The results show is, almost without exception, the most tedious part of American Idol. I realize the producers need to meet their quota of Ford and Coca-Cola tie-ins, but the elimination of one contestant has no excuse to last an hour. Even 30 minutes is pushing it. And yet, here we are.
Tonight’s guest performers were Adam Lambert and Diddy Dirty Money. I’m not sure if Diddy Dirty Money is just what Diddy’s calling himself these days, or if it’s a group of some sort. Either way, I’d forgotten how bad of a rapper he is. Lambert fared better, performing an acoustic version of his new single, “Aftermath,” which has a similar message to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and was written for the It Gets Better campaign. The song was forgettable, but it’s hard to knock the intention, and any appearance of the most memorable contestant in Idol history is welcome.
When it came time to actually announce results, the episode featured surprisingly little feet-dragging. The bottom three consisted of Ashthon Jones, Haley Reinhart, and Karen Rodriguez, which was reasonable. Ashthon was sent home, which is also hard to argue with. She was given the opportunity to sing herself to safety, but foolishly chose the same Diana Ross song she had trouble with the previous night. The judges didn’t use their save on her, and nor should they have. This season’s Idol is 1 for 1 in correct eliminations.