He looked so unlike his competitors and was immediately cast in the underdog role; this despite having the best voice the competition had ever seen. Still, he could not coast. One week, he was cast inexplicably into the bottom three and faced elimination. After having faced the prospect of being voted off the show, Studdard took his musical game to an even higher level. It became clearer each week that the show was turning into a two-way race between Studdard and Clay Aiken. In a close vote, Studdard took the title and his first single, “Flyin’ Without Wings,” proved to be a huge chart success. His long-delayed debut, Soulful was a success and proved that talented Idol winners did not need to have their albums released close to the end of the show in order to succeed.

And while he is working on building his musical catalog with his new release, I Need an Angel, he is also trying to shed some weight off of his 450-pound frame. He will be undergoing an eight-week makeover (to be chronicled by TV’s Extra) in the hopes of losing at least 50 pounds.

So long as he remains healthy, one suspects that Ruben Studdard’s future is limited only by how much he wants to wow his audiences. His decision to release a gospel album clearly shows that he is building towards a long career by cultivating his image to multiple audiences.