by David McAlpine

We're in the home stretch everyone! It's down to Scotty, Lauren and Alaina for the two spots in next week's live finale of American Idol. Regardless of the changes in judges, the ratings, whatever everyone has said about American Idol as a show, we have three very talented finalists on our hand, and it's anyone's game. So, as a surprise for them, Beyonce joined the show as a mentor for the first round of songs.

Scotty McCreery is first, picking the quasi-popular country song that, even if you've never listened to country radio before, you probably know: "Amazed" by Lonestar. Now I think of this as more of a heartfelt song, when someone really feels something, but Scotty starts at the piano kind of gazing into the camera. Don't get me wrong, but I don't think he's a gaze-into-the-camera kind of guy, you know? He sings higher than usual, which is refreshing, and he really pulls it off more towards the end. Steven and J. Lo liked it, Randy not as much, I thought it was a lukewarm start to the show.

Lauren Alaina is next with "Wild One" by Zaca Creek. Beyonce was happy Lauren picked something fun, because she noted Lauren can be introverted on stage, and Lauren really burst out during the performance. She's also singing higher than normal, but the girl can handle it for sure. She gets a little pitchy on the higher notes, but overall a good mastery of the song. The judges thought she owned it, and she seemed pretty pleased with how much she broke out of her shell.

Haley Rinehart finishes up round one with "What Is and What Should Never Be" by Led Zepplin. Channeling her inner rocker has never really been hard for Haley, and she really finds her groove in the first performance of the night. She seems a little too intense and she even falls at one point, but overall it works for the song. She doesn't even stop singing when she falls!

The judges say Haley hands down won this first set by going for it, but there's still two rounds to go.

The next groups are songs are each hand picked by the contestants' mentor, Jimmy Iovine. He picks "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not" by Thompson Square for Scotty because he likes to compare Scotty to Tom Petty. With guitar and all, Scotty takes the stage, again showcasing his higher register. He even does a little bit of spoken word to add a little more soul which, I felt was off kilter, but the judges loved. Rave reviews all around from the panel.

Lauren's pick from Jimmy is "If I Die Young" by The Band Perry, a song that Lauren doesn't seem to have as much fun with. Perhaps she was nervous after her pantyhose ripped backstage, but there was clearly a barrier between her and the audience. She even gets lost in the song and misses her key change, causing her to really fumble through the rest of it. The judges acknowledged her stumbles, but Jennifer said she was getting caught up in the honesty of it.

Haley is up again with "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac. Part of me doesn't understand why Jimmy picked a great song for her, but not necessarily for Lauren, but Haley doesn't knock this one out of the park like I thought she would. There's no Haley in the song, she really tries to channel Stevie Nicks instead, which causes her performance to lose a lot of her signature personality. The judges felt it, too, but Randy and Steven still enjoyed it.

Long story short, Scotty took round two, leaving just three songs left before the finale.

The final round was all about the judges' picks. Their choice for Scotty: "She Believes In Me" by Kenny Rogers. Really? Are we going to crack out the Kenny Rogers? I thought we were trying to make Scotty more interesting, but okay. It turns out he does a really solid job, with a truly powerful chorus. Again with the high notes, Scotty really shows America that he's got a voice and he knows how to use it. The judges ate it up.

Lauren is next with "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack, one of my personal favorites. I didn't really think the song could get better, but Lauren takes it to a whole different level, and it just soars. She adds some great high notes and a couple little riffs that really hold up the song on its own. The judges have goosebumps and its nothing but praise from behind the table.

Haley is closing out the night with "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrisette, another song that seems to be fitting for her. And it is--during the chorus. The chorus is exactly how it should be sung, and she nails it. But during the lull parts of the song, which are, granted, a little lower than I think she's used to singing, she's not exactly as on point. Instead of staying in place like she did during the second song, she was up and around again, and it just seemed like a mess. The judges loved the chorus, but not so much the rest of it.

Consensus on round 3: Lauren is the winner, giving everyone a slight edge over the other in a way that just, well, cancels out.

Who will make it to the final two? Find out tomorrow on the results episode of American Idol, Wednesday at 9/8c on FOX.

(Photo courtesy of FOX)

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