Tonight was a good night on American Idol. For Steven Tyler, that is, who was presented with a cake and serenaded by Stevie Wonder in honor of his 63rd birthday on Saturday.
But the night kinda sucked for someone else.
None of the remaining 11 contestants had a particularly bad time of it on Wednesday, with the majority of the judges' constructive criticism going to Pia Toscano and Stefano Langone, who were reminded that they need to not just sing so damn beautifully, but also connect more with the audience.
Going by the judges' reactions alone, it would seem that everyone deserved a fair share of votes. But, as harbinger of doom Ryan Seacrest knows going into every elimination round, it really doesn't work that way...
And it was Casey Abrams who found himself on the chopping block tonight, despite the judges' never-ending affection for his originality and his surprising range, mixed with his signature howl 'n' growl.
But when we say never-ending, we mean never-ending. Just a few bars into his "save me, please!" song, Randy Jackson held up his hand and motioned for Casey to stop.
"We know who you are, we don't need to here you sing anymore, do we, Steven?" Randy said.
"No," Steven Tyler agreed. "This is crazy wrong. We've made the decision here to keep you on."
Casey was so shaken, he looked like he was about to throw up. Happily, he did not, and the show goes on for the 20-year-old.
"Oh my f--king god," you could see (but not hear, of course) Casey saying amid the roar of applause.
"It's top 11, why would you do that?!" he asked the judges, stunned and smiling, before running out to hug his family.
Joining Casey in the bottom three were Thia Megia, which wasn't surprising, and Stefano Langone, which was a little surprising, but less so because the judges took him to task for singing with his eyes closed.
Oh, but Ryan was in fine form tonight, telling standouts Pia, Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina that, "because of the outcome of the votes, I'm afraid you'll all be packing your bags...in a few months to go on that summer tour because you're safe!"
American Idol is obviously determined to let no heart go unpalpipated this season. Including Ryan's!
When Hulk Hogan showed up to reveal the happy fates of James Durbin and Paul McDonald, he also gave the Idol host a taste of professional wrestling—a fake punch that resulted in an over-the-top dive into the audience.
So, 11 contestants remain, which, per the usual rules, means two will be eliminated next week.