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Gasp! Melinda’s gone from Idol

In one of “American Idol’s” all-time upsets, Melinda Doolittle, 29, anointed Tuesday night by judge Simon Cowell as his favorite and widely regarded as the best singer and leading candidate to win all season, was eliminated Wednesday night.

That leaves Jordin Sparks, 17, to compete against Blake Lewis, 25, for the “Idol” title. It’s the fourth finale in six seasons featuring a woman-vs.-man battle. Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood won the first two such face-offs, but last year Taylor Hicks finally won one for the men.

Sparks and Lewis will sing it out Tuesday (Fox, 8 p.m. ET/PT).