Phillip Phillips deservingly won the 11th season of the hit talent series "American Idol" on Wednesday, May 23. Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips battled very closely in the final round of the competition. Phillips, who is 21 years old, worked in a pawn shop before his big break on the show. Sanchez is only sixteen and is a student in high school.
On May 22, the night before the finale, Sanchez and Phillips sang for votes for the last time. First, Sanchez sang "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. This selection was perfect for Sanchez and she sang it almost flawlessly. Following this song was "The Prayer," and she ended with "Change Nothing." Neither of these selections were sung nearly as well as her first performance. Phillips started the night by singing "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. He combined both his originality and great voice to make the performance successful. Following that, he belted out "Movin Out" and "Home." Phillips managed to use his unique style to add an interesting twist to these selections. Based on all of these performances, Phillips seemed to stand out more than Sanchez and therefore, collected more votes with a record of 132 million for both of the contestants. On the night of the finale, Phillips sang with great skill "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" joined by John Fogerty, former lead singer of Credence Clearwater Revival. He also sang "Bad Moon Rising." Phillips' originality, toothy smile and appeal to the female voting block definitely boosted the amounts of votes he received. Also, during the finale Sanchez sang "I Will Always Love You," preceded by "And I Am Telling" with the original "Dream Girl" Jennifer Holliday. Sanchez was extremely young for the competition but possessed a very powerful voice.
This year's finale was packed with innovative numbers never before seen on "American Idol." Former "Idol" contestant Ace Young proposed to Diana Diguardino, who almost immediately said yes. Judge Steven Tyler performed with his band "Aerosmith," and not to be out-shined, judge Jennifer Lopez performed a spicy number.
The finale seemed to be everything I was expecting with a bit more surprise. Contestants on the show have used their unique skills to keep the series popular. "American Idol" is becoming more interesting after each season. With all the talent that was discovered this season, I am yearning for the new crop of undiscovered stars next January.
