Honolulu, HI
|
45.0 | 45.0 | n/a | 45.0 | 45.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 8.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
New York, NY
|
34.5 | 34.5 | n/a | 34.5 | 23.0 | n/a | 2 | 0 | 9.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Edmond, OK
|
8.0 | 8.0 | n/a | 8.0 | 8.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 6.0 | n/a | n/a |
SF |
Henderson, TN
|
32.0 | 32.0 | n/a | 32.0 | 32.0 | n/a | 1 | 0 | 38.0 | n/a | n/a |
Place | Name / Hometown | Avg. Rtg. | HTH | W | L | T | Pct | Strk | Solo |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SF |
Burbank, CA
|
35.0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Memphis, TN
|
2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Phoenix, AZ
|
33.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Sacramento, CA
|
19.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Boulder, CO
|
39.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Toledo, OH
|
38.0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Memphis, TN
|
47.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Columbus, IN
|
61.0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1 | 1 |
SF |
Hartsville, SC
|
55.5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.600 | 2 | 2 |
SF |
Murfreesboro, TN
|
31.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Staten Island, NY
|
22.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Terre Haute, IN
|
28.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Homestead, FL
|
19.0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Folsom, NJ
|
25.0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Woodland Hills, CA
|
54.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 1 | 1 |
SF |
Orange County, CA
|
16.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Macon, GA
|
56.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 1 | 1 |
SF |
Athens, GA
|
42.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Royse City, TX
|
17.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
|
11.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Honolulu, HI
|
45.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
New York, NY
|
34.5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Edmond, OK
|
8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | 0 | 0 |
SF |
Henderson, TN
|
32.0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 |
[back to top] Episodes
Date | Episode / Theme | #Cn. | #Pf. | Average Rating | Hi | Lo | σ | 0-19 | 20-39 | 40-59 | 60-79 | 80-100 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feb 4, 2003 |
Open
|
8 | 8 |
| 70 | 11 | 19.3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
Feb 11, 2003 |
Open
|
8 | 8 |
| 81 | 8 | 16.4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
Feb 18, 2003 |
Open
|
8 | 8 |
| 74 | 25 | 22.9 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||
Feb 25, 2003 |
Open
|
8 | 8 |
| 81 | 2 | 13.1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ||
Mar 4, 2003 |
Open
|
9 | 9 |
| 90 | 17 | 15.7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Date | Episode / Theme | Avg. Rtg. | Solo | SR In | SR Out | CR | XFact | SAge | FFact | RFact |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Feb 4, 2003 |
Open
|
45.1 | 45.1 | n/a | 45.1 | 45.1 | n/a | 15.1 | 100% | 0.00 |
Feb 11, 2003 |
Open
|
47.8 | 47.8 | 45.1 | 46.4 | 47.8 | n/a | 27.3 | 88% | 0.13 |
Feb 18, 2003 |
Open
|
45.5 | 45.5 | 46.4 | 46.1 | 45.5 | n/a | 20.4 | 88% | 0.13 |
Feb 25, 2003 |
Open
|
40.5 | 40.5 | 46.1 | 44.7 | 40.5 | n/a | 15.9 | 75% | 0.38 |
Mar 4, 2003 |
Open
|
46.3 | 46.3 | 44.7 | 45.1 | 46.6 | -13.67 | 18.1 | 78% | 0.22 |
Date | Episode / Theme | #Cn. | #Pf. | Average Rating | Hi | Lo | σ | 0-19 | 20-39 | 40-59 | 60-79 | 80-100 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 11, 2003 |
Motown
|
12 | 12 |
| 82 | 29 | 17.9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | ||
Mar 18, 2003 |
Movie Hits
|
11 | 11 |
