Christopher Ruben Studdard (born September 12, 1978) was a contestant in Season 2 of American Idol.
For more about his life, see Ruben Studdard/Personal.
Audition[]
Ruben auditioned in Nashville. He sang "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder. All three judges voted "yes", sending him to the next round.
Hollywood Round[]
Ruben was shown in the first part of Hollywood Round. He was later shown in a group with Rickey Smith. He did manage to land a spot in the judges' final forty-eight, and eventually landed a spot in the Top 32.
Top 32[]
Ruben performed in Group 2 and sang "Superstar" by Delaney and Bonnie. He received enough votes to land him in the Top 12.
Top 12[]
Ruben sang "Baby I Need Your Loving" by The Four Tops. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 11[]
Ruben sang "A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 10[]
Ruben sang "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 8 (Week 1)[]
Ruben sang "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" by Barry White. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 8 (Week 2)[]
Ruben sang "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by The Manhattans. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 7[]
Ruben sang "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 6[]
Ruben sang "Music of My Heart" by *NSYNC and Gloria Estefan. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 5[]
Ruben sang "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by The Temptations and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka. He was placed in the Bottom 2 for that week.
Top 4[]
Ruben sang "Nights on Broadway" and "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" both by The Bee Gees. He received enough votes to be considered "safe" for that week.
Top 3[]
Ruben sang "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours" by Stevie Wonder, "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin (per request of Simon Cowell) and "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" by Peabo Bryson. He received enough votes to advance to the Finale.
Season 2 Finale[]
For the Finale, Ruben sang "A House Is Not a Home" by Dionne Warwick, "Imagine" by John Lennon, and "Flying Without Wings". He received more votes than Clay Aiken and became the second American Idol
Season 18[]
Ruben appeared in the Season 18 Finale.
Other Appearances[]
Ruben appeared in the season finale of the first season of Canadian Idol in 2003, performing his winner's single "Flying Without Wings". In 2024, he and Clay participated together in the 11th season of The Masked Singer as the "Beets", finishing in 5th place.
Trivia[]
- During his Top 32 performance, the contestant marquee misspelled his hometown as "Burmingham, AL".
- Ruben became the first male and African-American winner of the show.
- He and Taylor Hicks are the only American Idol winners born in the 1970s.
Performances[]
| Week | Theme | Song | Original Artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 32 | Contestant's choice | "Superstar" | Delaney & Bonnie | Advanced |
| Top 12 | Motown | "Baby I Need Your Loving" | Four Tops | Safe |
| Top 11 | Movie Soundtracks | "A Whole New World" - Aladdin | Brad Kane & Lea Salonga | Safe |
| Top 10 | Country rock | "Sweet Home Alabama" | Lynyrd Skynyrd | Safe |
| Top 8 | Disco | "Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe" | Barry White | Safe |
| Top 8 | Billboard Number Ones | "Kiss and Say Goodbye" | The Manhattans | Safe |
| Top 7 | Billy Joel | "Just the Way You Are" | Billy Joel | Safe |
| Top 6 | Diane Warren | "Music of My Heart" | 'N Sync and Gloria Estefan | Safe |
| Top 5 | 1960s | "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" | The Temptations | Bottom 2 |
| Neil Sedaka | "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" | Neil Sedaka | ||
| Top 4 | Bee Gees | "Nights on Broadway" | Bee Gees | Safe |
| "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" | Bee Gees | |||
| Top 3 | Random | "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" | Stevie Wonder | Safe |
| Judges' Choice | "Smile" - Simon Cowell | Charlie Chaplin | ||
| Idol's Choice | "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" | Peabo Bryson | ||
| Top 2 | Finale | "A House Is Not a Home" | Dionne Warwick | Winner |
| "Imagine" | John Lennon | |||
| "Flying Without Wings" | Westlife |
