This was the best they could find?

When I was in high school I had a friend who had an amazing voice. She was the lead in all of the school plays and was incredibly talented. Everyone who went to school knew this, as did the teachers, the parents--you get the picture. The thing is, I am sure that my experience was not unique. I would guess that most people knew such a person. And yet...the ten women we saw on television yesterday were the best American Idol could do? Sure, maybe everyone had an off day. But it was pretty bad.

My major peeve last night, other than the pedestrian singing, was song choice. This is the fifth installment of the show. When will people learn that, especially in the beginning, choosing a song that America likes will keep you in? People want to hear something they know and love. It's just that simple.

The episode was so bad, that I think ranking the singers this week will be very hard. After third or fourth place, I think everyone could essentially be tied. But I'll try anyway.

1. Mandisa. No question that she was the best last night. I didn't love the song she sang, she was a little sharp and shrill at points, but at least she showed she could sing and had real power in her voice. Before the show started I told my boyfriend that I thought Mandisa would sing very well last night, and I was right.

2. Ayla Brown. I liked her a lot last night. Again, the song wasn't so great, but she did a good job with her voice. The comments from the judges were interesting, implying that they think this is the best she can do, but for last night, I thought that was more than good enough.

3. Paris Bennett. She is still my favorite. Her performance was boring, and she looked a little scary at times, but I understand why she sand "Wind Beneath My Wings." I think that she figured she didn't show off her vocal range last week, so she would do so this week. I bet she does very well next week. My boyfriend (who loves Paris) pointed out that she would be great singing a Jackson Five song. I think he is right. Too bad Will already sang my favorite Jackson Five last week ("I Want You Back").

4. Lisa Tucker. My other favorite in this competition, still. I didn't like her song either. In the end, all the front runners/judge favorites like Paris, Lisa and Katharine needed to do this week was not fall flat on their faces, and they would be fine.

5. Kinnik Sky. I liked that Kinnik was entertaining. She showed that she has presence and knows how to move around on stage. That sets her apart from a lot of the crowd. The song didn't do anything for her voice, but it was fine.

5. Melissa McGhee (tie with above). She was fine. I think McGhee is a better country singer than pop singer, but unfortunately for her, she is not Carrie Underwood, so that won't get her so far.

7. Kellie Pickler. I really don't like Kellie Pickler. The judges go on about her personality and how American is going to fall in love with her and blah, blah, blah, but I don't see it. I wonder whether America is going to start hating her because they are pushing her story too hard. She sang well last night, but I didn't think it was anything special. I don't think she would be in the top ten at all if it wasn't for her story--I don't think her voice gets her there.

8. Katharine McPhee. She doesn't need to worry about getting kicked off, but I thought she was horrible. The lower notes were too low for her, she couldn't quite reach the high notes, the song choice was bad. Awful. Might have been the worst one of the night. But she'll be around next week.

9. Heather Cox. She actually didn't sing poorly at all, and would probably be higher on my list, except that she chose a Mariah Carey song, and could not come close to singing it with the power or personality of Mariah Carey. Why bother listening to her when I can put in a Mariah Carey CD? [Edited to add--I do not own any Mariah Carey CDs. Really, I don't. But I am always amazed at how American Idol helps me to recognize that certain singing stars, like Mariah, actually can sing.]

10. Brenna Gathers. First off, she really reminds me way too much of Mikayla from last year. She sounded bad. She doesn't have the personality to keep her in (everyone already hates her) so she will go. I will miss the look on her face in the background (up on the second floor of the stage) when others sing. Her expression is so sour when the rest sing, like it hurts her ears to hear them. I love it.