You gotta give Ruben Studdard some credit even though he didn’t turn out to be the biggest loser after managing to shed only 5 pounds for a whole week’s work.

(image)Ruben Studdard’s elimination from NBC’s reality competition belied the hard work the American Idol alum has been putting in to stand a chance to at least remain in the competition. “I worked really, really hard this week,” he said during the weigh-in. “I swam extra. I walked extra.”

Studdard needed to lose 11 pounds to save his team. But the scales indicated that he only lost about 5 pounds. However, all is not lost for the 35 year old singer because he goes home with the prize of having lost 39 pounds in four weeks.

This was a sad moments for the fans and the organizers of the show as well because Studdard was the fans’ favorite in season 15. As a matter of fact, Ruben had been extended a golden ticket of sorts when producers of the show had approached him and invited him to join the show, unlike what normally happens with thousands of people who compete for the chance to join the ranch each year. The balladeer winner of American Idol had said that he jumped at the opportunity because he wanted to take his singing career to the next level.

What everyone is now asking is what went wrong because Ruben had started on a high note, shedding about 21 pounds in his first weigh in. What caused the dramatic decline of progress is a mystery. Even his trainer is asking the same question. “Everything I asked you to do, you did it,” said the trainer.

Despite the setback, Studdard vowed to continue with his diet and exercise program. Studdard may have been ruled out of the $250,000 grand prize but he still has a chance to try the at-home prize of $100,000.

(images from NBC)