American Idol got what they wanted.  There's no easier way to put it.  That's taking nothing away from the two finalists; they are talented people who have cultivated vast fan bases.  However, it has been abundantly clear to anyone watching American Idol this season that there was some favoritism on display.  It may have been slight and, ultimately, unprovable, but it was definitely there.  It's not a particularly bad thing, either.  At this point in American Idol's existence, where you end up placing isn't important.  Exhibit A: Chris Daughtry v. Taylor Hicks.  So, even if you wanted to get upset about possible foul play by Idol in engineering this final two we find ourselves with, there's no use.  Tonight's results show was saturated with 58 minutes of filler before we finally got the results we already knew were coming.

My least favorite aspect of tonight's results show was the fact that we didn't learn who the bottom two were, only who received the least amount of votes.  It's probably a smart move by FOX.  It would have definitely changed my view going into next week depending on who was second place this week. 

The only special guest American Idol had tonight was Fantasia Barrino who, with bright red hair, performed a very energetic song.  I enjoyed it, and it's fun seeing someone so weird just go for it.  The rest of the episode was devoted to pre-made videos.  For each member of the top three, we saw the video from their trip home last weekend, plus another video showing us their “journey” throughout the season.  Fantasia and the videos = 58 minutes of footage. 

In the end, it was as we expected. Syesha Mercado was eliminated.  Syesha isn't the greatest singer in the world.  But, she sells it.  Her future is either on Broadway or as an actress.  While her advancement to the Top 3 of American Idol is more an indictment of the middling talent of this year's crop than anything else, Syesha is a talent.  I suspect this will not be the last we see of Ms. Mercado


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)