Top 5 Results Recap

All right, here we go. Can Brooke survive for another week? Will Jason, the bubble within the bubble, finally be sent home? Will one of the Davids go home in a shocker? Will Syesha be the earliest contestant to leave after getting the pimp spot? Tonight we find out!

First we're treated to a Neil Diamond medley. I think the group numbers get better as the season goes on, because each contestant can be featured more. The first song is "Cracklin' Rosie", which I had thought Jason should've sung last night. He sings it here, and his voice sounds different for some reason. This song spotlights the guys, and Syesha and Brooke are used mainly as Archuleta's backup dancers. The girls get their spotlight when the medley abruptly transitions into "Song Sung Blue". They finish off with "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show", and Cook gets the chance to ask for a witness from the congregation at the end. You know what? No one sang on-key during this medley, the transitions were awkward, and everything seemed forced, but it still ended with me wishing it were longer. Call me crazy, but I loved it. What can I say? You can't go wrong with the songs of Neil Diamond!

We see that Constantine Maroulis and Gina Glocksen are in the audience together again. They talk about their hosting gig, and most of the attention is on Constantine. I'm not a huge Gina fan, but she deserves more attention than that greaseball.

Ryan decides to address the talk about Paula and her miscue last night, and all he can say is that Paula is a part of their family and they love her. Ummm, what? Way to dodge that one, producers.

Time for results. Jason Castro is up first. Most of us are predicting he'll go home, but when Ryan reads the results we find out that Jason is...safe?????? Wow. I guess that means Brooke's leaving tonight. The real question though, is if Jason even cares.

David Archuleta is next to learn his fate. Judging by DialIdol he may be in for a shocking Bottom 2 appearance. He's safe too! Wow. Now I'm sure Brooke's going home. Oh well. She had a good run.

We see a preview for "So You Think You Can Dance". I don't need to tape this. Since Nigel Lythgoe's a judge on that show, he gets some completely unnecessary face time here.

More results. David Cook is safe. No surprise. That leaves Brooke White and Syesha Mercado as the Bottom 2. Syesha was first on DialIdol and Brooke was last, so if Syesha goes home a lot of people will strongly suspect the show is rigged. Also, it looks like a guy is going to win. As I mentioned in my last post, the 5th place finisher is always the opposite gender of the winner. I guess a male winner is exactly what most people want though.

Natasha Bedingfield performs next. I think it's safe to pause this, as the only song of hers I know is "Unwritten" and I don't get the impression that she's the type of artist I'd be into. I'm sure David Archuleta loves this though, as he's expressed his admiration for her. You know, this song is actually pretty catchy. I'm still humming it. I kind of wish I hadn't paused the tape. I'll get over it someday, though. After the song ends Natasha goes over to give Archie a kiss on the cheek, which sends him into his usual state of giddiness.

They do the useless viewer questions again, and the only interesting thing about this session is that the girl who gave Simon his first kiss calls in. He actually remembers her. Other than that funny moment it was the usual drivel.

The Ford commercial is promoting a new environmentally-conscious hybrid, and the song is Donovan's "Catch the Wind". It seems like they're recycling some of the effects from earlier videos. Oh well. I guess recycling is good for the environment.

The man himself, Neil Diamond, performs next. He's doing a song from his new album called "Pretty Amazing Grace". This song isn't that great, but I'm sure his fans will love it. It's incredible that this guy is 67 years old and still going strong. Neil's mother is in the audience tonight. I guess he's not the only one still going strong.

Finally we get the results, and we learn that Brooke is leaving. Brooke bursts into tears immediately upon hearing the news, which is no surprise given how emotional she usually is. After her "Idol journey" video she makes sure to tell the audience at home "thank you". You're welcome, Brooke. You're welcome. She can barely sing "I Am...I Said" through the tears during her final moment in the spotlight. I hope this girl gets the rest she needs now that she's off the show. Jason Castro is smiling throughout the entire elimination and sing-out with a glazed look on his face, apparently oblivious to the fact that he should be the one going home.

Well, I'm bummed. I'm glad Brooke outlasted Carly, but it was sad watching her go from one of the most loved contestants to one of the most hated. I felt like I was the only one who still liked her after a while, and it's sad to me that the haters won. I wish she could've been the last girl standing, but it wasn't to be. After reading the other recaps around the internet I discovered that I'm the only person in America who liked her performance of "I'm a Believer". I even watched it on YouTube again today and I still loved it. If I ever meet Brooke I'll be sure to let her know that I hold that distinction.

Syesha has now survived the Bottom 2/3 six times. I don't know how she does it. Look at any internet poll for favorite contestants and you'll see her name at or near the bottom. Somehow she keeps holding on and is now the final girl standing. Who'd have thought? Do her fans just not have the internet?

I'm not going to bother with the Power Rankings anymore. I no longer have a horse in this race and everyone pretty much knows what's going to happen, so what's the point? In all likelihood Jason and Syesha will go in the next two weeks and we'll have the all-David finale everyone's been expecting. I do think David Archuleta could be a possible shocking elimination, but a Final 2 with Syesha or Jason would be pretty odd, since Syesha doesn't seem to have any fans and Jason doesn't seem to care about the competition. This "Best Season Ever" has failed miserably to live up to the hype. At least now that Brooke's gone I can get to bed earlier on Tuesday nights because I won't have to worry about voting for her.

Apparently next week's theme is the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame. I wonder what that's all about?