EPISODE RECAPS

Tuesday, May 22nd 2012

A Fight to the Finish!

by The AI Insider

Their journeys began on opposite sides of the country, but on Tuesday night, Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips faced off to become the next American Idol. At the Nokia Theater L.A. LIVE, in front of 7,000 diehard Idol fans, Jessica and Phillip competed in three rounds for the top spot. For Round 1, Idol creator Simon Fuller chose Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing" for Jessica and Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" for Phillip. For Round 2, the contestants each chose their favorite songs of the season: Jessica picked Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli's "The Prayer," and Phillip performed Billy Joel's "Movin' Out." And for Round 3, they unveiled the songs that they would release as singles if they won the competition: Jessica performed "Change Nothing," and Phillip sang "Home." So who's going to win it all in one of the tightest finale races in Idol history? We'll find out Wednesday night, when Season 11 of American Idol comes to a close!

RECAP PHOTOS

  • Day one of the finale saw Jessica and Phillip sing 3 songs each. We also got performances from Jason Derulo and Scotty McCreery.

RECAP VIDEO

  • The Top 2 finalists, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez, battled it out on stage at the Nokia Theater in downtown Los Angeles for the American Idol crown! They each performed three songs: one picked by Executive Producer Simon Fuller, one of their own choice, and the first single they'd release if they win the title!