And the Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

Image credit: Clay Aiken: Photograph by Matthias Clamer

Cowell, of course, has a different theory. ''If Ruben had had 'Bridge Over Troubled Water' on his record, he'd have had the No. 1,'' says the judge, who often saved his highest praise on the show for Studdard. ''I think that was the hit song. If you asked 100 record buyers who bought Clay's single 'What song did you want to buy?' I wouldn't be surprised if 70 percent at least said 'Bridge Over Troubled Water.' People will disagree, but that's my opinion.'' (We'll never know; RCA doesn't track those statistics.)

Whatever the case, Aiken would like to put the Clay versus Ruben showdown to rest. ''The whole country wants Ruben and me to be at each other's throats,'' he says, tugging at the bottom of his orange shirt. ''We spent nine months competing with each other. And we both got what we wanted. He's got a title, and I'm nothing but proud of him. We don't look at who's No. 1 and No. 2. Because it's not worth it to us.'' (Studdard puts it more succinctly: ''Clay is my dawg.'') Even after the disaster that was ''From Justin to Kelly,'' which made just $4.9 million at the box office this summer, Aiken still hopes to make a movie with his supposed nemesis. ''That was a premise that's not necessarily original,'' he says of the first ''Idol''-inspired film. ''With Ruben and me you've got a completely different thing. Look at us! We could just stand there and people would laugh.'' (Additional reporting by Jessica Shaw)

(This is an online-only excerpt of Entertainment Weekly's Sept. 5, 2003, cover story.)