[mystery-ak]

How Rueben won I'll never know....you knew he would never be able to endure the rigors of touring...he could barely perform two songs on one show.

[CheneyChick]

OK - I couldn't wait and I decided to peek at this thread and find out who was out. I hate missing out on the live action - dang West Coast time difference.

[Wolfstar]

How Rueben won I'll never know....

Ruben won because the judges kept telling the audience that he was the best thing since sliced bread. In the meantime, they -- especially Simon -- often managed to find ways to downgrade Clay's performances.

At one point, Simon did a great disservice to young people all over the country when he said Clay was "too Broadway," or something to that effect. Simon meant it as an insult, as though being able to do Broadway musicals is a bad thing. The kids over on the AI boards still repeat that as a way to insult contestants they don't like.

[I'm ALL Right!]

I think the last two winners say a lot about the breakdown of the demographic. I haven't seen any numbers or stats, I'm just guessing. The other deciding factor (imo) has been personality. Clay and Diana are both likeable, super-sweet vanilla types, and Reuben and Fantasia really had their own original personality things going. Like it or not, Fantasia had her bo-bo (whatever the heck that was) and Reuben had his jerseys and "peace" gestures. (I'm so hip...if they have other "street" names I'm so oblivious!)