After Crystal's illness yesterday, which forced the guys and girls to switch performance nights, our resident busker chick was back, and apparently just fine. I'll be honest, I thought this was maybe the show's way of getting rid of a really talented contestant who didn't quite fit the "Idol" mold. Certainly Crystal looked totally mortified last Thursday during the group number. But she appears to be back full force, so good on her. I'm still not sure where she's going to fit into the competition, but I'm definitely interested to find out.

Speaking of Crystal Bowersox, she was up first, and in her video package she revealed that she has a twin brother who is "kind of a square," and that she carries a little wallet that she always keeps with her, and it's filled with tcotchkes from her past. Interesting. She also got a great dig in on Simon for being a rich elitist. She is totally 60's anti-establishment hippy, I kind of love it. For this week she picked Credence Clearwater Revival's "As Long as I Can See The Light." Crystal said she was going to put a gospel spin on it, which she did. But mostly she just made it fucking amazing. This was not a street busker performance; this was an authentic, beautiful, clear, and soulful vocal with an intense amount of passion. Crystal is the anti-"Idol," and she may be exactly what this show needs this season. While everyone else is a ball of nerves while serving up warmed-over karaoke, she's doing incredible numbers like this. Wow. Randy called her "the truth," and he loved that she's just being herself. Ellen called it "pure, raw, natural talent." Kara thought she completely recovered from last week (she also misnamed the song she picked last week; oh, Kara...), and that tonight Crystal hit a new level. Simon mentioned Crystal's illness -- which they didn't really address at all -- and gave her credit for not playing the sympathy card. He also said that he totally underestimated Crystal last week, and said that she had a moment like Kelly Clarkson did back in Season 1, where they realized they were dealing with an actual artist. Hasn't it been clear from Minute 1 that Crystal is an actual artist? I sure thought so.

Next up was Haeley Vaughn, who despite being the female Vote for the Worst pick, I actually kind of like. Haeley admits that she makes her own headbands and hair accessories. Hilariously, when she tried to respond to Simon's criticism last week that she smiles too much, she tried to NOT smile, and couldn't do it. Good for you, Haeley: continue being a happy person. Cynicism is overrated. She picked Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" and chose not to play her guitar this time. Like Andrew last night, that was a mistake. Focusing only on her voice showed off all of its weaknesses. To her credit, it was less shrieky than last week. But it was consistently a touch flat, and there were moments where she didn't have the breath support or something, and it sounded crazy weak. I'm not saying it was all bad, because there were some nice moments, but it was largely off-pitch. My roommate felt that it was desperate. Randy said that it was way off pitch, and that she didn't connect with the song. Kara said that, like Alex Lambert, Haeley has a lot of people rooting for her at home. But Kara also said that she needs about a year of working on her voice before she's ready for this competition. Simon called it a "complete and utter mess."

Lacey Brown was dreadful last week, and I'm surprised she's still here. Her video package informed us that she likes to go antiquing, and then refurbish her items. Oh, Lacey. You are boring. Spurred by Kara's comments last week, she did Sixpence None the Richer's "Kiss Me." It was a MUCH better fit for her voice than "Landslide" last week, but even though she played with the melody a bit, she didn't really take the song anywhere. In fact I thought her embellishments sounded terrible; there was a lot of yelping sounds. The thing is, I think she's a good singer. She's boring, but she's a good singer. And I don't think she's been doing herself a lot of favors with these performances. Randy said it was generally good, but it was basically karaoke. True. Ellen found it adorable (Lacey IS adorable). Kara liked that the song helped showcase her interesting vocal tone, especially in the beginning, but that Lacey needs to step her game up. Simon called it "marginally better than last week," but added that Lacey isn't establishing herself as an artist.

Katie Stevens can say "Give me a kiss" in six different languages. That's a little desperate. She followed up that admission with, "Don't think badly of me, America. Please." Sorry, too late. She thought she did well last week, and I thought she was awful. She steered away from the mothballs this week with "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae. I hate this song; it's on this show all the damned time. However, Katie sounded SO much better this week. The song suited her vocals, and fit perfectly within her range. She performed it competently, although she added absolutely nothing to it, and if Simon keeps talking about these kids as "artists," there was zero artistry there. Randy was not impressed, but thought it had some nicer moments in the upper register. Ellen still wants her to pick younger songs, saying she doesn't want to hear songs she would hear in her dentist's office. That's actually a good comment. Kara said she was "so frustrated" with Katie, because she's not living up to her potential. And Simon launched into his artist bit again - he was on repeat tonight - and added that it wasn't a winning performance.

Didi Benami was her middle school's athletic mascot, which was cute. She also meows prior to her performances to open her vocal cords. This week she did Bill Withers' "Lean on Me" in an attempt to "bring up her star meter," in her words. If she wants to do that, girlfriend needs to pick a song with some pep. Didi sang the hell out of the song, but it was littered with pitch problems. She really came to life in the clap-along chorus, but at that point it may have been too late. It was good, but like Simon said last week, it was also really indulgent. Randy didn't think that a soul song worked for her vocal stylings. Ellen agreed that the song choice was off, but assured Didi that she has a great voice, look, everything (I agree). Kara called it "not good." She felt like Did totally lost herself as an artist this week, which I think is true. Simon thought it was all over the place, generic, and a wasted opportunity. Didi was very clearly upset by the feedback - she nearly burst into tears, but just managed to hold them back. Aw. I like Didi. I wish she could figure out how to pick the right songs.

