Last year’s Top 11 “American Idol” results show was one of the series’ most brilliant and emotionally-charged to date, featuring the classic Hulk Hogan cameo and the gut-wrenching Casey Abrams save.
This year’s was anything but–it was, instead, a routine results show that revealed a predictable bottom three and a reasonably-predictable elimination.
Even though the judges were, unlike many online critics, warm to her performance, Shannon Magrane did not win America’s heart. She was sent packing after a strained rendition of “One Sweet Day,” and the judges did not seem to give any indication they even considered saving her.
Elise Testone and Erika Van Pelt were also in the bottom three, and Elise was the first sent to safety. While neither (particularly Elise) could objectively be called one of the worst performers this week, the two are stylistically and demographically similar enough that a vote split is inevitable. And given that neither seems to have a particular resonance with any of “Idol”‘s more powerful voting demographics, the vote total they are presumably splitting is doubtfully that large anyway.
The remaining ten–who will go on tour this summer–take the stage next week.