'American Idol' 2011 Names Top 10 Plus 3 Wild Cards; Now Who Should Win?

"American Idol" 2011 continued March 3rd with the first audience-voted eliminations of the mega-hit reality show's tenth season, which narrowed the field from 24 to just the top 13. Did your favorite make the cut? Here's a look at who survived results show number one thanks to viewers, who was saved by the judges and how it all went down.

"Idol" host Ryan Seacrest kicked off the evening's festivities by introducing the top 24. Then he turned to judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler for their thoughts on the competition and the night's proceedings. Randy explained that after America's top 10 picks were revealed -- 5 girls and 5 guys -- he and his co-horts would choose additional wild card contestants to round out the pool advancing to the next round. When prompted to say which group had performed better during week one, all three refused to answer, asserting instead that the girls versus guys competition had been pretty equal.

True enough; there were standouts among both groups. For the guys, the smooth sounds of Jacob Lusk, the baritone country stylings of Scotty McCreery and the "spell" cast by Casey Abrams dominated Tuesday. Wednesday was owned by show-ender (and show-stopper) Pia Toscano's "I'll Stand By You," with Lauren Alaina's take on a Reba McEntire hit and Thia Megia's stunningly beautiful offering. If the six of them don't make the cut, I'll eat my hat.

Up first to learn their collective fate were the guys. Ryan called Scotty McCreery (who drew screams from the crowd) and Robbie Rosen forward first. Scotty was named to the "American Idol" 2011 top 10 and took a seat on the couch, while Robbie learned that he hadn't made it. Up next to hear their week one results were Clint Jun Gamboa (who looked near-panicked as he inhaled deeply and deliberately and clutched at his chest), Jordan Dorsey (who asserted that he'd have picked a different song if he could do it over again) and Jovani Baretto. None of the three made it to the top 10, but Ryan teased Jovani a little, revealing Clint and Jordan's fates first. (How cruel. I bet the poor guy thought he was safe.) So that's five guys down, seven to go.

But the rest of the boys had to wait because it was the ladies' turn for some results action. Ryan called Pia Tosano and Lauren Alaina to center stage first, and of course, they because the second and third contestants to join the "American Idol" 2011 top 10. Ta-Tynisa Wilson and Julie Zorrilla were up next, and not surprisingly, neither advanced. Both gals offered up weak week one performances. The results show moved on to the fates of Kendra Chantelle, Ashthon Jones and Karen Rodriguez. Karen made it to America's top 10, while Ashthon and Kendra did not.

The guys were up again, with Jacob Lusk, Casey Abrams and Tim Halperin joining Ryan in the centerstage hot spot. Jacob, who brought the house down with his Luther Vandross-esque stylings, advanced to the top 10, as did Casey, but Tim did not.

Naima Adedapo, Thia Megia (who was crying from the moment she set foot on the stage) and Lauren Turner were called out next. Of the three, Thia was the only one to advance. Perhaps the most unique characters in the bunch -- Paul McDonald and Brett Loewenstein -- kept things going, with Paul making the top 10 and Brett not.

With just one spot for a gal in the top 10 left, Haley Reinhart and Rachel Zevita joined Ryan, and Haley learned she'd gotten the golden ticket. On the guys' side, good friends James Durbin and Stefano Lagone stood to hear the identity of the man who'd take the final spot. Rocker James got the good news (much to the apparent delight of Steven Tyler, who wore a hot pink pirate shirt. It was... different).

After a break, the wild card competition began, and Jennifer revealed that they'd choose three guys and three girls to compete for the un-predetermined judge-chosen finalist spots.

Up first, Randy selected Ashthon to sing for her life. She diva'd it up with Jennifer Hudson's "And I'm Not Telling You," prompting Randy to once again praise her attitude. Jennifer tapped Stefano to sing next, and he performed a clear, ringing rendition of "I Need You Now." No, he blew it out of the water. And the judges ate it up.

Steven's first pick to sing for her life was Kendra, who opted to perform "Georgia on My Mind." Randy enjoyed how she "rocked it at the end." Jennifer selected Jovani next, and he sang "Angel." She reassured him: "You did a good job. You did all you could do." That doesn't sound promising.

Steven's second choice was Naima, signaling the end of the "American Idol" 2011 dream for Julie, Lauren Turner, Rachel and Ta-Tynisa. The wild card slot contender sang "For All We Know." She may not have been one of America's top picks, but Naima has an awesome, rich voice and she sang from the heart. Randy revealed the judges' final pick, Robbie, and the audience bade farewell to Clint, Jordan, Tim and Brett. (Brett hugged the judges before exiting. Too sweet.) The teen went with an Elton John tune in his wild card bid. Robbie called it "very nice, very tender" and proclaimed that it was "the toughest night ever."

With the six wild card performances in the books, Randy, Jennifer and Steven convened and came to a decision (after J. Lo's music video premiere). The final three constestants chosen to continue on were Ashthon, Stefano and Naima. And with that move, the "American Idol" 2011 top 10 became the top 13. Tune in next Wednesday as the surviving contestants sing for America's votes once again in the ongoing quest for the title of American Idol.

The "American Idol" 2011 Top 10, in call-out order:

Scotty McCreery
Lauren Alaina
Pia Toscano
Karen Rodriguez
Jacob Lusk
Casey Abrams
Thia Megia
Paul McDonald
Haley Reinhart
James Durbin

The 3 Wild Cards:
Ashthon Jones
Stefano Lagone
Naima Adedapo