It was more than just luck that helped Phillips easily overcome 16-year-old mini-diva Jessica Sanchez to become the Fox talent competition’s 11th season victor. The combination of his goofy personality, ah-shucks Southern humility, rebelliousness, risk-taking originality and, yes, those good looks kept him at the front of the pack all season long.

While he is indeed a WGWG — the “Idol” fan term for “white guys with guitars” — Phillips differentiated himself with a musical style that was grittier than past winners David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze and Scotty McCreery, as well his competitors with much wider vocal ranges, like gospel singer Joshua Ledet and soaring vocalist Hollie Cavanagh.

Mostly, Phillips was just so darn charming. When given the opportunity, he always excelled at genuinely letting his personality shine through on the show, often as much of a challenge as hitting the right notes. He established a silly bromance with finalist Heejun Han and seemed downright distraught at the unexpected dismissal of alt-rocker Colten Dixon.

Despite Sanchez’s unstoppable voice and a savvy-beyond-her-years approach, she was essentially living on borrowed time after she was supposed to be eliminated but was saved by the judges. She realized that during Top Three week.

“I told Phillip, ‘You’re gonna win this whole thing,’ and he was like, ‘Nah, I’m not,’” recalled Sanchez backstage. “I’m like, ‘Yes, you are.’ I don’t think he totally believed that, and I totally believed it. I just went out in this competition after that moment and just sang. Phillip’s gonna win, anyway. I might as well just sing my heart out.”

The total votes for each singer weren’t released, but it was likely a landslide for Phillips, who accomplished his feat despite serious kidney problems that plagued him all season.

Several online outfits predicted he would take home the top prize: the “Idol” title and a record contract. DialIdol.com, which tracks busy signals on the phone lines dedicated to each contestant, correctly projected Phillips as the winner Wednesday morning.

The Leesburg, Ga., native never appeared at the bottom of the pack, a testament not only to his die-hard fan base that kept him safe but also to some of his more talked-about performances. Like the time he turned Usher’s “U Got It Bad” into an acoustic ditty or unleashed a flawless take on the obscure — for “Idol,” anyway — Damien Rice tune “Volcano.”

“I’m excited to do my album,” said Phillips. “I know it’s going to be challenging because a lot of opinions will be coming my way, but it’s like the show, I know my music. I know how I want it. I’m not trying to win Grammys or be famous or anything.”

Phillips’ future success, as with all “Idol” winners before him, will be determined by record sales, not viewer votes. With his folksy singer-songwriter leanings, Phillips could capture the public’s attention in the same way that Arcade Fire, Bon Iver and Mumford and Sons have or, like ninth season winner DeWyze, he could just fade into obscurity.

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“I just feel that we’re all winners at this point,” Ledet said before his eviction. “If I end up not making it and my friends make it, I’ll be voting for both of them.”

Ledet had been one of the judges’ favorite finalists, earning more than a dozen standing ovations from the panel for his renditions of such songs as James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” and Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby.” However, the gospel singer wasn’t able to win over enough voters. He twice appeared as a low vote getter before Thursday’s dismissal.

“Idol” host Ryan Seacrest said 90 million viewer votes were cast this week.

Phillips and Sanchez, who sometimes performs as her alter ego “Bebe Chez,” will face off Tuesday, with the 11th season “Idol” champion crowned on Wednesday. Phillips has never found himself at the bottom of the voting spectrum, while Sanchez was due to be eliminated during the finals’ sixth round, but the judges used their one-time-only power to rescue her from elimination.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

Since he first caught the judges’ — and America’s — attention with growly renditions of Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson hits at his audition, Phillips has seamlessly moved up the ranks, never appearing as one of the show’s low-vote getters. That can’t be said of his two final challengers — sassy 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez and booming 20-year-old Joshua Ledet.

And folks just seem to like Phillips, who has comfortably filled this season’s reluctant heartthrob role. He’s been silly, constantly flashing funny faces at the camera. He’s been rebellious: When Tommy Hilfiger advised him not to wear grey on stage, he donned two shades of it. He’s been sexy, even melting Ryan Seacrest’s girlfriend.

