Seriously America?!?!? Are you friggin' kidding?

Before I move forward I would like to say well done to the US on voting Crystal, Siobhan, Didi, Casey, Lee and Michael through. Well done. Also well done on getting rid of Todrick....

But how...HOW...did you decide Lilly and Katelyn were the right people to eliminate??? How did you figure that Alex didn't deserve a place in the top 12?


Seriously how did Paige 'my version of smile was more wobbly than jelly that hasn't set' Miles make it through? Or Katie 'Pageant Princess who has no idea about song choice' Stevens? Or even Lacey '2 bad performances, one okay performance' Brown sail on by????

Lilly gave 2 super performances with 'Fixing a Hole' and 'A Change is gonna come' and maybe this week she wasn't quite so good, but the silver-haired starlet deserved a spot in the final 12. In the year of the 'quirky' girl perhaps Lilly was indeed just too indie for AI. Also Katelyn whose 'Oh Darlin' in week 1 was one of the few okay performances and whose 'The Scientist' in week 2 was stunning, emotionally and creatively. Even this week, she gave a good vocal which is more than can be said for Katie and Paige.

As for the guys, Alex Lambert had more potential than just about anyone left. Of course he needed lots of work but if you closed your eyes and ignored his nervy stage presence he had arguably the best voice among the guys, and certainly the best for a recording artist. The fact that Aaron 'More vibrato than a goat' Kelly, Tim 'I'm essentially progressing because I work out' Urban and hell even Andrew 'Cannot live up to Straight Up' Garcia all made it through is really disappointing.

In a year where I've struggled to care about the guys at all, I just lost about 30% more interest in them.



So this means in the final 12 we have to endure - Katie, Paige, Tim, Aaron and Lacey. If Andrew Garcia doesn't pick up soon he can join the list too. That's potentially 6 weeks before we move past a list of people I don't care for at all. I mean in previous seasons I have had my favourites but for example in Seasons 7 and 8, I may have not liked Michael Sarver or Lil Rounds or Kristy Lee Cook etc. but I could appreciate that they weren't terrible. I cannot say the same for Aaron or Paige on the back of their 3 SF performances.

This season is getting a distinctly Season 6 vibe about it... if it follows the pattern of that season and we get a shock elimination like Gina Glockson to one of the 3 remaining talented girls, I'm just gonna not bother watching everyone's performances and instead just youtube the few people left I like.


What can save this season? Aside from everyone getting magically better? Well maybe a Crystal-Siobhan showdown, with Didi, Lee and Casey/Michael rounding out the top 5.... but that requires 6 weeks of perfect eliminations, unlikely given America's recent record.

Well yeah..
I'd say that Alex was thrown under the bus to save Tim NonThreateningToGilrsTalentWiseButTeenBait: death spot + lukewarm comments + sandwiched between two competitors in terms of vocal tone and teen appeal.
I am concerned for Siobhan because she got a similar treatment with death spot + bad comments from Simon + him constantly repeting that others were the best so far... She is a threat to Crystal isn't she..

WTF!!!! Katie is through??? She MURDERED Breakaway (it's one of my fave songs ever)! She should have gone in place of Lilly, and Paige in place of Katelyn! As Simon said, Paige has a great voice, but she always picks the wrong songs!!! Todrick was right to go, but I would have chosen Tim in place of Alex to go

Really disappointed Alex didn't make it

I'm not too bothered about the others.

Can't believe Lilly is out over the likes of Katie. Same with Katelyn, I thought she was awesome the other night.

The guys I'm less surprised about, I worry for Crystal now, hopefully it's just been a case of American choosing between Lilly and Crystal and Crystal has won and now has a huge fanbase, or the US public don't want different at all and Crystal will soon be in trouble unfortunately.

Totally in shock!

Gutted Alex didn't make it, I honestly thought he had real potential, he had the voice and if he could start to add more of a performance he would have been around a while, but sadly Tim flipping Urban (all my goodwill towards him for murdering Come Back to Me in Hollywood and giving Dave a sales bump has gone) has nabbed the teen vote, Aaron 'watch me slide off key' Kelly has nabbed tweens and grannies.

How did Andrew make it through, he can't live off Straight Up forever, he's produced NOTHING since, nadda, zilch - I'm so annoyed!

The girls, ahhhhhhhh, I did think Katelyn might be in danger, she was okay, but didn't stand out, a sympathy vote could cost her, Lilly I'm gutted about, I guess she split the vote with Crystal, and Crystal was better, but Lilly had more to come, she really added something to the competition, ahhhhhh, so annoyed

Katie, staying, why, America why - if you want a pagent queen watch Miss USA

So, think that's me watching Crystal via youtube etc, and I now abandon AI

Yes, America, next week you'll have to watch Aaron butcher The Rolling Stones, and you've only yourself to blame! I flipping well hope he does attempt some Jagger moves now

It's not that they decided to get rid of them, they didn't vote for who they thought were the worse contestants. They voted for their favourites and they just happened to be the least favourites.

I really liked Katelyn so i'm sad about that but i really wasn't a fan of Lilly so glad she's gone, although it was a shock.

