Underrated ''American Idol'' contestants: Jennifer Hudson
FINISHING POSITION Seventh place (season 3)
GREATEST HIT We can't settle on just one: Two of her last Idol numbers, ''Circle of Life'' and ''Weekend in New England,'' showcased Hudson's ferocious commitment and her powerhouse pipes.
WHY WE'RE BITTER In season 3's three-way showdown of soulful divas (the finalists also included LaToya London and eventual winner Fantasia Barrino), it was the premature ouster of the rapidly improving Hudson — before the excruciating John Stevens and the middling Jasmine Trias — that left audiences shocked. The fact that the plus-size beauty has just landed a lead role in the big-screen adaptation of Dreamgirls, opposite Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx, proves what we've known all along: J. Hud wuz robbed!
