Big Mike was probably most out of his comfort zone during country week, and he didn't make it any easier by choosing a lesser known song like "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing." Although he sang it well, he ended up in the bottom three and finds himself at the bottom of our rankings.
2 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
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Your take: "Big Mike has a decent voice, but he almost always overuses his vibrato and he's just boring to listen to. I totally disagree with the judges' assessment that he sounded like Luther Vandross tonight. Big Mike is Big Mike. He's a better-than-average wedding singer ... but no Luther." — LarryCox1
3 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
Aaron Kelly
Aaron used the country theme to his advantage, earning high marks from the judges for the first time in a couple of weeks. His performance of "You've Got a Way" kept him safe, but he's still not feeling much love from our users. How much longer can he hold on?
4 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
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Your take: "Aaron is maturing every week. He can prove that he is a dark horse in the competition just like Kris Allen was last season.— KhSymo
5 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
Casey James
Casey's stripped-down, vulnerable version of "Don't" was a judge pleaser, but he found himself in the bottom trio again. He still has user support in our poll, but his song choice over the next couple weeks is going to be crucial.
6 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
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Your take: "The best of the night. Say what you want about Casey, but he's been consistent all season. When he's doing his bluesy bar band performances, he's solid, if repetitive. When he slows it down like he did with 'Heaven,' 'Jealous Guy,' and 'Don't,' he really shows that he's more than just a good-looking guy. At this point, I think he probably deserves to be in the Final 2." — darclyte
7 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
Lee DeWyze
Lee's performance of "You're Still the One" was believable, even if he continued to hit some bum notes here and there. Although his voice seems to cover those mistakes (at least for the judges), we think he needs to work those issues out if he wants any shot at pulling off an upset.
8 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
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Your take: "I don't understand why Lee is still around? Yeah, he can sing ... but he sounds basically the same. Unlike all the remaining Idols, Lee does not sing from his lungs. It is always throaty. He has no real range or ability or hold or sustain a note." — tc13rn
9 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
Crystal Bowersox
Crystal's slowed-down country jam on "No One Needs to Know" earned her non-glowing reviews from the judging panel. (It had to happen eventually, right?) No bother, as she still earned a whopping 55 percent of the votes to top our poll once again.
10 of 10 Michael Becker/Fox
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Your take: "Crystal's performance was just fine. The song was right in line with things you'd expect to hear on her album — as a B-side. ... It's a good song, but it's not the type of song that will ever win a singing contest, particularly a 'lowest-common-denominator' contest like Idol." — tmsassan