The toughest cut

Idols go Home! This is traditionally where one Idol never really comes back. Let's see who it is!

Jimmy picks Round One, Judges pick Round Two, and the Idol "Production" picks Round Three.

Tonight the Battle of the Boobs has shifted to Mariah's tummy, but I think technically Nikki showed more cleavage skin. 

1st Round: 

Kree -- Jimmy picks Perfect.  This is a miss from the start for me. I think Kree hated it. Dr. l said it was Aiight. Keith gives a non-comment, I'm assuming he's trying to dodge making a negative out of it. The other judges also throw softballs at her. She's in the KOD spot so it must have sucked in rehearsals, too.

Candice: so this means Angie will close out the night. I think there's some kind of formula that says whoever is in the Pimp Spot on Top 3 night will be in the finale.

Candice continues her interesting streak of taking a rock song and kind of R&B'ing it. This was much better than Kree. Kind of shouty at the end for me, but OK. Judges love it. I wonder if we're seeing bus treads on Kree en route to a Candice/Angie Finale?

Angie: doing Sir Elton. Why didn't she play the piano on this one? She does a nice job, but I still get a Disney Cruise vibe from her. Better than Kree though, no doubt. It's like the joke about the two guys in the woods that get surprised by a bear. As they run away, one guy stops to put on his sneakers. The 2nd guy says, that won't help you outrun the bear. The 1st guy says, I don't have to outrun the bear -- I just have to outrun YOU. The judges felt like Angie outran Kree, too.

2nd Round: 

A-ha! They're switching up the order tonight. So we have no idea who will be in the pimp spot. 

But first, the visit home. Candice looks like she had a great time. Boy, the South looks so nice, I miss it sometimes. 

Candice is doing a song I've never heard. Dr. L says if she has one styling criticism this season, it's that all the girls' boots look ridiculous. This was just Aiight for me. This was the second KOD spot, and she kind of deserved it. Boy, Mariah never really lands the plane, does she? It was one of those non-critiques. Nikki almost tears up, it was sweet. Randy is reading shit Nigel wrote for him all night. It was all overtaken by emotion, however.

Next up, Angie and her lumberjack brother. First, we see her trip back to MA. They really play up the Boston Strong stuff, Idol would never miss a chance to capitalize on that. You have to give it to her fans, though, she had a hell of a turnout. Remeber, by contrast, Katherine McPhee? She couldn't fill a mall parking lot. 

Side Note: I never noticed before what a big melon head Angie has. For some reason you can really tell it in the home footage. 

These judges songs have been pretty forgettable thus far. She does OK, for a generic pop anthem. Maybe has the edge on Candice so far. She definitely has star power, the look, the swag, and the ability.

So Kree goes home. I forget what a sad backstory she has, it had to be tough. I think she wins for the sheer number of folks in the concert crowd. Another emotional visit! 

This Rascal Flatts song sounds like a perfect fit for her. Playing to the base, and there's no other country girls left. Holy shit, the Idol crowd loves her. Keith was the super-emotional one this time, and how could you not be? I think now it's a free-for all. Anybody could win this thing.

Round Three:

We see the Top Seven Losers in the crowd. Wow, lazaro looks like a cheeky punk, doesn't he?

First up, Angie. At the piano. This was forgettable for me until the chorus. I gained a little life, but it wasn't a solid as the first two for me. Dr. L has fallen asleep so it's just me hanging on the DVR tonight LOL. The judges are clearly going to just throw praise or neutrality tonight. 

Kree: this song is definitely in her ballpark, if not necessarily a dead-on hit. She does a great job considering. Side note: Idol must be employing every fiddle player in Hollywood, I think I saw a new one tonight. This was a little too attitude-y, kind of a Kellie Pickler vibe. She has a nice humble moment before the break. I think her fan base loves her no matter what. 

So the Pimp spot is Candice. This is without a doubt the biggest song of the night. I was worried when it began because it's so old. But she blew it out like she was Shirley Bassey or something. It wasn't perfect, but holy shit, after all these weeks of killing her voice, the fact that she could pull this off was incredible. She really deserves to be in the finale. But who will join her? 

If I have to make a call (Dr. L is still asleep), I think it will still be Candice and Angie. I think the weak first song will hurt Kree. Angie had three consistent songs, and Candice had the super atom bomb at the end. So I think Kree will go home. 

Of course, part of me knows Kree has a total lock on the Country vote, which has consistently been a powerhouse block for Idols for a decade. So, if Kree holds out and Candice goes home, I'll be disappointed, but not surprised in the least.

BTW -- I got tickets AGAIN for Idol, and we were psyched to go, but Dr. L can't make it due to a work conflict. So we'll have to give the tickets up this time. But Dr. L hasn't got an email yet this season, so we're still holding out for the Finale...