On next Tuesday's American Idol Top 3 performance show, each of the final three singers (David Cook, David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado) will perform three songs each.  The Top 3 week is a notorious one for the remaining singers.  Not only are they faced with the task of singing more songs than they've ever sung before, they have to take a trip back to their hometown for an impromptu concert.  When you add the additional pressure of, you know, simply being in the American Idol final three, you realize that the three finalists are in for a tough week.  Which got me thinking: which of the remaining singers is best prepared to endure the rigors of the next week? 

Jason Castro was relieved to be eliminated on Wednesday and his reasoning was refreshingly simple – he had a really hard time preparing two songs in one week, so how was he supposed to prepare three, especially when you add in the trip home?  The difficulty is one aspect.  Another is the ability of the singers to succeed in three different songs while not appearing redundant.  Sometimes contestants work better in small doses.  You can forgive a lot when you only hear one 90-second song once a week.  What happens when they are forced to impress you three times in one hour?  Let's go singer by singer:

David Cook:

Cook has handled himself like a professional all season.  I have no doubt that he'll be fine when it comes to preparing three separate tunes for Tuesday.  If all else fails, he just has to pick a song he knows and stay true to the original, kind of like what he did with Duran Duran on Tuesday.  That's not an ideal result (the judges like it better when he's original) but it's not the end of the world.  Also, he's shown over the American Idol season that he can switch it up – ballad, rocker, a mix.  He should be able to make his three songs sound different enough.  Cook is probably the most well-prepared of the three finalists to succeed next week. 

Syesha Mercado:

Syesha will be fine.  She has varied her approach throughout the season.  Though she tends to fall back on the big diva song whenever in doubt, she has done her share of up-tempo barn burners.  None of her songs have been half-assed either – her preparation shouldn't be an issue.  She might suffer from redundancy if she insists on doing the big ballads, but like Cook, I think she'll be fine.

David Archuleta:

Here is where the problem is.  I'm a well-known hater of Little Arch, but even his biggest fans can't deny his one-note tendencies.  He only performs one kind of song well – slow ballad.  Next week he's going to have to sing three songs – would he really have the gall to sing three big ballads?  I wouldn't think so, and that is where the door will open for Syesha and David Cook.


Ryan Seacrest said at the beginning of last episode that the top three were all within one million votes of each other.  If this is the case, the presumptive David vs. David finale might not be as inevitable as we all assumed.  If Archuleta makes poor song choices, or sings the same song three times in a row, could that be enough to bounce him down to third place and a shocking elimination?  Probably not, but it's something to think about going into next week.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)