American Idol Top 6 to Duet on Performance Night --- Our Dream Pairings!

AlthoughAmerican Idol has waited until the Top 4 to pair up the finalists for the last two seasons, but this year the remaining six finalists will duet on Carole King night, Entertainment Weekly reports. After weeks of Scotty sticking closely to his country roots and Jacob refusing to restrain himself on any of the high notes, it's about time these Idol hopefuls paired up and learned a little something from each other (especially since the judges remain so tight-lipped on giving any advice whatsoever).  We provide our dream pairings and what the final six will hopefully take away from having to share the stage.

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Scotty and Casey: As tempted as I am to pair the season's two young'uns, Lauren and Scotty, together, I think all Idol fans can agree that Scotty needs someone who is going to force him to — finally — branch out from the country genre. Lauren is certainly not going to be the one to do that. So who better to get Scotty to experiment than the biggest risktaker of the season, Casey? Last week's group performance of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" not only proved that when someone twists his arm enough, Scotty will try something new, but also that he can do it well! And vice versa, hopefully Scotty's consistency on stage can help balance out Casey, who has been much more erratic with his performances so far this season (he didn't almost get voted off for nothin'!).  Finally, here's hoping that some of Casey's musicianship rubs off on Scotty so that he learns how to properly hold a microphone. It's not a flute!

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Haley and Jacob: Haley and Jacob's strengths lie on opposite ends of the musical scale. Haley knows how to growl and hit the low notes, while Jacob 's high notes have quickly become his calling card. Haley has showed her rock side plenty of times, but it's her attempts at R&B and more soulful music that have earned some of her toughest criticism from the judges despite what a natural fit her voice is for the genre. Jacob, who loves nothing more than to show off his vocal range and steal the show, has come a long way from the beginning of the season, but could still stand to learn some of the restraint Haley has demonstrated since the beginning. Although she can't hit the same high notes Jacob can, Haley is just as much of a stage presence as he is and wouldn't let herself be outshone and outsung by Idol's biggest diva.

Lauren and James:  In the early rounds of the competition, Lauren wowed the judges with rock songs like "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" and "I'm the Only One." But as the competition has gotten stiffer, Lauren has shied away from stretching her voice, and stretching outside of the country mold so many fans were eager to put her in. Much like Adam Lambert's "Slow Ride" duet with fellow Season 8 contestant Allison Iraheta, we can only hope that with a rocker like James for a partner, Lauren would at least inch closer back to her rocker roots. As for James,  maybe a female duet partner would allow him to show his softer side and slow down a bit (ala his performance of "I'll Be There for You") after what has felt like week after week of fast-paced rock songs.

American Idol airs on Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.

Who do you want to see paired up on Idol? What songs should they perform?