This year's finale will take place at the NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. But back in Season 2, we performed at Universal Studios. Rehearsals were a ball. There was never a dull moment.

I remember when Kim Caldwell, Julia DeMato and I heard that the three of us were going to sing "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. We were pretty surprised at the choice of song and a little uncomfortable, to be honest.

During rehearsal one day, as we were singing our different parts, Rickey Smith (top eight) decided to lighten the mood a bit and started doing jumping jacks as soon as the chorus started. Pretty soon, the other contestants joined in, and everyone around us was doing aerobics as we struggled to get through the song without laughing.

After the show, we were given a private limo for the night. After parties, interviews and red-carpet appearances, we were exhausted.

Saying goodbye to everyone on the show felt so weird. After all, they had become our family. It's been five years since the Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken finale and I've forgotten a lot of details. I should have kept a better journal.

But there are certain memories that will stay with me forever, such as looking out into the audience and thinking, "I can't believe I'm up here doing this!" Looking at the other contestants around me and watching the new ones each season is overwhelming. We all come from different backgrounds, have different stories.

But for a short few months, we were all working toward one goal, living our dreams together. And in a strange way, we all feel bonded to each other, whether or not we've met.

Being on "American Idol" was one of the most pivotal times of my life, and it doesn't matter what the contestants do or where they choose to go from here — they can always look back and say, "I did it. I actually caught my dream."

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Utah recording artist and actress Carmen Rasmusen-Herbert came in sixth place during the second season of "American Idol." She wrote about her experiences in her book, "Staying in Tune." Her first full album is "Nothin' Like the Summer," featuring the single of the same name. E-mail: features@desnews.com