Only three emerged from over 20,000 voices who joined, and they had one last chance over the weekend to prove to the nation that they are worthy of being called the first ever Pinoy Idol.

Last Saturday, August 16, 2008, Gretchen Espina, Jayann Bautista, and Ram Chaves performed three numbers each at the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia. The three song categories they had to sing were the Judges’ Choice, Mentors’ Choice, and the Contestants’ Choice.

All three hopefuls had the chance to return to their hometown and meet their avid supporters first-hand. Incidentally, the three finalists come from the three Philippine islands: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Jayann hails from Pampanga, Gretchen is from Tacloban, and Ram grew up in Cagayan de Oro.

For the Judges’ Choice, Wyngard assigned “I’ll Never Love this Way Again” to Jayann; Ogie chose Ram’s song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water;” and Jolina wanted Gretchen to perform “For Your Eyes Only.”

For the Mentors’ Choice, Jayann chose Asia’ Songbird Regine Velasquez, while Gretchen and Ram selected Soul Diva Jaya. In true rock fashion, Ram ended up singing Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” and Gretchen, who’s known for her sweet voice, sang “Stand Up for Love.” Jayann, on the other hand, gave her soulful rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

The Finals Night was interspersed with slow and upbeat performances by guest mentors throughout the Idol run, like premiere balladeer Basil Vadez, Asia’s Songbird Regine Velasquez, and top Pinoy bands such as Freestyle, Southborder, Cueshe, and Itchyworms. The other finalists who were voted out earlier in the competition performed as well.

The last category that the three sang was the Contestants’ Choice, where Gretchen sang a soulful number with the UP Chorale, Ram performed with a select group of local musicians, and Jayann delivered a song and dance number.

What did the judges think of the Idol hopefuls’ performances?

Wyngard Tracy spoke up first. “Jayann, actually, kanina si Ogie gandang-ganda siya sa’yo. Ibubuko ko na si Ogie! And Jolina naman finds your voice very powerful. Sa akin, Jayann, the first two songs, na-flat ka, no. I guess you were very nervous or uneasy. Pero bumabawi ka sa huli. With ‘Proud Mary’ you proved that you’re not just a very good singer, but you’re also a performer.”

Jolina Magdangal was tasked to report about Ram’s performance. “Ram, yung unang-una mong kanta, parang sabay kaming nagsabi ni Ogie na swabeng-swabe mo siya nakanta. Yung performance mo, lahat ng kinanta mo, swabe mo talaga nagawa. And yung pangalawang kanta mo, narinig namin doon na rock pa rin version mo, pero kaya mo pa ring mag-soulful ballad. Hindi [siya] trying hard. Hindi [rin] maingay, pero alam mo na rocker yung kumakanta talaga. So good job doon. And, doon sa ‘Handog,’ sa akin maganda yung pagkakanta mo, pero para kay Wyngard, nage-expect pa siya ng mas bongga pa, e. But for me and for Ogie, good job. Congratulations, Ram. Tingin ko nakakadala ka talaga ng audience, nagiging energetic yung audience dahil sa’yo.”

Ogie Alcasid was the last judge to deliver his comments. “First, yung comments ni Jolina about [Gretchen]. Sabi niya, you had a different aura tonight. Talagang yung performance level mo daw mataas. May ‘it’ factor ka raw, you had ‘oomph.’ Sabi ni Wyngard, tonight you were a revelation. Would you like to hear what I think? Well, Gretchen, it’s been a week na medyo I was quite disappointed with your performances because I felt that you were always emotional. I have to say that tonight you really sang like a champion. Especially in the song ‘Stand up for Love.’ You have proven to all of us here that karapat-dapat kang nandiyan. Walang na yung takot. You were so confident. Congratulations, Gretchen.”

With that, the trio’s fate was turned over to the nation, who had the power to decide on who will receive the prizes at stake, worth P5.7 million!