In just two short days, the confetti will fall on the American Idol stage as one of the three remaining finalists is crowned the winner of Season 23.

Regardless of whether John Foster, Breanna Nix or Jamal Roberts is left standing, however, showrunner and executive producer Megan Michaels Wolflick will be celebrating everyone’s collaborative victory.

“The fact that this show, 23 years in, can still draw in these talented singers, coming together and showing hope, it still gives me goosebumps,” Wolflick tells TVLine. “I feel proud to be a part of this show, a part of this brand, and to bring positivity, especially in this jaded world that we’re living in.”

And Season 23 certainly has been one for the books, from the addition of Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood as a judge to the arrival of Jelly Roll as the show’s first-ever artist in residence. Change often brings uncertainty, but with Idol ranking as the No. 1 entertainment program in the key Adults 18-49 demographic on broadcast and cable across all seven of its Monday airings this season, it’s fair to say those gambles are paying off.

Ahead of Sunday’s three-hour finale (ABC, 8/7c) — which features performances from the Top 14, the judges, Jelly Roll, and superstars like Patti LaBelle, Goo Goo Dolls and Jessica Simpson — Wolflick answers some of TVLine’s burning questions about Season 23, including which of the current judges we can hope to see back on the panel next year:

TVLINE | First of all, can we talk about how weird it is that this season’s Top 3 is basically a mirror of the judges’ panel? You’ve got John, who’s country like Luke, Jamal, who’s R&B like Lionel, and Breanna, who has given me Carrie vibes from Day 1. What do you make of that?
There was a meme on Twitter about them being doppelgängers of the three judges, and I hadn’t clocked that, but it really is true. It’s a cross section. At the end of the day, we have multiple genres, multiple backgrounds and multiple age groups in our Top 3. And two out of three are parents, which is wild. I don’t think that’s ever happened. I just love a dynamic finale that keeps everyone guessing who’s going to win. In the case of other seasons, there might be more of a clear frontrunner, but not this time. It’s anyone’s game, and that to me is a win at the end of a season.

Season 23 finalists John Foster, Breanna Nix and Jamal Roberts

TVLINE | You ended up with a really talented group this season. Were you shocked by any of the eliminations along the way?
I’m not going to say shocked, but definitely sad. This was such a kind group, and everybody was so close. It almost felt like the Fox days, where you would say goodbye to someone and it would just be really sad. It would be such a bummer. I felt that way this season. In the last couple of live shows, every finalist has received over a million votes. And last week, everyone almost got over 2 million votes. Everybody has a core fanbase. It was a tight race this year, which was exciting, but it did feel sad.

TVLINE | Speaking of those Fox days, the show used to give eliminated contestants a chance to properly say goodbye, versus just getting booted at the very end while the credits are already rolling. Have you ever considered bringing those bigger farewell moments back?
The Daniel Powter, if you will? “Had a Bad Day”? [Laughs] Well, that worked because we had a results show. We had a second show where the whole hour was dedicated to the results, so we could have that moment. Now, with the real-time voting and the coast-to-coast live voting, it’s so difficult to have that proper [goodbye], unfortunately. We want to make sure that the two hours are jam-packed with music and everything else going on. But yes, at the end of the day, if we could have an extra two minutes to look back at each person’s journey, that would be lovely.

Jelly Roll

TVLINE | This was your first season having a full-time artist in residence with Jelly Roll. What were your goals for that new position, and do you feel he accomplished them?
I wanted to have someone who was in the industry right now, on tour, which he is. He put it this way the other day — he’s like, “I’m in the streets. I’m out there in between shows. I’m seeing what’s going on in the world, and I can report back. I can help guide these kids from soup to nuts, from the early days of of Hollywood all the way to the finale.” I just wanted someone to be that through line, while also being almost like a shoulder to cry on. If you think about the Olympics, when they come off the ice and they have that kiss and cry area, it’s that person that’s on their side. The judges are judging them, and Jelly Roll is their big brother. He’s so invested, even off-camera. There aren’t many people like him. He’s a gem.

