American Idol 11 will have its finale in May. With six contestants remaining, it is time to make predictions on which two contestants will make it to the finale and who will become the 11th American Idol champion. Based on what has happened this season, I predict that Philip Phillips will take the title.
Of the contestants still remaining, only Elise Testone and Hollie Cavanagh have no realistic chance of winning. In this talent-filled season, even Elise has delivered some tremendous performances. Unfortunately, she has never been a favorite of the voters and is consistently in the bottom 3. Hollie is also a frequent visitor to the bottom 3 and has not quite honed her skills enough to win a show like American Idol.
This leaves Philip Phillips, Skylar Laine, Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez as possible picks to win Season 11. Jessica was already saved by the judges when she got the least number of votes with seven contestants remaining. Not surprisingly, Jessica survived last week because her fans knew they had to vote harder. Instead, Colton Dixon was eliminated in shocking fashion. He had never been in the bottom 3 for the entire competition. Nonetheless, Jessica does not seem to have the kind of fanbase that is going to stick with her to the end. She has a slew of Filipino fans, but only those living in the United States are eligible to vote for her.
While Idol certainly should be a contest that focuses on vocals, personality also plays a huge role. This will be the likely downfall of Joshua Ledet. Many fans think he is the best singer, but the casual voters are looking more for who they like, not who has the best vocals. While Josh certainly has a nice, pleasant personality, the odds that a preacher’s son is going to win American Idol are slim and none. Ledet seems like the kind of guy who would be popular with a few people at a party but ignored by the bulk of the crowd. That is not fair, but life is not fair, either. Show business is not immune from the judgmental nature of human beings. Idol voters constantly judge personality as much and possibly more than talent.
Many fans think that Skylar Laine would not win because there was a country winner last season. Indeed, the genre of the winner does seem to change from year to year. However, Skylar is a fairly unique country singer. She is far different than Scotty McCreery, so casual voters might overlook the fact that she is a country singer even if the normal route is to find someone different from year to year. Laine also has an outgoing personality and infectious stage presence. I predict that she will make the finale.
That leaves Philip Phillips. This guy is like the poster child of recent American Idol winners. He is a competent singer and an excellent musician, and Philip’s humble but pleasant personality will get him many casual votes. He is also arguably the most unique contestant in the competition and would rarely ever be accused of having a karaoke style. Philip Phillips was my pick from the beginning, and he has survived the shocking eliminations, never having been in the bottom 3. Anything is possible, but if recent history holds true, Philip Phillips will walk away with a landslide victory in the finale of American Idol 11.
