Well, that was a surprising episode. Last night's American Idol Results Show eliminated four singers from the show, cutting the remaining contestants down from 16 to 12. These eliminations were nothing short of shocking. But, we'll get to those in a second. First, let's take a look at your 2007 American Idol Top 12.
Blake Lewis
Chris Richardson
Phil Stacey
Brandon Rogers
Chris Sligh
Sanjaya Malakar
Lakisha Jones
Melinda Doolittle
Haley Scarnato
Gina Glocksen
Stephanie Edwards
Jordin Sparks
See any big surprises in there? Sanjaya Malakar, who has yet to put on a good performance, makes it past elimination again. The judges were completely shocked, as was any rational human being. Sanjaya seems like a nice guy, and I know he's doing his best, but that's no excuse to vote for him. It's a frustrating thing that undermines the credibility of the show. Yes, I understand that the voting is what Idol is all about, but it doesn't mean it's right.
On the girls' side, the big surprise among the Top 12 is Haley Scarnato, who had gotten reamed by the judges on numerous occasions. I didn't think she was that good, but she wasn't deserving of the verbal lashings that Simon threw at her. She won't make it much further in the competition, anyway, so her inclusion is no reason to fret.
Okay, so let's look at the four eliminated singers:
Jared Cotter:
Jared was visibly shocked when he was informed of his fate, but he shouldn't have been. Jared is a pretty good singer, but lacks anything special. He didn't separate himself from the pack.
Sundance Head:
The biggest travesty of the night. Having Sundance go home instead of Sanjaya is unfathomable. I'll be the first to admit that Sundance hasn't performed up to his potential, but even when he's underwhelmed, he's been twice as good as Sanjaya. When he was in his wheelhouse, he had the best voice of any male on the show. Sundance, conceivably, could've won American Idol this year.
Sabrina Sloan:
Probably deserved to stay on over Haley. That said, I found Sabrina's final performance to be lackluster and, apparently, the voters agreed. Still, she has more talent than Haley.
Antonella Barba:
Goodbye, Antonella. It's been a good ride. In an elimination that was a couple of weeks overdue, Antonella left the stage gracefully. But don't kid yourselves; this won't be the last we see of our dear Antonella.
So, there you have it. The Top 12 gets underway next week, and I'm sure you'll all be watching, as will I. Who do you think has the best chance to win it all? Who do you think should be in the top 12 that isn't? Comment below.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
