The March 28 episode of "American Idol" showcased an array of strong vocals, making it the most satisfying performance night yet. But there were still a few noticeable wobbles that didn't quite match the high bar that some of the contestants set, which meant, for the first time, the voters actually made the right choices in deciding the bottom three this week. And, since America has its favorites already picked out, there was no real surprise when it came to who was sent home.
Over the course of the results show, Steven Tyler announced that Aerosmith was going back on tour (presumably because Fiat and L'Oreal aren't lining up to offer him endorsements), Nicki Minaj and Scotty McCreery performed, and DeAndre almost had a meltdown when his personal idol, Eric Benet, came out to congratulate him on this week's performance. But let's cut to the chase and find out which contestant was the latest to be sent home.
The contestant leaving this week is ...
Heejun Han
Joining him in the bottom three were Hollie Cavanagh and Skylar Laine. Heejun was also in the bottom three last week, which was a far worse performance -- one that had Jimmy Iovine and Steven Tyler taking him to task for not taking the process seriously (ha!) -- but apparently after his showboating, the voters are no longer on Heejun's side. Jimmy was also correct in noting, "I don't think he sings as well as the other 8 contestants," although Skylar certainly had a mediocre week, too. He reprised "A Song For You" as his Save Me performance, but the judges weren't moved by the rendition, and Steven was chosen to deliver the bad news. "You knew this was coming," the rocker said. "Unfortunately, we're gonna have to let you go."
Mostly I'm just relieved that Elise escaped the bottom three after her powerhouse performance of "Whole Lotta Love" -- it's nice to see the voters recognizing pure talent above age or gender, for once. We'll see what next week's results hold in terms of keeping the gender divide equal.
Do you think that Heejun deserved to go home this week? Weigh in below!
"American Idol" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.