Sixteen-year-old Jessica Sanchez is a vocal force to reckon with. In the past months, Sanchez has taken on Mariah, Beyonce, Hudson/Holliday, and even Whitney Houston. She always went for notes as high as the heavens, and came back to Earth as if it's the most ordinary thing to do.

However, five weeks since taking on Houston's "I Will Always Love You," Sanchez almost ended her Idol journey at seventh place. Where did all the raves go?

There were speculations that Fox did that to rouse Sanchez' potential voters, but these are not based on facts. The fact is Sanchez made a terrible error that week: She sang an obscure song.

Here are three factors that could guarantee the big win for Sanchez at the Idol grand finals:

1. Young people's votes

She is 16, but her supporters are mostly parents, together with the Mexican and Filipino communities in America. She kept singing songs that do no match her experience. When she sings sad songs, she acts sad, but she is not a great actress. She has a generic sad face and a generic upset face. She lacks the nuances that naturally come out when a singer is completely into the song. In the end, vocal acrobats and poor acting make the whole performance boring.

That is what happened with Jazmine Sullivan's "Stuttering." It was bad enough that the song was not popular; she made it worse by not grabbing her listeners with the right emotion in her performance. Why not choose songs that she truly understands? She has to do a better job than what Jimmy Iovine did with Jackson 5's "I'll be There." She needs a youthful tune that sounds current and relatable to her age group so she could get their votes, too.

2. Surprise performance

Sanchez covered Jennifer Hudson's "Love You I Do" and Houston's signature classic during Top 24 and Top 13 shows, respectively. She peaked too soon and never came back in top form until after she was almost eliminated. If she could still surprise the audience in a good way, then people would be more convinced that she is not only a "technically" good singer, but a fantastic performer, too.

3. Fans' and supporters' votes

Sanchez' fans might have relaxed on the phone calls and online votes after the Top 7 week. It can't happen next week.

Could Sanchez' beat Phillip Phillips in the grand finals? It is going to be about who is more able to captivate the audience during performances. May the better performer win.

American Idol