We started with 10 up and coming singers looking for that elusive musical contract. We are now down to 3 very talented singers in the form of Jason Meadows, Erika Jo and Jody Evans. In 90 minutes, one of them will walk out with a big old contract.

We start off with... BIG AND RICH with THE MUZIK MAFIA! FInally! I would have loved to hear 'Save a Horse' (Ride a Cowboy), but instead we get 'Chicken', which sounds pretty good. The band also features the first African American that I have ever seen on Nashville Star. When are we going to get African-American contestants on this show, hmmm?

Leann Rimes is back (FINALLY!) as we see the finalists. We are told that millions of people voted in. We have the results, and the winner is...well, you don't think they are going to tell you in the first 15 minutes of the show, do you? If course not...

...but we will get to hear the finalists in action. First singer is...Jody Evans! We see a video montage from his starting out to where he is now, and then we hear him sing 'Rock the Blues Away'. He's in fine form - until you hear him trying to hold a long note. Jody says that he's going to miss the friends that he's made on the show. Bret says that he has vastly grown (huh?) and he's going to be a star. Phil agrees, while Anastasia says that if she was the queen of music row, that she would crown him the Nashville Star. Way to turn a 180, Anastasia.

Next up - Erika Jo, who just finished her senior prom. Who did she bring with her as her date? Jody Evans! Whoa! Looks like Jody has got a new female companion, eh? We see a pic of them at the prom, and then we see her video review. She sings 'California', and as usual, she nails it. They talk about her tour with Jason, Jayron and Jody (wowzers!), and she is excited. The judges all say that she has grown and Anastasia says that she may be able to win it.

Finally, it's Jason Meadows! He says that he is going to miss the experience as we see his video montage. He rocks it out (and outrocks Jody) with 'Ain't Going Down 'Till the Sun Comes Up'. Anastasia loves the giddy-up in his step, and the men love how he likes to bring it.

Bringing the... ads, is Cledus T. Judd, who pimps out the Nashville Star Tour, featuring the Final 4 and the Nashville Star Band. They are coming in June. Whoopie!

Next up - another group number, featuring the three finalists - and the rest of the Nashville Star Contestants! We start with Erika, Jody and Jason, and then go backwards to Jayron, Justin and Jenny. Then Casey, Tamika, Christy, and Josh. We get them all singing and they sound pretty darn good up there.

Unfortunately, there will now be 8 people will now be alumni, because we are about to find out third place. That person is....JODY EVANS. Erika and Jason continue on, while Jody gets to chat with Leann. He says that he is thankful to be on the last show, while saying that everything is as it should be. He says that he hopes to continue to bring good music, and he gets a standing ovation as he leaves the stage.

We are at the 45 minute mark, so we need...MORE FILLER! We get a video recap of the history of this season. After that, we get a song from Jason Meadows and Erika Jo as they sing a cute duet called 'Only In America'. They sing very well together, and maybe they could think about teaming up as a band.

Did someone say more songs from the finalists? Sure you did!! Jason Meadows goes first, and he says that he and Erika are both pretty good. Jason's wife Amber says that it's been fun being married to him. We get another Jason Meadows montage before he sings 'The Cowboy in Me'. Jason says that everything that he's done is worth it and he once again thanks the fans. The judges give him one more dollop of praise, and remind him that song selection in the future will be vital for him.

Next up is Erika and her dad. Erika says that she may need an oxygen tank and her dad can't be more proud of her, adding that mom is doing better than he is. We get the Erika montage as she sings 'The Boy Next Door'. She is solid as always and the judges continue to heap praise on her as well. The judges tell her to keep on the image and continue to rock it.

We get to the final decision. Jason is ready. Erika is ready. Leann says it. 'The winner of this year's Nashville Star, is none other than the one, and only...ERIKA JO!' She goes nuts, jumping up and down and holding Jason. The family goes nuts, the crowd goes nuts. The balloons drop out of the sky. Erika says she doesn't have any words.

Let's not shed a tear for Jason, who says that his career has come very far thanks to the show. He says that he loves the business and will keep on keeping on. He reminds them that he will be on the road and he promises to meet them there.

Finally, Erika Jo comes out with her new single - 'I Break Things.' It sounds very good - as she has during the whole season. She also gets to sing that song on Thursday on the Today show on NBC. She gets her album coming out with that song on it - which comes out on Wednesday. She also gets one more surprise, presented to her by Big and Rich - a new Chevrolet Truck! That shocks her, who was told that it was a giveaway for an audience member. Surprise!

Leann thanks everyone, the judges, the band, the Cledus, and most importantly, the audience and viewers. We get a plug for the website and then a parting song 'Sweet Home Alabama', as everyone gets into the act. That's all we got for you. Fade to Black. End of Series.

My thoughts? Once again, the talent was hot. Sure they were younger, but they were excellent, and you couldn't tell that a younger group would be worse. A for the talent.

The judges, however, were another story. Anastasia, though usually correct, was too caustic for my taste. Bret plays the role of Paula quite well. Phil needs to be...replaced. C+ on the judging. The other personnel...the band was excellent. Leann was surprisingly good at what she did. Cledus...needs to join Phil on the bye-bye wagon. B here.

Finally, we get to why this season was not as good as last season - the producing. The contest should be about singing. It should NOT be about outside events or what the people have to say that could be twisted i their interviews, which is what happened to both Justin and Tamika. Would they have won anyways? Maybe not, but I think it was a factor on their demises, especially Tamika, when it seemed like some people had something against her on the show. This aspect gets a D.

All in all, the show is a solid B, but it wasn't as good as last season and the producers need to leave well enough alone and not mess with things that weren;t broken. Hopefully, you found that the recaps weren't broken, either. This is Gordon Pepper, and thanks for reading the recaps. See you next year!