Elliott Yamin to Idols: Hold Your Head High
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"I told them to hold their heads up high and be proud of what they've accomplished and just to seize every opportunity from this point forward," he says. "There are going to be a lot of them."
The former Idol, who performed his single "Wait for You" on last week's show to a roaring crowd, says being back on the Idol stage was like coming home. "It felt great," he says. "I made a lot of good friends on that set. So it was great to see all my old buddies and catch up with people."
As for this week's finale, which puts 17-year-old Jordin Sparks against 25-year-old Blake Lewis, Yamin isn't making any predictions. He does have a favorite, though. "I like Blake. I like his style and his sense of originality," he tells PEOPLE.
Meanwhile, Yamin is getting involved in another singing competition – the Oscar Mayer "Sing the Jingle, Be a Star" contest, which invites young singers to "put your own spin, your own twist on the very popular jingles made famous by Oscar Mayer over the years," Yamin says.
"The wiener song is an American staple," he says. "Everybody has memories of hearing the songs and seeing the cute kids on TV."
