The Top 3 has been announced for Season 11 of "American Idol"! Now fans are left debating who should take home the "Idol" title. The answer is clear: Jessica Sanchez would be the most ground-breaking winner, and she has the talent and performance skills to deserve it!
Jessica was "Saved"
While earlier in the season, she was considered a front-runner, Jessica's fortunes fell dramatically when she was unexpectedly eliminated. She was the lucky recipient of the judges' only save of the season, and deservedly so. This means, of course, that a win for Jessica at this point would be nothing short of amazing. It would also be great television, and "American Idol" has had uneven ratings all season, though it's still doing strong. Simply by having the "saved" contestant make the finals, Jessica might be enough to give "Idol" a needed boost and justify a twelfth season.
No More WGWG
Even more exciting, if Jessica won, she would break a four-season streak of every winner -- David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery -- being a white male. Many viewers are growing tired of the predictable finales and bemoan the domination of the so-called WGWG (white guy with guitar) winners. By winning Season 11, Jessica would energize those viewers and give hope to other young female singers who, like Jessica, have watched the show since the beginning.
Major Talent
Plus, it goes without saying that the girl can sing! As she showed with her standout performance of "And I'm Not Going" from "Dreamgirls" -- a tune made famous by previous "Idol" Top 10 finalist Jennifer Hudson -- she knows when to belt it, when to pull back, when to throw in runs, and when to just feel the emotion. Even on her performances that have been less well received, such as a frenzied version of Ike and Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," she stays on perfect pitch.
Not only is Jessica a great singer, but she's also a terrific performer. One of the few negative critiques from the judges has been that she often seems older than her years. That can only be attributed to the fact that she has been practicing her skills since she was very young. The frequently shown video of her performing on stage at age 7 is proof that sometimes talent isn't made; it's born.
Her "Idol" journey hasn't been easy: being eliminated and saved has put her at a decided disadvantage. However, Jessica has worked hard to the judges' comments, along with those of this season's singing mentor, Jimmy Iovine. She has learned to pay close attention to lyrics and to put emotion into her performances.
Hopefully, the viewers will look past her previous elimination and reward Jessica for her talent and hard work, all while making "Idol" history.
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