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Randy Jackson Marvels At 'Diversity Of The Talent' On 'American Idol'

'We had a jazz guy, a metal guy, a church kid, a country girl, country guy, R&B girl, reggae girl -- I mean, we had everything!' he says.

Now that "American Idol" is down to the final three contestants -- Haley Reinhart, Lauren Alaina and Scotty McCreery -- Randy Jackson is reflecting on season 10 and marveling at how much talent this latest group of finalists has.

When we caught up with the lone original judge left on the show, we asked him about his favorite moments of his 10th season of "Idol."

"Of course, saving Casey was a high point," Jackson told MTV News "Idol" expert Jim Cantiello, "but, you know, we finally got to the live shows, and we saw what we did out on the road with the audition rounds.

"We were like, 'Oh my God,' " he recalls thinking with fellow judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. "Each of these kids really has something special."

As for the single moment Jackson chose as his high point of the season, Jackson said it was seeing the contestants together for the first time during the live shows. "I think seeing the level of the talent, seeing the diversity of the talent, seeing that we had a jazz guy, a metal guy, a church kid, a country girl, country guy, R&B girl, reggae girl -- I mean, we had everything, man! I loved that."

And now that diverse group is down to three: two girls and one guy. Since McCreery has seemed like the front-runner all season, we asked Jackson what [article id="1664074"]Alaina and Reinhart need to do to come out on top[/article].

"This has to be their best performances of their time on 'Idol,' " Jackson said before Wednesday's performance show. "It has to be the best song choices and they have judges' pick this week, so we pick one but, also, they gotta slay it, dude, out of the park," he emphasized with a few of his trademark Randy-isms. "Now it's time to take all the gloves off, yo."

Don't miss "Idol Party Live" every Thursday at noon on MTV.com for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke -- get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty! In the meantime, get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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