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'Idol' Champs vs. Runners-Up: Who's the Bigger Winner?

As season 11 of American Idol kicks off, see which previous winners have been eclipsed by those who came in second (11 Photos)

Ali Gray on Jan 14, 2010 at 6:00AM

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'Idol' Champs vs. Runners-Up: Who's the Bigger Winner?

Vince Bucci/Getty; Ray Mickshaw/WireImage

Season 2: Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken

Winner: Ruben Studdard
The "Velvet Teddy Bear" wowed Idol viewers with his smooth vocals and his sweet smile. His 2003 win helped his debut album, Soulful, hit 1.8 million in U.S. sales, but in the years since, the singer's popularity has declined, with his last album (2009's Love Is) selling less than 50,000 copies.

Runner-Up: Clay Aiken
Aiken's 2003 hit song "This Is the Night" remains the most successful Idol single ever, with more than 1 million copies sold. In the past nine years, the North Carolina native has released five hit albums, staged sold-out concerts coast to coast, co-authored a best-selling memoir and conquered Broadway with a role in Monty Python's Spamalot. He released his latest album, Tried and True, in June 2010 and independently released his latest single, "Bring Back My Love," in December 2011.

Will the real season 2 Idol please stand up?
Thanks to "Claymates" the world over, this one easily goes to Aiken.