It was a straight gender divide but predictably, not many hopefuls got anywhere near the effortless vocals made famous by Wonder and the late Houston.
But Jessica Sanchez created shock and awe in equal measure when she brought the house down with Whitney's greatest hit, I Will Always Love You.
Cream of the cream: Jessica Sanchez tackled I Will Always Love You tonight and managed to do it justice
On their feet: The judges were in total agreement about Jessica's performance tonight
Joshua Ledet did kick off the show with an incredible performance of I Wish but Elise Testone brought the mood down when she failed horribly with I'm Your Baby Tonight.
'Whitney's a beast,' Jennifer Lopez stated oddly, though it was clear to understand what she meant despite the odd choice of metaphor.
The late singer's vocals seemed insurmountable to the spirited young girls struggling desperately to emulate her.
A similar fate befell Shannon Magrane, who was understandably having trouble catching her breath throughout I Have Nothing.
Insurmountable: 'Whitney's a beast' J-Lo told the girls as they struggled to interpret the late singer's hits tonight
Putting her own spin on things: Skylar Laine got an easy pass with Where Do Broken Hearts Go? LAKINI Jesica aliwaliza watu na I will always Love you
