American Idol is in Vegas, baby! Amid the glitz and glamour (and the Elvis impersonations), some of the toughest cuts so far took place in America's playground, where 70 contestants were whittled down to 42.

The contestants formed groups again, hoping to shine both individually and collectively. Around 10 a.m., the first group of the day, featuring some of the youngest contestants — David Leathers, Jr., Jeremy Rosado, Ariel Sprague, and Gabi Carrubba — was getting ready to perform "Rockin' Robin." And it wasn't as easy as they thought it was going to be.

Gabi, for one, was having a meltdown. "I want to shine," she said tearfully. "I want to be that girl who gets that standing ovation."

But the contestants had nothing to worry about. Randy was "really impressed," and he noted that David "got it together," pitch-wise. The judges agreed that Jeremy is "always solid," and Gabi and Ariel were strong, too. They all went through to the next round.

Adam Brock, Shelby Tweten, Erika Van Pelt, and Angie Zeiderman were getting ready to sing "Great Balls of Fire," and Adam Brock knew the Vegas drill. "You gotta go big or go home," he said. The judges deliberated after the "fun" number, and everyone made it through. "You don't have many tail feathers, but you sure shook 'em!" Steven told the slender Angie.

The next lineup — Schyler Dixon, Brielle Von Hugel, and Molly Hunt — modernized a classic look from the golden age of music. Steven loved the "beautiful" performance of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love," and he recalled "making out to that." But Molly's individual vocals were "a little hurting." Schyler and Brielle went through, but Molly saluted the competition goodbye, followed by several other disappointed contestants.

The following group, however, managed to turn the day around. Reed Grimm (the "new" Casey Abrams), Elise Testone, Haley Johnsen, and young Eben Franckewitz received a standing ovation from the judges for "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," with Steven calling them "outstanding." They all made it through.

Poor cowboy Richie Law — who spent most of Hollywood Week being picked on by Heejun Han — found a new "pardner" in Jermaine Jones, mainly because they were the last two contestants standing. Heejun said that Jermaine was in for it with Richie. "He might lose lots of hair . . . I feel so bad for him."

When the country boy met the soul man, it didn't start off so great; they'd been rehearsing different versions of "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." Vocal coach Debra Byrd warned them to "learn the melody." Despite their differences, the guys' low voices wound up blending quite well. "That's how you do it, the Brothers Righteous!" Randy said. "You wouldn't think this pairing would work, but it was so perfect," Jennifer agreed. Richie was just happy it became a duet, not a duel, and Jermaine was relieved it wasn't the "battle of the basses." Always-consistent Hallie Day, Baylie Brown, and Chelsea Sorrell also made it through.

It was a long day, but there was still one group left to perform. Jessica Sanchez, Deandre Brackensick, and Candice Glover worked on "Guess It Doesn't Matter Anymore" with Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee's mom, who's a vocal coach for the show. All three contestants nailed it. "Praise the Lord!" Steven said. "Wow, man, you all blew that out," Randy raved. Jennifer added: "You guys sound so good." They were "so going through," as Steven put it.

As the sun rose over the Vegas strip, ten more groups prepared to perform, starting with a little Elvis. Clayton Farhat, Caleb Johnson, Josh Sanders, Joshua Ledet, and Shannon Magrane advanced. But it was the final curtain call for Curtis Gray, who was a little sharp. "Sorry, dude, it's the end of the line for you, bro," Randy said.

Other hopefuls also fell to the pressure of the Vegas stage. The Neapolitans — including Jessica Phillips, the contestant who cares for her boyfriend after his stroke, single mom Britnee Kellogg, and Courtney Williams — thought they were so good that they didn't even need to rehearse with the band. Big mistake. Randy said their performance of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" took too many chances, and it almost seemed like they didn't know the melody.

It was the end of the line for Jessica, who didn't take the rejection very well. "It doesn't seem like they're looking for real artists, if you ask me," she said. "A lot of people are making it through who are not real artists, and that's not me."

As the sun set on the Vegas challenge, Lauren Gray, Wendy Taylor, and Mathenee Treco worked with Peggi Blu, aka "the Vocal Coach from Hell." Lauren lost her voice and felt a little out of her element, and Peggi was getting frustrated. "Why are we still working on this stuff? What you don't do is listen," she scolded Lauren, who bursts into tears. But at times the Vocal Coach from Hell can also be a little slice of heaven. "Girl, HELLO, there's no crying in music," she soothed. In the end, the group's performance of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" delighted Jennifer, but it was the end of the line for Mathenee.

Heejun Han was nervous to work with Peggi, but it paid off in his performance of "I Only Have Eyes for You" with Neco Starr, Jairon Jackson, and Phillip Phillips. Jennifer called the performance, "So good!" As they all made it through, Heejun burst into tears, happy to be able to give good news to his fans at home.

Finally, the last act, The Lady and the Spectacles, took the stage: Creighton Fraker, Aaron Marcellus, Jen Hirsh, and Nick Boddington. Steven called the harmonies "great" and the solo singing "beautiful." Creighton, Aaron, and Jen went through, but it was the end of the line for Nick.

With the performances over, it was time for the drama. The judges had to make additional cuts to get down to a workable number, so they called the Day 1 groups back to the stage for more eliminations. "This really sucks, but we have to get down to the Top 40," Jennifer explained.

An "embarrassed" Gabi Carrubba wound up getting cut, along with Angie Zeiderman, Candice Glover, Johnny Keyser, Jairon Jackson, and Colton Dixon's sister, Schyler Dixon. But no one took it worse than Britnee Kellogg. "I worked my butt off — every performance was perfect," she said. "I don't want to go home!"

But she did, along with 27 other contestants. Now, the Top 42 must be incredible next week to make it to the Top 24...and to YOUR vote.