Believe it or not, but American Idol is ending NEXT WEEK. This is not a drill, people! In honor of the legendary reality competition's farewell season, E! News' Kristin Dos Santos got a few former contestants to spill the beans on their favorite Idol moments.
Last week we brought you a list of their favorite Idol performances, and this week Kris Allen, Lauren Alaina, Ruben Studdard, Nick Fradiani and David Cook are sharing the best advice the judges ever gave them, their favorite-ever Idol winners, favorite catchphrases and more.
Read on for their snippets of advice, and press play on the video above for the rest!
Kris Allen
"Randy [Jackson] said something about my pitch one time, and then I went back and listened and he was right. I think that was kind of the big thing…people would take those things to heart and it would hurt them. I feel like I tried to take what they said and go listen and, ‘'Oh, they're probably right. They've been doing this a long time.'"
Lauren Alaina
"Jennifer [Lopez] looked at me and said, 'Just go out there and be your cute little self. America loves you!' And I just remember—it wasn't really advice but it just made me feel like, 'Jennifer Lopez thinks I'm cool!'"
Ruben Studdard
"You never get a second opportunity to get new fans. And that's the truth."
Nick Fradiani
"Scott [Borchetta] was the mentor of the whole season. He always told me when I would go on that stage [to sing] as if it's your last performance."
American Idol's top 3 singers compete tonight, and the final two will face off Wednesday and Thursday of next week at 8 p.m. on Fox.