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eastersundayhate makes a good case. There wasn't much buzz for or discussion of Syesha until top 6 night, when she blew many people away. Before that she seemed like just another marginal contestant hanging on by a thread. As an admitted Syesha fan on Sucks, I can testify that I was feeling VERY lonely and outnumbered till that night! But there are a few differences between this year and others, plus factors that recur every season, that I think account for her record setting SEVEN bottom twos:

. Syesha improved dramatically, or at least improved enough for people to notice her, in the last 3 weeks. I don't think there's ever been a contestant who suddenly found their niche (Broadwayish R&B) this late.

. There has never been a season where so many favorites self-detructed so fast. 5 people favored to go very far and possibly win when the top 24 was selected have been gone for weeks or months (Kady, Danny, Ramiele, Michael & Carly). Brooke became a favorite in the semis, but she then fell apart more than anybody. So Syesha was able to hang on because of weak competition from people like KKKristy, Brooke & Jason--other second string types who wouldn't have lasted so long themselves if the early favorites had lived up to their potential.

. This season has been marked by flaky, delayed (or premature) boots. KKKristy should have been gone on top 12 night, Ramiele on top 10 night, Brooke on top 9 or 7 night, and Jason on top 6 or 5 night, but none of them was and some were totally safe. So Syesha's survival on top 8 and 7 nights when she was most vulnerable is part of a consistent pattern and may have been a prelude to her imminent departure on top 6 night after 4 bottom 3's--a departure which got cancelled when she kicked ass and managed to survive (albeit in the bottom 2 again).

. Syesha has been pretty consistent, especially when it counted. With the possible exception of top 8 night, there hasn't been any night when she was THE worst singer. And since neither I nor anyone else has been able to figure out why Michael got booted that night, the question of how Syesha survived it (I was one of those who thought she was a goner) has been relegated to a sidebar in a larger discussion.

. Don't forget demographics. AI has never had an all-white top 5, 6, or 7 and only one all-white top 4 (season 5). 15-20% of the audience for AI is black. As the only black singer left, Syesha could count on plenty of support from black viewers if she was any good at all (which she certainly was!). Black viewers will simply not show up in proportionate numbers in web discussions, etc. for reasons of poverty and well documented low internet use that should be obvious. And as the only woman in the top 12 who had had breasts, dressed properly, and looked sexy, she could also count on a lot of the lech (or vag lover, using sucks terminology) vote.

All this is why I think Syesha DID make it this far on her own merits. I suspect she was simply lucky to squeak by on top 8 and top 7 night, but otherwise it all does make sense.

I agree with Dagny1331. My post talked mostly about demographics & other contestants screwing up because that's what the contest largely came down to. Demographics, consistency and decent singing talent took Syesha to the top 6, her improvement has carried her to the top 3. I was just diagreeing with eastersundayhate's contention that the contest had to be rigged for her to get so far.

Obviously there are many useful comparisons to be made between between Syesha and Nikki. However, during the first season of Idol everybody was more or less winging it with the exception of Simon and Nigel, who had already been through it all before on Popstars. Discussions like we're having are only possible because the show is now in it's seventh season. And Nikki was one of the most hapless and unlucky contestants to ever get far into the top 10. I'm sure the poor woman had no strategy at all--she was just singing as well as she could and hoping for the best.