'American Idol' Top 24,' Season 10 Recap

'American Idol's notorious "green mile" can be a long, hard road for the contestants. And the same can be said for viewers ... when it's three hours long.

Last night, instead of a second hour of the Vegas performances, we endured the first hour of the cut down to the Top 24, with the reveal of the first five to make it through.

Tonight, we sat through two more hours of the same. For those of you who've been following the 'Idol' spoilers, there were no surprises, but for the rest of you, tonight's 120-minute suspense-athon might have been bearable.

Indeed, the age of the Twitter, Facebook and just the Internet, itself, has made keeping 'Idol' secrets a much tougher job. But shame on us for skipping to the last page. For everyone else, tonight's two-hour affair did hold some surprises.

The lyrically challenged Tatynisa Wilson managed to break into the Top 24 while seven-time audition vet Jessica Cunningham couldn't catch a break, even on her birthday. The 25-year-old can only hold on to the hope that eight's a charm, while 15-year-old Thia Megia made it through, thanks to the lowered age requirement.

John Wayne Schulz' ouster comes as another surprise. Schulz seemed much more polished and consistent than his nearest competition, Scott McCreery. But maybe that's just it. While Schulz, whose been hitting the local music competition circuit since he was a kid, is more of a pro, Scotty's shaky, hit-or-miss performances are just more watchable. And in the end, this really is about good TV, not good music.

As for the rest of the girls, spoiler or not, Lauren Alaina's Top 24 slot should come as no surprise. Even if you take away her sucking up to Steven Tyler, Alaina's been consistent in her performances. As for J.Lo comparing the now 16-year-old and her "Barbie cowgirl boots" to Dolly Parton, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Piano men Tim Halperin, Stefano Langone and Robbie Rosen all passed with flying colors. Among the three, Halperin seems to be the strongest but he's also the oldest.

Jovany Barreto, on the other hand, proved he's more than just a Chippendale's wannabe, busting out a little Jon Secada. This guy can sing -- and strip! There's gotta be a future in that.

As for James Durbin, I'm surprised his screechy performance of Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' didn't keep him out of the Top 24. J.Lo appeared to be in pain throughout the performance, but Randy Jackson and Steven seemed to buy the poor man's Adam Lambert routine. There's no doubt that James Durbin can sing, he just needs to learn how.

New York's Pia Toscano, season 6 'Idol' vet Rachel Zevita, super-strict music teacher and group night diva Jordan Dorsey and the emotional Jacob Lusk also made it through. In fact, Randy said Jacob's performance of 'God Bless the Child' may have been the best 'Idol' performance ... ever! Oh boy, I think Jacob might just start crying again.

And speaking of hyperbole from Randy Jackson, Casey Abrams (who's currently receiving medical attention for stomach pain) also won praise from the only remaining original 'Idol' judge. Casey wanted to bring a little sex to his final audition with Peggy Lee's 'Why Don't You Do Right?' and succeeded in the judges' eyes. Randy said 'Idol's' never had a musician as talented as Casey. So yes, he's in the Top 24.

However, one favorite who didn't make it is Jacee Badeaux. The 15-year-old Louisiana native faced off against Colton Dixon, who we've seen little of and Carrot Top/Mick Hucknall hybrid Brett Loewenstern.

After he finished arguing with Ryan Seacrest over how many slots were left, it was clear to Brett and the other two boys that only one would make it into the Top 24. Brett won the spot but there's plenty of time for Colton and Jacee to return to 'Idol' or even 'The X Factor,' if they're up for it.

With the Top 24 in place, it's in America's hands now. Who will you be voting for next week? Let us know in the comments! And for the complete list of the Top 24, click here.


'American Idol' returns with the Top 12 guys Tuesday at 8PM ET on Fox.