Then there’s the humility: Asked if he’s confident of claiming “Idol” glory, Phillips said backstage last week, “Oh, gosh, no, I’m never confident. … I’m so nervous when I get up there on stage. Josh and Jessica … they’re so much better at singing than I am.”

It’s also impossible to ignore the fact that the bluesy Phillips bears a striking resemblance to the past four champions.

While the musical styles of David Cook, Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, Scotty McCreery and Phillips are varied, they’re each young Caucasian male guitar players, or as they’ve become known by many “Idol” devotees: WGWGs — white guys with guitars. There hasn’t been a female or non-white winner since Jordin Sparks bested Blake Lewis in 2007.

Lyndsey Parker, who writes Yahoo’s “Reality Rocks” blog, blames the lack of diversity on block text voting among younger viewers and the introduction of contestants playing their own instruments four years ago in season seven.

Parker believes a bigger focus on instrument-playing singers, who tend to be more male than female, helped past winners like Allen and Cook ascend to the “Idol” throne with similarly masterful rearrangements of song choices, while text voting allowed obsessive fans — namely, eager young women — to tap, tap, tap their favorites to the top of the pack.

“I think people are wondering if girls or, frankly, people of color should just go audition for ‘The Voice’ and ‘The X Factor’ instead because ‘Idol’ has become a closed door if you’re not a Caucasian guy who plays folky rock or country music,” said Parker. “I know some people will be outraged if Phillip wins. That’s unfair to him, but that’s the reality.”

Phillips’ besting Sanchez, who has Filipino and Latino heritage, or Ledet, an African-American gospel singer, could prove problematic for “Idol,” a contest that has always prided itself on the fact that any singer in America — be it the girl next door, teen mom down the street or even a prematurely grey-haired Southern gentleman — could capture the “Idol” title.

“I think if Phillip Phillips wins season 11, then as ‘Idol’ fans, we kind of have to collectively shrug our shoulders and say, ‘It’s clear as day. You don’t have to be the best singer. You just have to be a cute white straight guy that appeals to a lot of the voting demographic,’” said Michael Slezak, a senior editor at TVLine.com who writes about “Idol.”

Parker and Slezak agreed that Phillips has been outperformed by other finalists for several rounds. His low point came two weeks ago when he failed to reach the high notes on The Zombies’ “Time of the Season” and ditched the melody on The Box Tops’ “The Letter.” However, viewers wouldn’t gather that from the judges, who always pour praise on Phillips.

“I appreciate that die, sink or swim, you will still be yourself. I love it,” judge Jennifer Lopez beamed to Phillips three weeks ago after he performed the Dave Matthews tune “The Stone.” ”It was a pretty song, but I feel it was too artsy, not right for this point in the competition. I need you to do songs that are going to get you on that last show, so you can win.”

While he lacks the balladeering prowess of Sanchez and Ledet, and critics have called him a clone of Dave Matthews, Phillips’ silly personality and musical certainty have seemingly made up for any vocal deficiencies he has in the eyes of voters. Matthews himself joked to New York magazine that perhaps he can retire and Phillips “can take over my band.”

Slezak is less optimistic. He thinks if Phillips wins, he’ll be a redux of DeWyze, the least successful “Idol” in the show’s history. (DeWyze’s post-”Idol” album, “Live It Up,” sold just 39,000 copies when it debuted.) Besides a fondness for gritty vocals, they both share blue-collar backgrounds. DeWyze worked in a paint store. Phillips helped out in his family’s pawn shop.

“‘Idol’ could desperately use another winner on the charts,” said Slezak. “What makes it a must-watch show is the contestants you’re voting for today end up playing on the radio and selling out concerts tomorrow. ‘Idol’ doesn’t need another winner who sells 40,000 copies and gets dropped by their label. What’s the point in watching if that’s the end result?”

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AP Television Writer Lynn Elber contributed to this report.

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

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Online:

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