American Idol is in full swing, but let's not forget where it all began. I caught up with Justin Guarini, who gave us his lowdown on the current season, bikini girl, and what it takes for an Idol to go the distance after the season ends.

TVS: So some Idols fade away and some – like you, for instance – are still in the public eye years later. What's the secret?

Justin:I can't speak for other idols, but I feel very blessed to have made it to the top two on season one. That season had such an impact on people, and even though I've been in and out of the spotlight, people remember me, whether it's for my hair or for my voice or whatever. You can't buy that. There's no amount of press you can do to stick in peoples' consciousness like that.

Welcome back to "AI Aftermath," where we explore Idol's past. Each installment, as one more American Idol hopeful is eliminated from the competition, we take a look back at contestants past who were eliminated at the same point. We'll examine how they did on the show and what they've been up to since their eliminations. In honor of David Archuleta's elimination in the finale, we'll be looking at other second place finishers.

This week: 2nd place finishers, featuring featuring Justin Guarini (Season One), Clay Aiken (Season Two), Diana DeGarmo (Season Three), Bo Bice (Season Four), Katharine McPhee (Season Five) and Blake Lewis (Season Six).

I realize that the title of this post is courting a little controversy, but I think it's a question worth asking. Before we begin though, let me say this: I am not a "fattist". I've been very quickly saying goodbye to my own slim self one pizza slice at a time. Also, I'm a big fan of Santa Claus and William Howard Taft. Plus, I think that the FDA should require syrup on everything -- including syrup.

Okay, now that I've headed off all angry comments with that disclaimer, let's get to the meat of the matter: would it be possible for an overweight woman to win American Idol?