Michelle Delamor is so pretty, and seems very sweet - she's a kid's choir director. She picked the unconventional "With Arms Wide Open" by Creed. Smart move, taking a rock song and basically recasting it as a slow r'n'b ballad. Michelle is obviously a strong singer - she hits all the right notes (except that last night, yikes), she sounds good, looks great. But I feel like she's holding back. There were a couple moments in that song where she could have really torn into it, and instead it just kind of coasted along. Talk about missed opportunities. Randy felt like she didn't do enough with the song, and while the idea she had was good, the execution wasn't as good as it could have been. Ellen did like that she changed up a rock song, and Kara called it her favorite Michelle performance ever. She liked that she took a risk, and that she connected with the song. Simon liked it too, and thought the first half was much stronger (totally).

Lilly Scott plays all sorts of different instruments, including three different guitars, the melodica, and a bit of piano. I am really liking this girl. This week she chose Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come" and played on the 12-string guitar. Lilly made the song almost sexy, delivering it with this coo and growl that I wasn't expecting. The vocal had a couple issues, but she attacked the song with such force that the imperfections almost worked in her favor. Randy loved what she did, calling it his favorite performance of the night. Ellen told Lilly that she has got "it," and she even forgot that they were in a singing competition; she was just a fan. Kara said that Lilly just had her first "moment," saying that she was totally riveted by the performance. Simon thought it was good, but not as good as last week. I agree with Simon. I thought the playfulness of last week worked better for her vibe. But still, quite good.

Katleyn Epperly studied recording engineering prior to coming out for "Idol." Smart girl again. She'll find a home in the music industry no matter what. For this week she picked "The Scientist" by Coldplay, and accompanied herself on piano. I seriously underestimated this girl. She looked so lovely tonight, and sounded beautiful and unforced in a very challenging vocal. This was one of those game-changing performances to me. Her voice totally pierced right into me - I thought it was the best performance I saw thus far. Randy was markedly less enthusiastic than I was. Ellen fell asleep because it was so slow -- I did not have any problem with the speed; I was riveted the whole way through. Kara admitted that she kind of loves Katelyn -- me too! She did say that Katelyn's issue is that she's all over the place as an artist, and she needs to figure out who she is. Simon thought it was smart, and that she looked contemporary, but that there was something corny about her performance. But he thought she was a million times better than last week, and put herself back in the race. Boy, howdy.

Paige Miles used her video package to tell America that she likes to color. With, like, crayons and markers. Girl, we knew so little about you going into semis, and THAT is what you chose to share? I don't get her. She picked Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away," which seemed like she was daring the viewers at home to send her walking away. If I closed my eyes I could have sworn it was Kelly herself singing during parts of the song. Not quite, but their voices are surprisingly similar, with the bluesy/operatic qualities. But Paige was super rough on the falsetto notes. She had fun out there, she was OK vocally, but she didn't do a hell of a lot with it. Just sang it, more or less satisfactorily. Randy wasn't sure it was the best song, because it wasn't a great showcase for her voice. Whatever; that song has a huge range. Ellen loved it, and loved everything Paige did, especially the fact that she had such fun. Kara - who wrote the song - had an interesting perspective, saying that Paige was having TOO much fun, since it's basically a song telling a guy to take a hike. Simon felt that she picked the wrong song, and got lost in it. He also said it was forgettable, which is debatable.

Siobhan Magnus revealed that about a year and a half ago she gave herself a Mohawk, and she did a very detailed explanation of how someone gives themselves such a haircut. She is fast becoming my favorite contestant. She is so weird and charming; I just love her. For this week she chose "Think" by Aretha Franklin. Oh, girl... Not a great song choice. She was off in the upper register, shrieky in the power notes, and she lacked the vocal grit to sell this song. I think she even forgot the words for a second. But OK, then there was this one INSANE note she busted out almost at the end of the song, and she won me back over. Randy loved it, calling it "dope." Ellen loved it too, comparing it to a Snuggie - in a good way. Kara couldn't get over that crazy note, and Siobhan revealed that she figured out how to sing that way by singing Kelly Clarkson in the shower. Love. Her. Simon thought there were parts that were terrible, and then that one note that was incredible. Yeah, I agree with that. But I still think she's great, and I desperately hope she's safe.

Predictions: Crystal was amazing, Haeley is probably in serious danger, Lacey was forgettable again, Katie was safe (and will be safe), Didi could be screwed after two bad song choices in a row, Michelle did better than expected, Lilly continued to be interesting, Katelyn rocked my world, Paige had a blast, Siobhan continued to be awesome. I'd say the bottom four will include Haeley, Lacey, Didi, and maybe Paige. I hope Didi manages to stick around and get her shit together.