| 90 | 19 | 13.5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
Mar 25, 2003 |
Country Rock
|
10 | 10 |
| 80 | 28 | 22.7 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | ||
Apr 1, 2003 |
Disco
|
8 | 8 |
| 77 | 9 | 17.9 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
Apr 8, 2003 |
Billboard #1 Hits
|
8 | 8 |
| 87 | 11 | 18.8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | ||
Apr 15, 2003 |
Billy Joel
|
7 | 7 |
| 91 | 8 | 14.9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
Apr 22, 2003 |
Diane Warren Songs
|
6 | 6 |
| 73 | 14 | 14.3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
Apr 29, 2003 |
1960s / Neil Sedaka
|
5 | 10 |
| 93 | 15 | 15.2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||
May 6, 2003 |
Bee Gees Songs
|
4 | 8 |
| 87 | 20 | 18.3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
May 13, 2003 |
Random / Judge's / Idol's
|
3 | 9 |
| 88 | 16 | 17.7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
May 20, 2003 |
Finale
|
2 | 6 |
| 86 | 39 | 15.8 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Date | Episode / Theme | Avg. Rtg. | Solo | SR In | SR Out | CR | XFact | SAge | FFact | RFact |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mar 11, 2003 |
Motown
|
51.3 | 51.3 | 45.1 | 46.5 | 57.9 | -13.79 | 38.3 | 83% | 0.25 |
Mar 18, 2003 |
Movie Hits
|
53.6 | 53.6 | 46.5 | 47.7 | 56.5 | -4.29 | 17.4 | 100% | 0.00 |
Mar 25, 2003 |
Country Rock
|
46.7 | 46.7 | 47.7 | 47.6 | 55.9 | -11.79 | 14.0 | 100% | 0.00 |
Apr 1, 2003 |
Disco
|
47.5 | 47.5 | 47.6 | 47.6 | 58.1 | -12.94 | 25.0 | 88% | 0.13 |
Apr 8, 2003 |
Billboard #1 Hits
|
50.6 | 50.6 | 47.6 | 47.8 | 57.0 | -7.43 | 14.6 | 100% | 0.00 |
Apr 15, 2003 |
Billy Joel
|
54.3 | 54.3 | 47.8 | 48.3 | 58.7 | -5.12 | 22.4 | 100% | 0.00 |
Apr 22, 2003 |
Diane Warren Songs
|
48.0 | 48.0 | 48.3 | 48.3 | 59.5 | -13.06 | 6.5 | 100% | 0.00 |
Apr 29, 2003 |
1960s / Neil Sedaka
|
60.6 | 60.6 | 48.3 | 49.4 | 64.5 | -5.00 | 34.4 | 100% | 0.00 |
May 6, 2003 |
Bee Gees Songs
|
53.4 | 53.4 | 49.4 | 49.6 | 62.6 | -11.08 | 29.5 | 100% | 0.13 |
May 13, 2003 |
Random / Judge's / Idol's
|
54.4 | 54.4 | 49.6 | 50.0 | 66.5 | -14.88 | 34.9 | 89% | 0.11 |
May 20, 2003 |
Finale
|
54.0 | 54.0 | 50.0 | 50.1 | 66.2 | -13.78 | 31.0 | 83% | 0.17 |
[back to top] Ratings Distribution
[back to top] Top Performances
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[back to top] Summary
Was American Idol's successful first season a sign that the producers were on to something big, or was it just a one-shot anomaly from a bored America looking for anything decent to watch on summer TV? Season Two would hold the answers.
The producers assembled an eclectic cast of 32 semifinalists, drawn from widely-attended auditions in seven cities. Controversy erupted almost immediately: early fan favorite Frenchie Davis was dismissed after the Hollywood round for having once posed for explicit photos that appeared on an adult website. Davis's spot in the Final 32 was taken by Juanita Barber, whose rendition of What About The Children on the Group 4 Semifinal episode remains a memorable part of both Idol and WhatNotToSing.com lore...though perhaps not for the best of reasons.
None of the pre-finals episodes rated at 50 or higher. Group 2 was notable for producing 5-star performances from Ruben Studdard and Kimberley Locke, thus relegating the third-highest rated performer that evening...a geeky North Carolinia special-ed teacher named Clay Aiken...to the wildcard episode. Whereupon, more controversy ensued. Rather than bring back only Top 32 contestants, the producers invited four Hollywood eliminees – all young, pretty, and female – to join five returning semifinalists. Though the Idolsphere felt that Aliceyn Cooney was clearly tops among the four newcomers that evening, Simon Cowell unexpectedly chose Carmen Rasmusen to advance, joining Kim Caldwell (Randy's choice), Trenyce (Paula's choice) and Aiken (voters' choice) in the Top 12.
