America, meet your Top 13.
The remaining 13 contestants on “American Idol” will take the stage Wednesday night (8-10 p.m. on Fox) for the 13th season’s first live performance show — with the results airing on Thursday night’s show (8 p.m.).
For the first time in “Idol” history, voting will be open at the top of the show, so that fans can vote for their favorites immediately after their performances.
In another twist, the show now allows viewers to vote by searching for “Idol”-related terms on Google.
Contestants are tasked with performing a song that conveys the message “this is me” — so here’s a look at just who will be competing to make it to the next round.
Ben Briley, 24
The newlywed waiter from Gallatin, Tenn., credits his wife for encouraging him to audition and counts Johnny Cash as his biggest musical influence.
C.J. Harris, 23
This guitar teacher from Jasper, Ala., dedicated his audition song to his father, who died suddenly of a heart attack last year. He was a wild card pick by the judges to make it to the top 13.
Jena Irene, 17
The high school senior (name pronounced jee-nuh) from Farmington Hills, Mich., was the lead singer of Detroit-area rock band Infinity Hour from the ages of 12 to 16. She was also a wild card pick.
Caleb Johnson, 22
This Asheville, N.C. musician was a contestant on season 11 of “Idol” where he made it to the Top 40, but choked before the live shows.
Jessica Meuse, 23
The student from the tiny town of Slapout, Ala., sang an original song at her audition and is influenced by heavy rock.
MK Nobilette, 20
Though past “Idol” finalists have come out after the fact, Nobilette, a student from San Francisco, is the show’s first openly gay contestant.
Kristen O’Connor, 24
The third wild card pick, this Sebastian, Fla., native is a nurse tech and University of Central Florida alum.
Emily Piriz, 18
This Orlando-based student sings in her church choir and previously competed on “The X Factor” in 2012. She sparked some controversy when judge Harry Connick, Jr., shamed her Rush Week song choice as too sexy.
Alex Preston, 20
The guitar-playing student from Mont Vernon, N.H., was a jazz band member in high school, writes his own songs and has opened for Of Monsters and Men, Gavin DeGraw and the Backstreet Boys.
Dexter Roberts, 22
This farmhand and tractor driver from Fayette, Ala., who also trains dogs to hunt ducks, went all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah to audition.
Majesty Rose York, 21
The preschool teacher from Goldsboro, N.C., is a fan of Coldplay and Janelle Monae and was voted “Most Likely to Be on American Idol” in her high school class.
Malaya Watson, 16
The youngest Top 13 contestant is a high school junior from Southfield, Mich., who plays tuba in the marching band. She counts her guitar-playing father and grandfathers as her greatest musical influences.
Sam Woolf, 17
A guitar-playing student from Bradenton, Fla., Woolf moved in with his grandparents after his mom left when he was 13 and his father was suffering from depression.
It is only February, so it’s a bit early for winner predictions, but fan blog American Idol Net is speculating that Season 13 will crown a boy after girls took the top two spots last year (Candice Glover won the “Idol” crown.)
That prediction is supported by online gambling site Bovada, which has Woolf and Preston tied as favorites with 4/1 odds. They’re followed by York and Nobilette, at 7/1 odds, and Piriz an Johnson, at 9/1.