American Idol Recap: Top 12 Has Some Standouts

On Wednesday, it was boys vs. girls for the first time. The boys sang Stevie Wonder songs, and the girls took on the late, great Whitney Houston.

Ironically in past Idols, the judges always warned singers to avoid Whitney Houston songs because no one could top the diva, nor had the talent to conquer the feat. Nonetheless, the girls belted out Whitney's finest songs to the best of their abilities. The standouts of the evening were Skylar Laine, Hollie Cavanagh, and Jessica Sanchez. All did wonderfully, but Jessica brought J'Lo to tears, and the crowd to their feet. Jessica is definitely a favorite to win the whole shebang, but then again, so was Pia Toscano. 

The boys performances were simply okay. Were there any standouts? Umm, not any that made you shiver. The first contestant for the night, Joshua Ledet, was probably the best, singing-wise. He opened the show with a lot of energy and sounded very much like an artist from that era. 

Pretty boy Deandre Brackensick was our next favorite. Although Deandre's falsetto may get on our nerves, he kept it under control until the last few notes. Besides having fun and singing well, he proved he's got rhythm and can dance, something more exciting than standing on stage and quivering behind the microphone like many of the others. 

And while Heejun Han's performance wasn't perfect, it was pretty great. His charming demeanor and quirky humor adds to his overall Idol package, which will likely make him a favorite among voters. Even if his performances aren't always rousing, he sure is likable, which as proven with numerous past contestants, goes a long way.

On Thursday, Idol showed how America's votes stacked up, revealing the bottom three guys: Jermaine Jones, Jeremy Rosado, and Joshua Ledet; and the bottom three girls: Elise Testone, Erika Van Pelt, and Shannon Magrane. 

While Joshua seemed to perform the best out of the guys the previous night, he did perform first, which with 13 contestants to get through, can be a kiss of death. No surprises with the rest of the bottom ranked contestants. All their performances were either bad or forgettable.

Unlike past seasons, Seacrest narrowed down the bottom ranked to the guy and the girl with the lowest votes, then the judges decided who would go home. We liked the change of pace. It doesn't look like it'll continue, though.

So who went home? Dim the lights! It's Jeremy Rosado. And we agree. He might be a good singer, but he simply doesn't possess the talent or performance wherewithal needed to win this show. And if you're not "in it to win," then why be in it at all?

This week the contestants will tackle songs from the year they were born. Get ready to dance to some 90s jams...and feel old!