Pink-haired Vanessa Olivarez was eliminated on Motown Week, in which Aiken and Trenyce became the first pair of contestants to post 5-star ratings in back-to-back weeks, a feat that wasn't duplicated until Season Six. Amazingly, they turned the trick again on Movie Songs Week, a feat that might not be duplicated until Season Gazillion. Studdard joined them at 5-stars, and in fact the three performances were sequential – the first instance of back-to-back-to-back 5-star numbers on the Idol stage (it would be five years before it happened again.) Charles Grigsby was voted off. Locke's I Can't Make You Love Me highlighted a lackluster Country Rock Week in which Julia DeMato was sent home.
Right on cue came this month's annual installment of controversy: Corey Clark was disqualified for allegedly failing to disclose to the producers that he'd been arrested in December following a domestic disturbance. That necessitated two straight Final 8 episodes to remain on the series' schedule. No one was eliminated on Disco Week, although a Bottom 3 was announced: Locke, Rasmusen, and Trenyce. Then, on Billboard #1 Hits Week, America voted off Rickey Smith even though both Caldwell and Rasmusen turned in 1-star numbers.
Billy Joel was the featured artist the following week, which featured one of the highest-rated performances in Idol history, Locke's New York State Of Mind, at 92. Rasmusen, meanwhile, survived her second consecutive one-star performance as Caldwell was sent home. The Utah native's rating improved during Diane Warren Week, but her luck finally ran out as she became the seventh finalist eliminated. The Final 5 would be Aiken, Locke, Studdard, Trenyce, and Joshua Gracin, USMC.
Aiken had been on a long run of good but not great performances, but that was about to change. During 1960s / Neil Sedaka Week, he busted out with two showstoppers: an uncharacteristically energetic Build Me Up Buttercup, and a dramatic, near-flawless Solitaire. Coming in at 94 and 92 respectively, Aiken remains the only contestant to break 90 twice in the same week. Although Trenyce had two 4-star numbers herself, she was suprisingly sent home the next night. Gracin was eliminated during Bee Gees Week despite taking To Love Somebody to a solid 68, his first 4-star performance in almost two months. Aiken had sung the same song to an 88 earlier in the episode, but his nightcap performance, Grease, was rather less well received.
Aiken and Studdard were the clear front-runners at this point and were in the midst of a string of seven consecutive episodes in which they were chosen for the anchor (show-closing) performance...a fact that didn't sit well at all with fans of Locke. At 89, her Band Of Gold was the highest-rated performance of Final 3 Week. Studdard, meanwhile, had three songs rating around average, while Aiken let loose a painful, lyrics-challenged rendition of Vincent that came in at a shocking 15. No matter – Locke was eliminated, and Aiken and Studdard moved on to the Finale.
"Ruben vs. Clay": 25 million people tuned in to watch the AI2 Finale. The first five performances were all rated at 3-stars or close, but Aiken's final number, Bridge Over Troubled Water, complete with choir, closed the show with a strong 86. Naturally, AI2 couldn't get through its final few hours without one last controversy for the road: though 24 million votes were cast, vastly more were dropped owing to overloaded circuits. (Wikipedia cites the ratio at six drops for every one completed call.) And by a margin of 130,000 votes, the second American Idol was Ruben Studdard.
What We Thought
Quite honestly, the many controversies surrounding Idol this season kind of wore us down by the end. We didn't even mention the rumored backstage fights and feuds, the alleged near-mutiny by the finalists over their contracts, the usual outrage about some of the voting results, and a bunch of other nonsense then and since that we'll leave to the tabloids and gossip sites.
Through it all, though, Team Turmoil delivered a solid season of performances. Season Two owns the highest average approval rating of the first seven years. Aiken's 68.5 average rating led the way, with Locke, Studdard, and Trenyce also coming in (deservedly, we'd say) with 4-star averages. Even the four contestants who finished with 2-star figures – Clark, Demato, Grigsby, and Rasmusen – seem to us a slight cut above other seasons' also-rans. Each of the Final 12 turned in at least one above-average rated performance. You might think at first that's nothing special, but it didn't happen again until Season Seven.
For what it's worth, we consider it a tossup between Studdard's "A Whole New World" and Locke's "New York State Of Mind" as the best of the season. Aiken earns a special achievement award for his twin triumphs in the Final 5; we have a feeling that his 93 average in a multi-song week will stand as the record for a very, very long time.