by Kylene Hamulak

 

The ladies of this season's American Idol have stood out from the pack, outlasting all the guys to make it to the Top 5. The bad part about that? There are no more guys to kick off the show. One of our girls will be leaving tonight...unless....wait....can we vote Randy off instead?

 

The Divas: The ladies honor diva Donna Summer with a medley of her hits. It's good except the part where the dancers try to interact with the girls.  That was just awkward.

Ford Fiesta Mission: This week's mission is a scavenger hunt that will lead them to a celebrity guest. From a bridge to a bakery to a barber, they drive around looking for clues at places that begin with B. Seems like a lot of work and driving around just to end up meeting Matthew Morrison from Glee. Honestly, I thought maybe he was going to give them another clue that would lead them to an ACTUAL celebrity.

 

Results (Term Used Very Loosely): Ryan calls Angie up first for what is more a re-cap than a re-sult. Jimmy liked I'll Stand By You more than Halo - he didn't find her believable in her second performance. Nicki's rolling her eyes and says Jimmy doesn't know what he's talking about. Then Ryan sends her back to the couch. Thanks for the results, Seacrest.

 

More (not) Results: Candice gets her recap next, and Jimmy says she blew his mind - not just a great singer, but also very smart. Ryan asks Randy if Paula had a reaction to the performance of Straight Up, and he pretends she did not reply to him on Facebook or Twitter, so basically Randy uses the same methods I do to contact celebrities. The punchline? PAULA IS THERE! She sneaks up on Candice before taking a seat at the judges' table with Mariah and Nicki.

 

Revenge of the Nerd: Clay Aiken is back on Idol. I would never consider myself a Claymate, but I was a HUGE Clay fan, and I respect all the work he's done for National Inclusion Project. Also? He sings pretty good. He's here to perform Bridge Over Troubled Water, and, even though I love our Top 5 ladies, I still miss Idol's heyday. I'm also amused that he's here for Diva Week.

 

Continued Lying from Seacrest: Janelle is up next for "results," and the judges and Jimmy remind us that they didn't like her last night. Does it matter? Nope. Cause Dolly Parton herself sent Janelle a note to tell her she's talented and special, and that Dolly will always love her. So poo-poo to you, Jimmy. Oh, same thing for Amber, except without the judges hating her and Dolly's note. Jimmy thinks she did a very brave thing and should be rewarded for her magnificent performances. Mariah thinks she belongs in a place above the Top 2. Kree doesn't get results too, but Jimmy thinks she made the wrong song choices.

 

Idol Update: Another Idol alum is back - Fantasia has returned to relive the night of the Three Divas that led to Jennifer Hudson's elimination. What happened to the other diva, LaToya London? She's done some theater, but now she's returning to music...no offense, Latoya, but you might want to consider this a hobby instead. Fantasia, on the other hand, continues to live her dream, and she performs "Lose to Win" tonight looking very grown up and lovely.

 

REAL Results: Ryan finally reveals the results, sending Candice, Angie, and Amber to safety in no particular order. That leaves Kree and Janelle in the Bottom 2. Kree?  Really, America? Well, since the results started with about five minutes left in the show, we don't have to wait long to learn (as expected) that Janelle has the lowest number of votes tonight. Kree is safe.

 

Interestingly, the save IS in play this week, which has NOT been the case in previous seasons. Well, ok Idol, it's your show, you make the rules. Janelle sings for her place in the show, performing "Keep Me Hanging On." She does a good job, but it's only good enough for half the panel to want to keep her - Randy announces that, because the vote was NOT unanimous, they will not be using the save.

 

Janelle Arthur is eliminated.

 

 

Final Thoughts: I'm a little surprised that they didn't use the save, only because there are more contestants than weeks of competition left and it seemed that they'd be stretching it out at some point. With that being said, it was clear last night that Janelle's time on Idol was coming to close to make way for one of the, as Nicki called it "more dynamic" singers. I still love Janelle, though, and I think she'll make a name for herself in the country market.

 

Were you surprised by tonight's results? Which returning Idol performance has been your favorite this season? Let us know in the comments below!

 

Catch American Idol every Wednesday and Thursday at 8/7C on Fox!

 

(Images courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Kylene on Twitter @keepingupwithky!