After performing a song from the year they were born, the jury decided the Top 11. Last night was the elimination night. Who was in the bottom three? Who had to pack their bags and leave home? Who was safe? We have the answers to your questions.

Haley Reinhart, a 20-year-old from Wheeling, IL, Naima Adedapo, a 26-year-old from Milwaukee, WI, and Karen Rodriguez, a 21-year-old student from New York, NY were this week’s bottom three vote-getters. Reinhart and Adedapo were eventually cleared into the Top 11, while Rodriguez was voted off during the elimination episode on Fox tonight (March 17).

Karen Rodriguez

The news came as a shock for young Rodriguez who received praises from Steven Tyler for her “ethnic-what-is-it-ness” when she delivered a take on Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead You Back” on last night’s episode. So she didn’t expect to receive the least votes from home viewers.
“What I love about you Karen, is I could tell you were a little bit scared when you came out, but instead of like letting that take over, you attacked it. I was like, ‘Go! Do it!.’ Yes, that’s how you have to do it. That’s what you have to do. If you are nervous about certain notes, don’t go there. As a professional, you don’t have to. Never expose your weaknesses. Play to your strengths, okay? If it’s not all the way there, then do it,” Jennifer Lopez said after Rodriguez’s Wednesday performance.
“Listen, it started a little rough but by the time you hit the chorus, the first chorus, you kind of found the pitch and found the range and you were on it. I think it was definitely better than last week. I’m still not like jumping up and down or whatever, but, welcome back,” Jackson added.

So, Rodriguez didn’t want to give up so easily and asked the jury for a second chance, she asked for “The Judges’ Save,” which the judges can use once during the finals to prevent the elimination of a finalist who receives the fewest home viewer votes during a weekly performance round. She gave them a multilingual performance of Mariah Carey’s “Hero” that earned a standing ovation. “It just felt great to have at least that one chance,” she said as she broke down in tears following the performance. “I can do so much better, and I know you guys believe in me.”
Unfortunately, Randy Jackson gave her the news that, despite the fact that their vote was not unanimous, the judges had chosen not to save her.

Now, with the elimination of Rodriguez, the show has 6 male contestants and 5 female contestants. In addition to Adedapo and Reinhart, Casey Abrams, Lauren Alaina, James Durbin, Stefano Langone,Jacob Lusk, Scotty McCreery, Paul McDonald, Thia Megia, and Pia Toscano also still remain in the running for American Idol’s tenth-season title.

Season 9 champ Lee DeWyze tried to chill out the atmosphere by performing his latest single, “Beautiful Like You” and shortly after Black Eyed Peas hit the stage and performed “Just Can’t Get Enough” for the first time, dedicating the single to “our friends in Japan.”

This entry was posted on Monday, March 21st, 2011 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Americal Idol.