LaKisha Jones
For Jones, a 27-year-old former bank teller from Fort Meade, Md., the toughest part of Idol is going a month at a time without seeing her 4-year-old daughter, Brionne. But she has faith that the sacrifice is worth it. ''I just figure that God has not brought me this far to leave me,'' she says. ''This whole year and a half, the stuff that I've been through, with being laid off my job, single mom — I don't think He brought me here to say, 'Here's a little taste of what it might be like, but I ain't going to let you go all the way.'''
Jones says she's chosen to sequester herself somewhat from the other singers: ''It's harder because it's a competition and I never looked at singing as a competition.'' Seacrest considers that a smart move. ''I ask them sometimes, 'How is it going with the other contestants?' he says. ''I often get the response, 'We all get along.' I'd like to hear them say, 'I'm happy that I've made friends, but I want to beat every single person on this stage.'''
NEXT PAGE: Melinda Doolittle
