An Hour of Reality in American Idol's Results Show

Why they ever put Alex Lambert in the front row of the opening song--Black Eyed Peas' "I Got a Feeling"--we'll never know. Sporting a bland, aged Mr. Rogers cardigan sweater couldn't camouflage Lambert's inability to hold a microphone, sing the words, and keep up with the correct beat. Meanwhile, the camera panned over plastered-on smiles of the remaining signers who attempted to karaoke to the music while prancing around on the stage like bad actors in an unrehearsed play.

Once you got past the open act, it was slightly less painful to watch the rest of the group perform. There are a few contestants--Katie, Lilly, Casey--who appear comfortable on the stage and capable of harmonizing quite well.

The highlight of the night--besides Ellen's refreshing humor and light bantering--was Danny Gokey's performance midway through the show, proving to us why he was one of last season's top contenders. Although his incessant chattering with Seacrest and personal monologue with judge Ellen DeGeneres almost cancelled the compliment.

Voted off this week were John Park, Jermaine Sellers, Haeley Vaughn, and Michelle Delamor, each of whom put us through repeat torturous serenades of bad songs while the camera panned over the remaining teary-eyed singers who swayed around their fallen comrades in the disco-ball lighting of the Idol stage.

Why American Idol puts its faithful audience through an entire hour of rejected performances by castoffs and artificial suspense by Seacrest about which contestants are going home is a question that will probably never be answered.

Regardless, 27 million people don't usually get it wrong. And Thursday, they didn't. The four rejected contestants packed up their skinny jeans and earplugs and headed for home, sparing viewers from sub-par performances in the coming weeks of one of the most popular reality talent shows on television.