Sanchez Saved by Idol Judges Following Shocking Bottom Three

In what could be considered a shock heard ‘round the nation, American Idol finalist Jessica Sanchez was thisclose to being eliminated on last night’s results show.

The 16-year-old part-Mexican singer, long considered “the one to beat” earned the lowest amount of votes after this week’s performance show, causing jaws to drop and drawing boos from the stunned studio audience.

Jessica Sanchez

While Sanchez’s fellow finalists were left in shock and awe, Sanchez began singing in a last-ditch effort to snag the judges’ save.

But before the San Diego-native could finish her rendition of Deborah Cox’s “Nobody’s Supposed to Be Here,” Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson rushed the stage and took the microphone out of Sanchez’s hand.

“You ain’t going home! Go sit down!” declared Lopez, hugging a shell-shocked Sanchez, who had wowed the audience the night before with her pitch-perfect rendition of Jazmine Sullivan’s “Stuttering.”

Moments later, Jackson implored America to think before they vote.

“We are saving Jessica without any doubt. For myself, Steven and Jennifer, this girl is one of the best singers in America. Please everybody … vote for the best!”

It was the first time the judges had rushed to join an Idol hopeful on stage, following the use of their special “save” privilege, according to Ryan Seacrest.

When asked if she expected to be the lowest-vote-getting finalist of the night, Sanchez diplomatically replied: “No, not at all. I don’t expect anything. I just do what I do. Whatever happens, happens. I just want people to know I’ve been working hard my whole life.”

But Sanchez wasn’t the only frontrunner to end up in the unexpected bottom three. : Fellow one-to-watch Joshua Ledet, whose high-octane performance had wowed the judges the night before, was also in the bottom three.

“Everybody did a good job last night but that shouldn’t be the bottom three,” said Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine, sitting in the crowd.

Idol’s Sanchez Continues to Slay the Competition

It looks like there’s no stopping Jessica Sanchez

Once again, the petite 16-year-old part-Mexican American Idol finalist with the gigantic voice showed her maturity and sheer talent during last night’s songs-from-2010-and-beyond-themed show.

Jessica Sanchez

During her rehearsal of the song she’d tackle this week—Jazmine Sullivan’s “Stuttering”—music executive/producer and mentor Jimmy Iovine couldn’t help but marvel at Sanchez’s singing chops.

“That voice can move anything,” declared Iovine of the pint-sized singer who has already wowed America with her interpretations of songs like Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You, Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams and Billy Joel’s “Everybody Has a Dream.”  “She’s got soul, power, finesse. She is unbelievable with that voice!”

Meanwhile, guest judge Akon commented on Sanchez’s maturing, telling her “You’ve got so much control for that age!”

And, when it came time to take the stage, Sanchez didn’t disappoint…

Sitting atop a piano in a shimmering metallic dress, black leggings and black knee-high boots, the San Diego native delivered a moving interpretation of Sullivan’s rare track.

“That was superb, I mean that was like at the highest degree,” decreed AI judge Randy Jackson. “You did an amazing job!”

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez gushed about how beautifully Sanchez performed the song and encouraged her to take the American Idol audience and viewers at home on a journey every week.

“You have an amazing opportunity to take this audience… on a ride” said Lopez. “Take us on the ride every week; you can show us something we’ve never seen!”

Later, Sanchez returned to the stage wearing a shoulderless white blouse and pants with pink piping to  perform an energetic rendition of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” as a trio with fellow finalists Joshua Ledet and Hollie Cavanagh.