Murray High School junior David Archuleta will be coming home to a hero's welcome Friday after surviving another elimination round on FOX's "American Idol."

Murray City officials are predicting more than 20,000 people will turn out for Archuleta's appearance during a pep rally at his high school Friday afternoon. The school is opening its football stadium to the public to come see the fanfare.

That night, Archuleta is expected to perform the national anthem at the Utah Jazz's NBA playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The whole visit will be filmed by FOX for broadcast during next week's "Idol."

During weekly results shows, contestants are eliminated by popular vote among the show's viewers. Jason Castro, a 21-year-old college student from Rockwall, Texas, was eliminated Wednesday. Archuleta is now among the final three contestants.

Far from squeaking by this round, Archuleta delivered two strong performances that again drew high praise from the show's judges, as he has all season. Tuesday, the typically hard-to-please judge Simon Cowell told Archuleta, "David, you didn't beat the competition tonight, you crushed the competition."

There are now two weeks left until the show's finale. At the conclusion of the show, Archuleta and the other top 10 contestants will leave on a tour of the U.S., stopping at West Valley City's E Center on July 14. Tickets go on sale Wednesday.

Archuleta and the remaining contestants will perform again Tuesday at 7 p.m. on FOX, channel 13.