DeAndre Brackensick: The Milli Vanilli throwback (there, we said it), who's struggled to find himself on the show despite his undeniable talent, redeemed himself following Billy Joel week (his "Only The Good Die Young" was by turns cheesy and unwatchable) on Eric Benet's "Sometimes I Cry." The California teen's soul-tinged falsetto was a hit at the judges' panel -- especially with Lopez, who pleaded with viewers to vote for the distinctive R&B singer. "People pick up your phones and call for DeAndre! I need to hear his voice some more! A few more weeks for me," J-Lo exclaimed, simultaneously building up Brackensick and suggesting that she doesn't see him in the finals.

A seamless journey through the lives of German youth on a Sunday afternoon.

The Process

Jessica Sanchez: Sanchez was born Aug. 4, 1995, and even as a toddler she was “a little diva.” Will i. am has another nickname for her: “Swaggernaut.” Sanchez said she was going to perform “Turn the Beat Around," by Gloria Estefan (but I plenty of Idol viewers, myself included, are old enough to affiliate it with Vicki Sue Robinson first). Sanchez looked great on stage, with sparkly disco pants and a full command of her performance. The powerhouse vocals were there, but she stumbled with the rhythm, no doubt about it (to borrow a phrase from the song). I commend her for doing something upbeat, even though Tyler had the opposite opinion: “I love your voice... can’t stray too far from what you do best, ballads.: Lopez said Sanchez’s selling point is her“strong vibrato,” but she had “to be syncopated and on the beat" and that she “lost energy.” Jackson told Sanchez she had some things still to work on. It all begs the question: will Jessica Sanchez be this season’s Pia Toscano?

The boys and girls paired up for gratuitous, albeit enjoyable duets, a new twist on Idol's format and an apparent effort to lengthen the Fox show. Dixon and Laine sang "Islands In the Stream," standing in for Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, but we much preferred it when Mya sampled the melody in the '90s hit "Ghetto Superstar." Brackensick and Cavanagh performed the Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited," and it involved a lot of swaying, hair-tossing and all-around '80s-ness.