Who will it be, America?
Performing for their last round of viewer votes Tuesday, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez will battle for American Idol's season 11 title during Wednesday's results show finale.
Though judges Jennifer Lopez, Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler believed the pair to be on an even playing field for much of Tuesday's performance round, Phillips, 21, edged out his competitor, 16, when belting out his intended first single, titled "Home."
"I love the song, the production — everything about that was perfect," Jackson told Phillips, who earned the night's only standing ovation. Sanchez, on the other hand, received a lukewarm reception to her third performance of a piano-driven pop ballad called "Change Nothing."
Lopez urged the teen to be more invested in her song choice as she advances through her career post-Idol. "When you make your record — and you'll make many records — you need to know you can change songs," she told Sanchez. "You have to be you."
Win or lose, Phillips — who'll tour with his fellow Idol contestants this summer — is just grateful to take part in the finale. "We feel like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders. Tomorrow is the last episode of the season and we're just really relieved," reasoned Phillips after Tuesday's show. "We got to the point where whatever happens happens. We're two completely different artists."
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