May. 07, 2007 | 02:00 PM EDT

Inside Idol With Kimberly Caldwell

Photo by: Katy Winn / Getty
Inside Idol With Kimberly Caldwell
Now that American Idol is down to four singers, the competition is heating up and the pressure is rising, as contestants head into the final weeks. Kimberly Caldwell, who finished seventh place during season 2, tells the New York Daily News what's going on behind the scenes of the popular reality show – and inside the minds of LaKisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis.

"It's the biggest show in America, and you really don't know what's going on in the world," Caldwell, 25, explained. "You're in the American Idol bubble." So what are the contestants doing to keep busy? Caldwell tells the paper they're shooting those Ford commercials – that air on the Wednesday results shows – on weekends and practicing, practicing, practicing. Admitted Caldwell: "I know they're working 10 times harder than we did in season 2. I'm telling you, there is no downtime."

And it's not as if the former Idol hopeful has been docile herself. Since leaving the show, she's worked steadily in television, hosting a series of Idol-related shows for the TV Guide Network. Before that, she worked as a correspondent for a Fox Sports show. Still, Caldwell is not too busy to venture a guess at who might take the title this season. Her bets? Either Blake Lewis or Jordin Sparks. Caldwell calls Lewis "an original" and says Sparks is a "powerhouse."

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