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For starters, what type of prejudice are we talking about? Prejudice against "ugly"/overweight people or racism? Or both? And is it prejudice on the part of the judges, the show as a whole or the viewing public?

Although one may argue that the judges do make a disproportionate number of comments regarding the attractiveness of certain contestants, the fact remains that, once the initial auditions are complete, it is the public who "decides" which contestant will "get the boot", not the judges.

Studies have shown (*) that babies as young as two months old show a preference for attractive faces. Certainly a contestant who is widely considered to be attractive by the countless millions of people who cast their votes each week might have a leg-up on the competition but, looking at mainstream media, is that not generally the case anyway? Whether Paula says someone has a pretty face or not,(and doesn't she say that about pretty much everyone?)the "pretty" contestant probably would have got the votes regardless.

As far as prejudice against overweight contestants, Reuben Studdard, the winner of season two, was not at all slim; Taylor Hicks, the winner of season five, while perhaps not "fat", wasn't exactly a hard-bodied hunk, and Jordin Sparks, season six's Idol, would also have been considered "plus size" by some. Certainly, some overweight contestants have been voted off early in their respective seasons, but plenty of them have obviously done quite well in the competition.

I would also question racial prejudice when looking at past winners. Of the six completed seasons, three of the winners have been Caucasian and three have not. One could hardly ask for a more balanced result. Were the show/the judges/the public making their decisions strictly along racial lines, how could Reuben, Fantasia and Jordin have won?

I'm sure there are countless factors that come in to play in an individual voter's decision to choose one contestant over another and, as a cross-section of America, I'm sure prejudice of all forms may be a factor. But a large enough factor to determine the end result? Is that much of the public voting based solely on the above prejudices? The final results would lead me to believe otherwise.

* reference: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_v131/ ai_4970907

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