Thursday's American Idol [1] elimination was a surprisingly emotional one. The guys' side lost someone whom I'd assumed would be around a whole lot longer, but the real drama came with the ladies. Talent-wise, I don't think either of the two should have gone home — even though I figured one of them would [2]. These early rounds can be such a roller coaster. Have you learned your lesson, America? To see who got kicked off, just .
The big surprise on the guys' side was the elimination of Robbie "not my real hair" [3] Carrico. Yeah, he was the fakest of fake rockers — and Idol has seen its share of those — but I still thought he'd make it to the Top 12. Jason Yeager also said farewell, though that elimination made more sense to me.
As for the girls: Gah! Alexandrea hadn't had a great week, but she has a ton of talent and such a likable personality. I did think she'd be going home, but that didn't mean I wanted it to be true! As for voters choosing Kady over Alaina, I'm pretty shocked. Alaina made a splash in the first week; sure, she wasn't as memorable this week, but there were plenty of worse performances. Everyone looked devastated when Seacrest read her name, even Kady. Alaina's so young, and she couldn't help but lose it. I'm glad the rest of the group convinced her to take her sing-out.
Some other thoughts:
- Wow, David Archuleta really broke down when Alexandrea was booted. Then Danny lost it over Alaina's ouster. We sure do have some criers among the young'ns this year.
- Also, that dark-haired relative of Alaina's looked pissed. She's coming for you, America!
- Brad Pitt is going to be a part of Idol Gives Back this year — which seemed to wipe the tears right off Kady's face. Also, Daughtry, Miley Cyrus, Reese Witherspoon, Snoop Dogg, and Carrie Underwood.
- How terrified did all the contestants look clumped in that big group at the beginning when Seacrest did his intro? I thought a couple of them might pass out.
- Simon's new hand gesture: what?
- Most egregious misrepresentation of a judge's comments: Randy calling Alexandrea one of his favorite performers in the top 20 — but not including the part where he said it wasn't such a great song for her.
- Favorite reaction shot: David Hernandez totally grooving during Jason's singout.
What did you think? How did you do at predicting the guys [4] and the girls [5] who went home? And now who are you betting on for the Top 12?
Photos courtesy of Fox [6]