After a week with only a few standouts and more than a few disappointments, “Idol” viewers were left wondering who should and would go home. We tuned in on Thursday night at 7 with some guesses and some apprehension in hearing the results. And here’s what we found…
Overall
Emmy: Tonight was a very good night on American Idol. A lot of the people who needed to go home went home. Also, a past “American Idol” contestant performed and promoted his new album.
Maddie: Except for the part when Danny Gokey humiliated himself trying to go country (I’m not, if you can tell, his biggest fan), “Idol” this week was pretty satisfying. I mean, hello, Haeley is gone! Now we can all rejoice.

John Park Eliminated
E: I really didn’t feel any emotion when John park was voted off last night. He was a mediocre singer who was mainly brought into this competition because country superstar Shania Twain liked him. Thankfully, we will not need to relive the whole Shaina experience any longer. Even though John was from Chicago as well as my dream school, he didn’t bring pizazz to the stage and wasn’t very memorable.
M: As much as it smarts to have a fellow Chicagoan booted from the “Idol” stage, it was about time. John has a great voice, of course, but at this point in the competition, pretty much everyone does (with the exception of stupid Tim Urban — seriously, why can’t that kid just GO HOME?! ). Being able to sing doesn’t cut it anymore; you’ve got to have star power to make it in this business, which John just didn’t show. His song choices have been mediocre, his stage presence seriously lacking.

Jermaine Sellers Eliminated:

E: All I can say to Jermaine’s elimination is “Good-bye, sassy mouth.” I don’t care what Jermaine thought or that he thinks his mouth didn’t get him eliminated. The way people vote is not only on how you sing (even that’s questionable) but also how you look and act. Jermaine, you had a mouth on you, and I highly disliked that. So adios to you, buddy!
M: Poor Jermaine — OK, so not really. He’s a nice enough guy despite his mouth — he did thank everyone for the opportunity after his elimination, after all, unlike Tyler “That 70s Guy” Grady’s not-so-grateful exit — but he wasn’t such a nice performer. He, like John, has a good voice, but that, also like John’s, wasn’t enough to cut it. He deserved to go.

Michelle Delamor Elimination
E: As compassionate as she was, Michelle never was cut out for “American Idol.” She was a Jordin Sparks wanna-be and didn’t have much to bring to that blue stage. I’m not going to miss her. In fact, she will soon be forgotten until the finale of Season 9, which is what… in May?
M: When it came down to either Michelle or Didi going home, I was almost completely sure that it would be Didi; even though Michelle wasn’t my favorite of the girls, it was at least better than Didi Benami’s. But Michelle it was — and all things considered, since the best part of her performance on which the judges could compliment was her outfit, well… what could we really expect?
Haeley Vaughn Elimination:

M: Finally! The end of this week’s elimination ended with a bang — a bang that maybe wasn’t so great for the Beatles-Ruiner (thank you, Emmy, for such an accurate naming of Ms. Vaughn) but was definitely great for America.
Haeley Vaughn is finally off of “American Idol.”
That’s all I can even say: finally.
In the End:
E: For next week, I can see a lot of the people who cannot sing going into the top 12. But they won’t be lasting long. Also next week, I get to see my “favorite” contestant, Hooker, again. I know that she will be going into the top 12. I hope she doesn’t do a Taylor Swift song, because if she does, I just might loose it.
M: Ditto (and yes, I actually said that). Those going into the Top 12 — when the real games begin — won’t all be the best singers. They never are (hello, Sanjaya Malakar). But even though we’ll probably still be seeing a little more of Tim Urban (cue screeching vocals), we’ll also be seeing some contestants that actually have a shot and deserve to win the entire show.

Who to look out for next week: Lee, Lilly, Andrew, Crystal
– Emmy Lindfors and Maddie Conway