Just three more weeks till this year's American Idol [1] is crowned! Which of the five smiling singers pictured above couldn't make it past the rigors of Neil Diamond week and was sent home on Wednesday? To find out, just .

Aw, Brooke! At one point, I had her pegged as the last woman standing — and maybe even making a run at the finals. But it's no secret that she's been declining for the past few weeks. I don't know if she just lost confidence or faith in herself or what, but it had been a while since we saw the same singer who turned "Love is a Battlefield" into a dark, heartbreaking ballad. She's one of the few contestants from this year whom I'm legitimately curious about, though; I think she could have an interesting career, and no Idol alum has really broken into the singer-songwriter sphere yet. If she gets a contract (which I bet she will), I'd definitely check out her album. I'm also proud of her for pulling herself together enough to sing — I honestly didn't think she could do it.

Syesha dodged a bullet again, ending up in the bottom two but staying safe. As for Jason Castro, he was the first guy sent to the Safety Couch. Um, he can't actually be the winner . . . right? I'm a little worried that if he could be safe after Tuesday, there's nothing that will get him voted off.

Some other thoughts on Wednesday's show:

• At 9:26 p.m., we knew Brooke and Syesha were the bottom two, and Ryan had them both out on stage together. I got momentarily hopeful that the show was actually only half an hour. Yeah, no.
• The only comment about PaulaGate [2] came from Seacrest: "The rumors? They're not true. She's part of our family, and we love her." What, by the way, were the specific rumors? That Paula was drugged/crazy/fired?
• Maybe I'm wrong, but David Archuleta seemed to be genuinely surprised that he was safe. Either that, or he's just learned to fake it better
• Who is this old flame of Simon's from when he was 9 years old, and how did she get the number to call American Idol? That was actually funny, though I admit I'm perversely intrigued by both Simon's personal life and his childhood, so it was kind of the perfect storm. Also: "For all the kids watching, 9 years old is too young to kiss."
• Neil Diamond looks like a sweet old man when he's not wearing a glitter-laden sparkly shirt.
• I was thinking the group sing really seemed to be missing something, and then I realized what it was: Carly! Without her, there's just nobody else with a big enough voice to carry the songs forward.
• It is ridiculous how excited I am for So You Think You Can Dance [3] — except that it looked like Sex is back again at this year's auditions. Seriously, the show really needs to move past him.

Your thoughts? Was it Brooke's time to go? How long can Syesha squeak by? And does a Young David vs. Older David finale seem inevitable at this point?

Photos courtesy of Fox [4]