TVLINE | Do you see him coming back in the same capacity next season?
I mean, he brings so much energy and positivity. He’s doing so well, and he loves the show. He’s literally such a fan, and I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone come on the show who has so much passion for the Idol brand. He could tell you everyone who won every season, and I never knew that. When he started making it in the industry, he was like, “This is a dream to be on this show.” And I was like, “Well, it’s a dream for us to have you.”

TVLINE | Between Jelly Roll, the “Songs of Faith” Easter special, and several of the contestants, it really felt like Idol was leaning into faith this season. Was that a conscious effort on your part?
You know, it really is something that just kind of happened, honestly. This is who came to us, in a way. Every year you see trends. We see so much of America during our auditions, a cross section of the country, and I think this was organically coming out. [Christian singer] Brandon Lake, for instance, who I didn’t know personally before last year, I would hear him every day in our Idol Across America auditions. This was before Carrie was announced. This was before anything. That was just that what was coming. We’ve always been very open about stories. You come to us with your story. We’re not going to try to tell you what your story is. So this was part of their stories, and we had to tell that story because that’s what was really going on.

TVLINE | Which brings us to Carrie. How do you feel about what she accomplished in her first season as a judge?
I think she brought so much. She really had to carve out her own role. She was stepping into the shoes of a former judge, but she needed to be her own person, and she definitely did that. I think she brought a nostalgia factor, and I also like that she brought a little criticism and constructive feedback, which is very much needed. She knows back in her day how hard she was pushed every week to become the best. So I think she’s brought a lot to the show, and I hope people love it. She’s a bit of a discovery, too. I mean, who knew she was such a metal head?

TVLINE | I won’t lie, I think I was most curious to see what she’d be wearing on Disney Night. Was there any attempt to squeeze her into a ridiculous costume like Katy Perry used to do?
I think she wanted to be her own. I didn’t even know if she would dress up, you know, because the boys don’t dress up. It was so Carrie, so classy, with a nod to Alice in Wonderland and a nod to Tangled. It was perfectly her. It was tastefully done. We love Disney, and I was excited to do a double Disney Night. It will never get old to me to see those kids at the park just having so much fun and and experiencing something they would have never otherwise experienced.

Carrie Underwood as Rapunzel and Katy Perry as Ursula

TVLINE | You know, you’re right about the guys never dressing up. I think we need to change that.
Hey, we got them as churro and balloon salesmen.

TVLINE | Yeah, but I want to see them as Flotsam and Jetsam.
[Laughs] Maybe two of the Seven Dwarfs?

TVLINE | Should we expect this same trio of judges to return next season?
It’s early days still, but I love our panel. I think we’re in a good place. I’m excited for them to crown their first winner together as a threesome. They’re all passionate about the show. Obviously, American Idol is coming back as a show, and we already have thousands of submissions coming in for next season. So the momentum is coming, but we’ll have to stay tuned. We never share our hand before the end of the season, but it should be coming soon, and we’re excited about the show doing so well. The live shows have really had a nice uptick in viewership, and we’ve actually grown a ton from the premiere to now. In this kind of eroding television world, it’s pretty awesome.

TVLINE | Looking ahead to Sunday’s finale, how do you even begin to decide which artists to invite on?
It’s like a recipe. It’s always fun to have a little nostalgia along with the new. It’s also hard, because you don’t know who’s going to end up in the Top 14 each year. So if you’re pairing people off for the perfect duets, how does that work? For instance, Jennifer Holliday singing “I Am Changing” from Dreamgirls with Gabby Samone, that fell in our lap because Gabby sang that song on the show — and who better to sing with her than a than a Dreamgirl?

OK, time to hear from you: Are you a fan of Underwood on the panel? Would you like to see Jelly Roll back as artist in residence? And which of the finalists do you expect will be left standing under the confetti on Sunday? Drop a comment with your thoughts below.