I agree with this. In the long term Lilly going is probably good for Crystal as she's now got that section of votes to herself.

I blame TPTB Alex' case and the voting format where people don't eliminate the worst but those that are not #1 to enough people.
May be the system should be changed to negative voting for the semis, or the bottom eight should be put through an extra round of voting...

No i don't agree. Voting for the worst always gets rid of the best people. For example - mike is quite unpopular because of what comes across as an arrogant attitude so he would likely gets lots of votes which isn't fair because he is very talented. It's fair the way it is because at least the people going though are those who the audience chose.

Arghhh don't even talk about it I am GUTTED!

Lily and Alex were two of my faves (along with Krystal and casey)

Totally mental, Aaron and Katie should NOT be in the top 12

Under that system, you end up with a top 12 made up of the least unpopular rather than the most popular.

Do you think under that system contestants like Kelly, Carrie, Adam, to name just three, would have made the top 12? Of course not. Supporters of others would have voted them out in order to get rid of the competition.

I am surprised to see Alex voted out as he was one who seemed to be improving. Lilly on the other hand had given two below par performances in the past two weeks.


I don't agree that Katie shouldn't but Aaron? I don't know how much the pimp spot helped him.

I was expecting a surprise departure on the girls side but its very disappointing to see both Katelyn and Lilly go.

I think Paige and Katie will improve (they can't be much worse than they were this week) and might surprise us but neither deserved to go through.

Just goes to show how important song choice is. Based on last weeks performance I'm sure Didi and or Lacey would have gone. This week they chose songs with a much bigger impact (Didi especially). Lillys choice was a big risk this week but fair play to her for staying true to herself rather than chasing votes.

I'm not sorry to see the back of either Todrick or Alex.

Hello

The mullet got mullered?

I thought he had great tone, a little nasal, but still nice.

Didnt care about the others, but sad for Lily, one of my faves.

Now I only really like Crystal in the girls and Lee for the boys.

The rest are ok. Not great though.

I knew the voting would be a bit messed up as people that have really been struggling with their performances really stepped it up this week, such as Tim and Michael from the boys, and Didi from the girls.

Last week I thought Tim and Didi gave two of the worst performances of the night and I would happily have seen them gone, but they were my two fave performances this week, and if I could vote I would have voted for them.

With such a shift in momentum, I knew an unpredictable result was on the cards.
I'm not overjoyed about the result but I am glad that my top picks from last night, Crystal, Casey, Tim, Didi and Siobhan, all survived.

I too am gutted about Alex.

Alex, Casey and Siobhan were the only ones with any life for me.

Stupid stupid America.

Katelyn Alex Lilly Three of my actual favourites.

I expected Katelyn to a certain extent, though I didnt think she deserved it. But the other two are a complete shocker.

Katelyn and Alex why? Why America?? I don't understand at all. I can't believe we they kept Tim over Alex

When have Paige, Katie or Lacey managed anything of the awesomeness that was Katelyn's 'The Scientist' or Lilly's 'A Change is gonna come'

Even if you aren't a fan of KAtelyn or Lilly, in pure objective terms I don't see how anyone could put Katie or Paige ahead of them... (Lacey is an acquired taste so I can understand her having more of a fan base)

I'm still really pissed about Alex leaving as well, he was good 2 weeks in a row. No way should he have gone.

Interesting that Simon seemed to be hinting at something like that after Lily performed that she might not have done enough - I wonder if she hasn't been doing so well in the voting as might have been thought? I think she was overrated by the judges but I certainly thought she added more to the show that say Katie or Paige ...

Sadly Tim appears to secured the squeeing 'OMG He is so fit' vote and will be with us for a number of weeks to come

Dammit, still really annoyed about Alex, there was real potential there

I still annoyed at Katelyn and Lilly, firstly they were better then the two that escaped and especially as they and Crystal seemed to have formed a real friendship over Hollywood week, those three were always together - I'm having a David moment from the week Michael went

I'm completely shookced, by Lilli going! I dont get it. I really thought, the American Idol viewers, would've loved her. Guess I was wrong.

Not too surpised about Katelynn. HEr performance was just OK, last week was coma inducing, and she got nothing special, apart from being a cute girl. Same with Katie. I think one fo the 2 of them was bound to go, but I bet it was close.

Just watching the eliminations on video -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2zGkWsIjIs

This is Katelyn's, and at the end of her song she goes and hugs the 4 who hadn't yet heard their fate. Crystal goes 'That's F***ed up', even the contestants know these eliminations were ridiculous.

Well being an American, it made me feel sick to see Alex go home last night. He was my second favorite. I really didn't think he was in danger. I threw all my male votes to Lee, my favorite because I felt he was danger and I think he just made it this week. Toddrick went home because he got praised, so no sense of danger. Paige and Katie I think went through because their fans sense they were in trouble. For the girls, I voted for Didi. I felt Crystal and Siobhan would be safe. I don't think Lily had much of a fan base. I felt she was a good singer but not enough to make me pick up the phone. I have no idea who is voting for Lacey. I have learn the hard way in the past, not to split your votes or your favorite will go home. So I did get to keep Lee my favorite but loss my second favorite Alex. I would have liked Aaron to have went home over Alex.