The American Idol Final 5: Who Should Stay and Who Should Go?

With Carly Smithson's surprising exit, American Idol voters have whittled the field down to the final five. How do they measure up and who will probably be saying their goodbye's come Wednesday?

1. David Cook

Delivering what Randy Jackson called a "molten hot" performance, David Cook kept himself firmly entrenched in the top spot. I, personally, thought the performance was slightly less hot than molten. I felt his delivery was competent. Of all of the contestants, Syesha, seemed to be the one most at ease with the genre. David C keeps his view from the top because he has displayed a consistent level of musical bravery. That's not to say that's he's always delivered the goods. However, his willingness to get outside of the lines and take risks has kept him ensconced in the top spot. Unless there is a massive upset, I look for the two David's to duke it out for the top spot.

2. David Archuleta

While David A is still the odds-on favorite to take the whole things, he's till lagging behind David Cook, in my estimation. The biggest factor appears to be his youth. This super stardom is a nasty business and it takes a level of maturity that I think David Archuleta still needs to cultivate. David C is a bit more seasoned and he's willing to take some incredible chances, musically. I grant you, David A is no slouch in the chance taking department. Taking a tried and true Broadway gem like, Andrew Lloyd Webber's, "Think of Me" and putting a modern spin on it; that takes nerve. David A gets high marks for being the only contestant of the Top 6 to make the material anywhere near relevant to the American Idol audience. However, the judges were again at loggerheads. Paul and Randy commended David for going for the modern twist. Simon seemed to feel the performance was sub-par. Not bad per se but below David Archuleta's standards.

3. Syesha Mercado

Syesha Mercado found her voice last week. I hope she can keep it going this week when prolific songwriter, Neil Diamond, spends some time with the Idols. Syesha obviously found the way to emotionally connect to her performance. She sexily shimmied and swayed her way through "One Rock and Roll Too Many, much to the judge's delight. Even Simon proclaimed the performance "quite sexy". If she can keep that sex appeal cranked up for this week, she should make it through to the Top 4.

4. Jason Castro

Jason, like Brooke, is very much defined by his choice of music and his overall style. He is not a performance chameleon. Everything he performs is very much about who he is. His low key delivery and nonchalant manner occasionally comes off as disinterest. So what put's Jason in the fourth spot instead of at the bottom. He's a bona fide hottie and American Idol is a magnet for teens and tweens. Jason's good looks and chiller than chill persona have the ladies on his side. Add to that, his incredible musicianship and he's got staying power. He should be around,at least through this week. I don't know that Jason has the killer instinct to get in there and go toe to toe with the two David's but he's held his own up to now, so we'll see.

5. Brooke White

Last Tuesday, while watching Brooke, I could not get the voice of Whoopi Goldberg's character Oda Mae from the movie "Ghost" out of my head. Through the whole song all I could hear was "Brooke you in danger, girl". So imagine my shock when Carly got the old heave ho. This week I don't think Brooke's luck is going to hold out. I could be wrong; she obviously has the fan base to stick around. In either case, it's a toss up between her and Jason Castro. It's not that Brooke isn't talented, but she's very much locked into who she is. Her style is very much her own and there is a market for it, but I don't think she's the sound that American Idol is looking for.