AI- Top 12 Performance

So, here we are, on our new spiffy, space-age stage, with Ryan (who could turn into Ty Pennington if he's not careful), explaining who Lennon and McCartney were. I guess they wrote some songs together, or something.

Syesha looks fantastic (are her legs 6' long?) but sounds terrible on Got To Get You Into My Life.

I figured Chikezie was going to be awful, given that he performed second (which the conspiracy theorists call The Slot of Death), but his blue-grassy change-up of She's A Woman was a great performance (though I enjoyed the beginning more than the end).

Ramielle's In My Life was very pretty, but singing after Chikezie's powerhouse turn did her no favors.

I am more and more fascinated by Jason, and I don't quite know why. If I Fell is one of my favorite Beatles' tunes, and Jason sang it quietly and very prettily, though I'm not so sure that quiet and pretty will be enough for him tonight.

Carly is the actual rocker in this competition, and I can tell that she's a competent singer (who came to LA to work as a waitress, not to record the lowest selling studio album of all time, I guess), but nothing about her Come Together connected for me.

I don't like David Cook, but he did well with Eleanor Rigby. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a whole lot of forehead under those wispy bangs.

Brooke's Let It Be was another quiet performance, but that was what it needed to be, I think.

David Hernandez's I Saw Her Standing There was karaoke on a cruise ship in a theme park during dinner theater.

Amanda Overmyer's You Can't Do That was a very good song choice for her, and for the first time, she looked like she was having fun on stage.

And for the first time since the auditions, I heard what the judges hear in Michael Johns' voice, though I also heard the goat vibrato.

There are not enough words to describe how excruciatingly horrible Kristy Lee Cook's Country by way of Amphetamine version of Eight Days a Week was. It was the worst of the night- and maybe the worst performance all season.

Which is lucky for David Archuleta- I don't think he's going anywhere, but oh my, that was bad.

Best of the night? Chikezie, Jason, Brooke, and though it pains me greatly, David Cook.

Worst? Kristy, followed by David Hernandez, and Syesha, with wee David not too far behind.

Who's going home? Probably David Hernandez because America is not ready for full-monty strippers sappily warbling cruise ship songs.