I gotta say you are spot-on with this assessment, Connie E. It's interesting that Ruben seems to actually be benefitting from his weight. It appears to be okay with the judges when an African American Man is heavy, while people like Josh, Kim L and Vanessa receive comments about their weight. I don't get it.Personally, Ruben's weight is simply unhealthy, and I think it negatively impacts his singing voice, causing him to get winded, sweaty, and out of breath. If anyone should be getting flak about their size it is him.
Of course, if a pop star is depending on a sexy image (like Kim Caldwell was) then a tight body certainly can help. People like Madonna made a career of this. But none of our finalists (with the obvious exception of Trenyce) are trying to sell sex... and the voters seem to favor less 'sexy' contestants anyway... so it shouldn't matter.
(Still I reserve the right to throw a fit when anyone looks less than their best! Part of being a star is always striving to improve yourself!)