'American Idol' - 'Hollywood Round #4' Recap

Last night, we had roughly 30 minutes of content spread out over two hours, so for this hour-long episode of 'American Idol,' 15 minutes of actual stuff sounds about right. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the pace with which we sped through the remaining contestants. There wasn't a lot of hullabaloo, just people sitting in chairs and discovering their fates.

There were a few surprises, but for the most part, the people you thought were going to make it did. What really worked for me in this episode is that the focus was on the people who got in, with a relatively short amount of time devoted to watching the rejected contestants cry. 'Idol' has a tendency to linger on peoples' pain a little bit too much, so it was nice to see that they refrained here, for the most part.

We start out with a recap of Janelle Wheeler's journey so far. She performed excellently on Day 1 of Hollywood week, but had a rough group day and flubbed her lyrics a little bit on day three. However, she's cute and she has a great voice, so she's probably in. Wheeler is the first one in the chair of doom, and judging by Ellen's chattiness, I'm now thinking she's definitely in. Then, in a not-so unpredictable outcome, Janelle is in the Top 24. She then tells Seacrest, "If I were bikini girl, I'd kiss you right now!"

Tyler Grady is kind of awkward, but he had a really strong Day 3 performance, so he could go either way. Kara is kind of fawning over him while he's in the chair, so it looks pretty good for him, as well. He's in. He also does the fake-out when he comes out of the room, which is just annoying after auditions.

Lacey Brown made it into the final round of Hollywood week last year, and now she's up again. Simon is the one delivering the news this time, and he gets right to the point: she's in.

I figured we'd have a lot of filler in this episode, but instead we get the opposite: Ashley Rodriguez, Alex Lambert, and Joe Munoz are all in the Top 24, and we don't even see the drama in the chair.

Crystal Bowersox is hands-down one of the best performers in the competition right now, plus she doesn't really fit the typical mold of an 'Idol' contestant. If she doesn't get through, I will have very little faith left in this season, since from what we've seen, she's performed solidly every single time she's been up at bat. Luckily, she's in, so we can move forward. But first -- how cute is her son? He's such a tired baby!

Katie Stevens is up next. She's definitely one of the early favorites, and has given some memorable performances during Hollywood week. Ellen talks about how she hates giving bad news, and then Katie is in the Top 24.

After Katie's turn in the chair, we get a short montage of people who didn't make it to the next round. They don't even get CGs of their names on the screen. They're just gone as if they never happened.

Angela Martin is here for the third time, and she's had her ups and downs during Hollywood Week, so she could really go either way. However, since we're spending so much time rehashing her story, her chances look good. Angela is crying as soon as she walks into the room, and Kara comes over, pushes her out of her seat and leaves Angela to sit on the arm. She gets right up on her and then tells her that she didn't make it. This is definitely the first surprise we've had tonight.

Lilly Scott had an amazing first day performance, but Day 4 with the band was shaky, although her vocals were still strong. She just seems as though she's used to having her guitar and doesn't really know how to perform with a band yet. She's certainly one of the best and should make it to the Top 24. Luckily, she does.

We're just speeding through this, and we find out that Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, Jermaine Sellers, and John Park are all in the Top 24.

Haeley Vaughn and Tori Kelly are both up for the last spot. I would imagine Haeley's going to get it, but I've certainly been wrong before. Tori, for instance, had a pretty strong final performance. However, in the end, Haeley is in, and Tori is out.

Thaddeus Johnson and Andrew Garcia are up against each other for the last slot on the guys' side, and it's kind of tough. Thaddeus was a pleasant surprise, but Andrew is innovative, and I'm excited to see what he's going to do next. The judges agree with me, and while it was close, Andrew's the one who makes it through to the Top 24. Thaddeus is devastated, and while I wouldn't have chosen him over Andrew, I would have chosen him over some of the other guys in the Top 24.

Last year, it was obvious that the guys were a much stronger group than the girls, but just based on this Top 24, it seems to be the opposite this year. There are several girls who stand out for me, while most of the guys just kind of blend into the background. What do you think?