Twelve finalist stools. Sixteen Semifinalists. There have been tears, fears, and cheers along the way. THIS, is American Idol! Ah, so exciting!
Ryan introduced the show with an image you haven't been able to shake from your mind -- a photo of Randy Jackson's face on Bikini Boy's body. To lighten the mood, the Top 16 took the stage as a group one last time to perform Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet." The contestants had to learn partner choreography this week, which made for an entertaining performance.
It was revealed that next week the Top 12 will sing songs by The Rolling Stones. Rock on! And now you can download the songs from the theme week catalog a week ahead of time on iTunes.
Then it was time for the bittersweet moment of sending people to the Top 12 or home. Didi Benami was up first, and I assume they would start the results off on a high, which they did -- Didi Benami was the first member of the Top 12. Next was Siobhan Magnus, who Simon called the dark horse in Hollywood, and the dark horse got to gallop on over to the second Top 12 stool. Paige Miles and Katelyn Epperly were asked to come down and greet Ryan. One would be in the Top 12, and the other would be eliminated. After Ryan asked Simon who had the most potential (as if that would help the nervous contestants feel any better!), Ryan shared that Paige was moving on in the competition, and Katelyn was heading home. Katelyn held it together as she sang "I Feel The Earth Move," but as soon as she ran over to her girls for a hug, she broke down.
When it was the guys' turn, Tim Urban, Todrick Hall, Lee Dewyze, and Casey James took the floor. First, Ryan sent Casey James to safety, followed by Tim Urban. The first guy going home would either be Todrick Hall or Lee Dewyze. America's votes sent Lee to the Top 12, and Todrick home, but first he gave a great final performance of "Somebody To Love." Randy thought it was a hot performance, and the female contestants were crying. Big Mike picked up Todrick, and the dancer did a kick in the air.
Season 8's piano men -- Matt Giraud and Scott MacIntyre -- tickled the ivories on pianos that were facing each other and sang Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It." These two did the same performance while on tour this summer, and it was one of my favorite moments of the show. After Scott said it was good to see Ryan (figuratively, I assume), he mentioned that his first post-Idol CD just became available. Matt mentioned that his duet with Anna Wilson is available and he's working on an EP. It's nice to see these leather jacket-wearing boys are doing well these days!
After that fun romp it was back to business. Crystal Bowersox advanced to the Top 12, as did Michael Lynche. The camera panned to Christa Lynche, whose title said, "Mike's Wife and Friend," and it's good to see that they're friends too. Lacey Brown is another Top 12 finalist, and maybe it's her "Iraheta red" hair that gave her good luck. Aaron Kelly also found out that he's singing a Stones song next week. The last guy in the finals would either be Alex Lambert or Andrew Garcia. Alex received the fewest votes, so he's going home. As he sang, Siobhan was an emotional mess, and then the camera panned wide and everyone on stage was crying.
Back from commercial, Alex was still on the stage crying along with some other contestants. This is so sad. Alex stepped off the stage and the final Top 12 member would either be Katie Stevens or Lilly Scott. Lilly found out she was going home and looked shocked, as did Katie, who burst into tears. The indie girl stated that "a lot of incredible talent is going home tonight," which is true, and a lot of incredibly talented folks are headed to the big Idol stage.
What a night! Congrats Aaron, Andrew, Casey, Crystal, Didi, Katie, Lacey, Lee, Michael, Paige, Siobhan, and Tim!
