by Kylene Hamulak

With three shows this week, American Idol moves into the voting rounds, so we've all got our work cut out for us! Beginning with the Top 10 ladies, America gets our first chance to let the judges know what we think about their choices. That means YOU. So I'm blaming you if we get a crappy set of contestants.

HITS:

Breanna Steer, "Flaws and All" by Beyonce

Breanna has a shot at winning the audience. She's got the potential to grab attention with her personality, and her voice, though not perfect, is easy to listen to. Personally, I was a little bored with the song, but there's definitely something there. Keith thinks she's great, but Nicki warns her not to get comfortable - she wasn't happy with the performance at all. Randy agrees with Randy. That is not a typo - he actually said this, before saying he thought it might've been a safe choice for her. Mariah has pretty much nothing useful to say except to tell stories about herself. When Ryan asks if she was singing about someone in particular, Breanna is coy before saying "MY FANS!" Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Breanna.

Aubrey Cleland, "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie

Aubrey's performance is well done - not amazing, but there's certainly nothing wrong with it. She's a very pretty girl and has a sweet Homecoming Queen vibe about her that is either going to win her fans or get her forgotten. Keith liked it but wishes the song had allowed her to soar a little more. Nicki overall loves her, and Randy agrees and gets a little bit of a Rhianna vibe. Mariah thinks it's obvious that she has multi-platinum potential. Let's pull back a little, Mariah. We met her, like, three weeks ago. I'm not ready to commit to platinum just because she's pretty.

Angie Miller, "Never Gone" by Colton Dixon

First things first: when did she become "Angie"? The thing with Angie's performances is that they typically come off as professional in a way that a lot of others do not. She's comfortable at the piano so there's no awkward stage presence, her voice is full of the emotion she needs to sell the song, and the pieces just all seem to fit together. Keith is gushing - he says the guys are all standing because they know they're watching a true artist. Nicki tells her, "The trumpets should sound when you walk into the room, little girl." She thinks Angie just won herself one of the five spots. Randy tells America that a star has been born on the stage and Mariah loves it.

Amber Holcomb, "I Believe in You and Me" by Whitney Houston

Remember the good ol' days on Idol when NO ONE would dare touch a Whitney song? I miss those days. Not that Amber is bad - she actually carries the song pretty well - but...she's not Whitney. Still, I think she was one of the strongest vocals of the night. Keith calls her tone exquisite, and Nicki scores it a ten. Billion. Katrillion. Madillion. Cause THOSE are real numbers in Nicki's world. Randy declares her "IN IT TO WIN IT", so you know it's serious. Mariah loves her and awkwardly compliments her new hair. The color, she means. It looks very nice.

Candice Glover, "Ordinary People" by John Legend

Congratulations, Candice. You have successfully retained your status as one of my favorites for, like, three weeks running. Like Angie, Candice comes out and just seems like a professional. I'm a fan of pure cheesy pop music, but I can recognize a damn good singer when I hear one. And Candice? She's a damn good singer, without the attitude that can typically be enough to turn me off. Keith calls her superb and loves her blend of old soul with current. Nicki salutes her - and that's it. Randy calls her one of the best singers in the competition and wonders how we could possibly move on with only five. How could we POSSIBLY, Randy? (Note: I fully expect a wild card at some point.) Mariah says the goosebumps continue.

MISSES:

Zoanette Johnson, "What's Love Got to Do With It" by Tina Turner

Zoanette's performance begs of us, "what's love got to do with it" but it seems the better question would be, "what's singing got to do with it" because I'm not really sure. She's off key, she's pitchy, she's yelling - you know, basically the things she always is, except that this time she doesn't have theatrics to distract us. Keith sugarcoats how bad it is, while Nicki tells her that her last performance was more indicative of where her career should be headed. "For this particular song, you've gotta be on key and stuff," observes Nicki. Randy says, "That was a mess right there." Mariah calls her a "bundle of festivities," but...yeah, it was not good.

Tenna Torres, "Lost Lyrics" by Faith Hill

Tenna's intro package is all about Nicki criticizing her hair last week, and thank God for that. Whatever she had going on with the last hair looked terrible, and is greatly improved this week. Her voice? Not-so-much. I mean, she definitely hits notes that I can't, but it seems really strained and...dare I say it...pitchy? Something didn't work for me. Keith warns her not to let the camera pull her out of the emotion - maybe that was my issue with it too? Nicki likes her hair this week...and also her boobs. And, because Randy is a 12 year old boy, he can't let the comment go. Gah, sometimes I just want to hit him in the face. I hope Nicki does it at some point this season. Anyway, she loves to hear Tenna sing, but isn't sure her personality has caught on enough yet. Randy gives her props, and Mariah loves her and hopes America does too.

Adriana Latonio, "Stand Up For Love" by Destiny's Child

Adriana tries really hard to have a moment with this song. Too hard, really. Keith is nervous about the song choice, and I agree with him - considering the other performances on the night, she might be at risk. Nicki hedges for an eternity before, basically, telling Adriana to go home and try again next year. Randy agrees that it was pageanty and safe, and Mariah can't exactly find the words to say that it was bad song choice. I honestly don't really understand what she said, so if someone wants to get some subtitles all up in here to decipher her rambling in the future, it'll be much appreciated.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Broken Record: Randy tells us it's a girls' season to lose. "We haven't said that in a long time." Except...not true. They've been trying to get a girl to win this thing since the guitar boys started taking over the crown to begin with!

Best Idol Pun: When Janelle Arthur, speaks, all I hear is Hayden Panitierre's character from Nashville.  She seems totally comfortable on stage with "If I Can Dream" by Elvis Presley, despite her nerves after last week's criticism and close call. I'm by no means a country fan, but I can listen to this girl's drawl. Keith loves her "classic country voice". Nicki refers to her as "a lil' marshmallow that I wanna eat" and calls it the best vocal of the night. Randy loves the throwback vibe in her voice and wants someone to make a classic country record, and Mariah congratulates her, calling her "America's Sweetheart." Ryan throws out a s'mores pun. Now I want a snack.

Favorite Judging Segment: Once again, Kree Harrison comes out in an understated outfit, and her performance of "Stronger" by Faith Hill is as effortless as her style. Keith points out that the first two words in Idol are "I" and "Do" and says he DOES love her singing and thinks she fits right in with some of country's biggest superstars.  Nicki and Kree trade some quips (and British accents) and it's clear this girl definitely has a quick personality as well. "I'm obsessed," says Nicki. Randy also declares Kree "IN IT TO WIN IT", so that's two, if you're keeping count. Mariah says it's a true experience every time Kree performs.

Final Thoughts: It's up to America to choose the top five girls, though I do suspect we'll get at least one more trick out of the Idol playbook before all is said and done. I'm notoriously awful at predicting these things, but based on tonight's performances, I'd have to put Candice, Kree, Angie, Amber, and Janelle through, with the first three being practically guaranteed unless there's craziness with voting. Breanna deserves consideration but might be hurt by her early performance slot, and don't be surprised if Aubrey sneaks in in based on marketability.

Who were your favorites tonight? Who do you want to see going home? 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!