'American Idol' Recap: Night Full of Apologies

By Carla Patton

BuddyTV

Kicking things off with a terrible, bucket-drummer laden group number are the top 7 singing "Dancing in the Street." This song is wrong for all seven of them, and the background vocals are just way too loud. In a possible homage to "Flashdance," or just dancing in the street in general, a guy spun on his head behind the contestants.

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Poor Elise. She is really trying so hard to smile and "have fun." It's too little too late. We already know she hates this.

Balloon drop! I don't care what anyone says. Anything can be saved by a well-timed balloon drop! I love the group number now.
 

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Ryan says we find out who will go home on this night as we "inch closer" to the finale -- "inch" being the operative verb here! The Ford music video was typically strange and useless. Was this one some kind of homage to "Xanadu" and/or "Clash of the Titans"?

Joshua and Hollie go center stage first, and everyone goes, "Aww!" because they are totally buddies! What will Jimmy say? The crazy person inside me wonders. Jimmy thinks that Joshua was great and that Hollie was good but not safe from the bottom three. She is not finale material in Jimmy's mind.

Ryan tells Joshua that he "didn't get the right number of votes ... to put you in the bottom three!" You're safe? Yes, Joshua is safe. And without any teasing, Ryan puts Hollie in the bottom three.

After a tribute to Dick Clark (Ryan Seacrest's mentor, not Brian Dunkleman's), LMFAO performs "Sorry for Party Rocking." What an appropriate juxtaposition. Do you think they're really, sincerely sorry, though? They didn't seem very remorseful, and neither did that dancing zebra.

Phillip, Colton and Jessica get their results last. But I thought we loved them all? My gut says it will be Colton, but only for a moment. I think Jessica's Save bought her another two weeks here, including this one, and people just love Phillip "Fifty Shades" Phillips. But what of Colton and his jacket that was "too weird" for my parents? Backstage, Colton said, "I don't want to sound cocky, but I don't care." Not cute, Colton. Not caring got Elise where she is on this night -- in the bottom three practically permanently until she is eliminated (later in this episode, perhaps).

Jimmy apologizes not only for party rocking, but also for mentoring Jessica and failing to see that she was choosing songs that were not age-appropriate. He thought Phillip just had a pass and Colton's "Bad Romance" was all wrong. "I'm disappointed about that," Jimmy says of Colton's jacket. Jimmy says Phillip should be in the finale (and probably will be!) because he is picking the best songs for himself. Yeah.

Jessica is safe (after some typical Ryan Seacrest drama), and on this night Colton will take his first trip to the bottom three. Phillip is safe. Ryan asks Randy if the voters got it right, and he can't really say yes. But they pretty much did.

Ryan creepily holds Elise's hand and calls her "baby." He tells her she is safe. Well, I was wrong! Hollie and Colton remain. Who will it be? Do you mean to scare the teenage girl within all of us into voting for Colton like crazy next week? Oh, but remember how Colton doesn't care? I bet he does.

What do you think of Thursday night's results? Did America and the judges get it right?

"American Idol" airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.