American Idol's Mike Lynche Redeems Himself Singing "In the Ghetto" for Elvis Week

American Idol's big Mike Lynche toned it down for Elvis week performing "In The Ghetto" with an acoustic guitar. After nearly being eliminated on the results show last week and having to sing for his life, Lynche took Simon's advice and cut the theatrics. While American Idol requires stage charisma, Lynche has found himself under scrutiny from the judges on more than one occasion this season for being overly theatrical. Last week on American Idol, the judges used their only save of the season to keep Mike Lynche around when the audience had voted to cut him loose.

Not wanting to make the judges regret their decision, Mike Lynche came forward performing a simple and clean version of Elvis' "In The Ghetto" Tuesday night. The song came across as authentic, heartfelt, and as current as ever. The judges were pleased to see Mike Lynche come out and showcase the talent they know he possesses without getting himself into trouble with the drama. In the end, the American Idol judges seemed confident that they had made the right decision last week when they saved Lynche.

The pressure is higher than ever before this week on American Idol when two competitors will be eliminated on Wednesday's results show. Judging by the performances seen, I doubt if Mike Lynche will find himself on the chopping block once again this week, although American Idol is a popularity contest and an audience that has turned on him once may be prone to doing it again.

All of the contestants really have to remain at the top of their game from here on out. There is little room for error and zero tolerance for unwelcome drama at this point in the competition. Mike Lynche seems to have gotten that message loud and clear. It's likely he'll live to sing another week on American Idol.

Source: American Idol