American Idol Results Night Delivers an Emotional Goodbye to Haeley Vaughn & Three Others

Results Night, this is the dreaded night all the American Idol contestants fear while awaiting their fate for the following week. In a set of unusual circumstances the guys learned first if some of them will be moving on into the Top 16. However, it was in the latter half of the show when the ladies finally found out who was staying and who would be leaving. It provided a shocker for one contestant and a sad ending for a beloved one. American Idol alum from Season 8, Danny Gokey, dropped by to perform his new single My Best Days Are Ahead of Me during the elimination break. He chatted up quite a bit with Ryan, but it was great seeing Danny once again.

The show opened with all of the Top 20 contestants performing together the Black Eyed Peas I Got a Feeling. This is a weekly ritual during the semi-finals when it becomes like those old TV variety programs during the 50s - 70s, something like The Carol Burnett Show. They would have the guest stars and other participants performing a musical number together. At least this week's group performance on American Idol wasn't as cheesy as in seasons past. There were some contestants who are good in these kinds of situations and some who should never dance at all.

Afterwards, Ryan Seacrest got down to business with the first elimination of the night for the men. It certainly wasn't shocking at all to see John Park be the first to go. He came and left rather forgettable, except for his one moment with Shania Twain during his audition. Without skipping a beat another male contestant was eliminated, Jermaine Sellers. Again, no surprise he was destined to leave. However, I liked when he said to everyone "you need to get a onesie." These are old-fashioned pajamas that fit like a bodysuit. You've seen them worn in the old classic films. He was promoting them in his introduction film on Tuesday night.

Another tradition during the American Idol semi-finals is inviting past contestants from the previous season to perform and promote their album, single, tour, or any other project. Danny Gokey performed his latest single My Best Days Are Ahead of Me with alot of heart and soul. It looked like he enjoyed being back on the American Idol soundstage. When he was finished Danny talked non-stop to Ryan on doing country music now, his upcoming tour with Sugarland, his Web site www.dannygokey.com, and the significant lyrics to his latest song and how it relates to his tragic story. He also shared with the audience the songwriter also lost his wife, which motivated him to write a song. Danny did not learn of this until after he had recorded My Best Days Are Ahead of Me.

It was back to business with two more eliminations left on the ladies side. Michelle Delamor and Didi Benami were the two left hanging with their fates undecided. In the end it came down to Michelle Delamor's shocking elimination. This was a contestant I liked. Granted, her performance on Wednesday night was not her best, but she at least took a risk. Needless to say she was at a loss for words when talking to Ryan. Kara DioGuardi stated earlier she had watched Michelle's performance on playback. Kara also stated it sounded worse on TV than in the studio. She had made a mistake on Michelle's critique. Talk about taking back everything you've said. Usually when a contestant leaves their sing-out is a vast improvement from their judged performance.
Unfortunately Michelle's sing-out was the exact opposite. It was bordering on excruciating, sadly enough.

The final elimination wasn't exactly shocking, but it was deeply emotional, not only for the 16-year-old Haeley Vaughn, but for her fellow female contestants. During Haeley's sing-out, which is the song they performed during the separate Top 10 phase, the camera focused mostly on the ladies who had tears in their eyes. In past seasons this was common, but usually it's only one or two of the remaining contestants who were very close to the one eliminated. It seemed Haeley was close to all of her fellow contestants. I have to confess I was almost in tears too, because Haeley's sing-out was passionate and moving. I'm going to miss Haeley's smile and bubbly personality.

SOURCES:

http://www.americanidol.com/

http://www.dannygokey.com/