It's down to 3 on Idol

MANILA, Philippines - Last week on American Idol, which airs on GMA News TV Channel 11, more than 60 million viewer votes were cast. Jacob Lusk, the season’s resident gospel singer and power balladeer, got the lowest number of votes and was sent home.

Thus, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Scotty McCreery and Haley Reinhart returned to the Idol performing the songs from American songwriting and producing duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Lady Gaga played mentor to the finalists.

And then on the results show today, catch the performance of Season Six Idol winner Jordin Sparks and the world premiere of rock icon and Idol judge Steven Tyler’s first US solo single, (It) Feels So Good.

And also on the results show, the Top 3 will be revealed. Who will make it?

Twenty-two-year-old Durbin is the season’s resident rocker. The Sta. Cruz California resident said that to prepare for a performance he gets “in the zone of the songs I’m singing. I meditate in that moment.” Will he deliver a knockout performance this week?

McCreery, the 17-year-old country crooner from Garner, North Carolina, has a similar pre-performance technique. He said, “I always find a quiet spot to sit down, gather my thoughts and pray.” Durbin and McCreery couldn’t be more poles apart in terms of style and stage persona. Who has the stronger pipes and the more loyal following?

“I’m usually quite the talker, but I like to find a few moments of isolation right before I get up there,” said Reinhart. The 20-year-old from Wheeling, Illinois, had a shaky start in the finals but seems to have been consistently improving each week. Does she have what it takes to win?

Alaina, on the other hand, said of how she psyches herself before taking the stage, “I try to remember to breathe. I always say a prayer. Without breathing and faith, I wouldn’t survive!” The 16-year-old from Rossville, Georgia has one of the best vocals this season but has not really rocked the house since being one of the frontrunners during the auditions. Hopefully, she’ll follow what she said was the best advice she received from the judges, “To believe in myself!”   

McCreery seemed to be talking about his country style when he cited this as the best advice he received on Idol: “To stay in my lane, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

“Go with your gut and do you!” first came to mind for Reinhart. For Durbin, the best advice is going all out — “Don’t hold back, and don’t be afraid to go there. Own it — it’s yours!”

Find out who gets eliminated on the results show today.