After Lazaro's elimination, it's down to five girls remaining in Season 12 of American Idol. That's not all that surprising, given the way the talent was shaking out when the finals started this season, and the votes have reflected that. In fact, this may be one of the most predictable seasons of Idol yet. Those contestants bringing their A-game each week have continued to raise that game, while the rest have consistently fallen away, leaving the top contestants to duke it out.
If we're going on performance and consistency, it'll be Amber on the chopping block tonight. Jimmy Iovine disagrees. In fact, he had nothing but praise for the singer, but I didn't think she nailed "Without You." Then again, it's no easy feat matching Mariah Carey with a song the singer had previously perfected. In the end, I didn't think Amber's performance was bad, but I don't think it was nearly enough to secure her a guaranteed spot in the final four. Tonight's results will let us know if America agrees.
Tonight was a great night for returns. After Candice performed Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" last night, Abdul showed up tonight and took the stage to praise the contestant and then take a moment to sit at the judges table. It was a surprisingly touching moment and I'll admit, I sort of forgot how much I miss Abdul as a judge on this series. It feels like forever ago. Speaking of returns, Clay Aiken and Fantasia Barrino were back on the Idol stage (separately) to perform tonight. For Aiken, it was one of his best Idol-performed songs, "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Fantasia sang "Lose to Win," but only after a segment that showed us what her fellow Season 3 contestant Latoya London was up to.
On to the results, Candice Glover was the first person sent to safety tonight, though Ryan specified that the results were in "no particular order" this evening. Angie Miller was the next singer sent to safety. The third person sent to safety was Amber Holcomb, proving me wrong and Jimmy right. I should have expected that. That left Kree and Janelle, and it was Janelle who ended up singing for her life.
The judges deliberated and they weren't unanimous. This is the first time that I'm genuinely surprised that they didn't use the save. But the judges weren't in agreement, so that's that. Janelle goes home. And the remaining four females go on to try to win this season. Remember what I said about this season being predictable? Scratch that.
