'American Idol': Top 4 Elimination Results Show Recap

It was down to the Top 4, which meant no matter who went home tonight on 'American Idol,' there was going to be some drama and maybe even, a few tears. And once again, the vote for the final three did not disappoint, on that front.

Though it wasn't a Daughtry level coup, tonight's ousting was a bit unexpected, but we'll get to that in a moment. First, Steven Tyler, monkeys, elephants, Enrique Iglesias, Lady Gaga, Jordin Sparks, Windows 7 and more incentive to buy a Ford Focus.

The night kicked off with the usual voting stats from Ryan. Seventy-two million folks took a stand for the Top 4, marking the highest number of votes ever received at this stage in the competition.

On the musical end, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery teamed up for Brad Paisley's 'Start a Band.' Yes, the guys "starting a band" has been a theme this season. At one point, Scotty, James, Stefano and Paul had something going, though the name of that supergroup escapes me, at the moment.

As for James and Scotty, the two pretty much canceled each other out. Apparently, James has done country in the past, but his attempt to match Scotty's C&W flavor felt put on. Add to that the fact that he nearly lost an eye when he went in for a kiss from his baby momma, Heidi, and walked into her nose and you could tell it was already turning out to be a rough night for "The Durbinator."

Next up, Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart took their turn, double-teaming Miranda Lambert's 'Gunpowder and Lead.' The two had fun with Lambert's ode to the woman scorned, as Haley is known for getting feisty and Lauren is starting to show a little sass herself, in recent performances. It was a pretty startling contrast to James and Scotty's hokey honky tonk.

Once the performances were done, it was time to fill 'er up with a look at how the kids reconnected with loved ones a week before homecoming, thanks to the magical Windows 7 operating system. Scotty played piano for his sister (would love to see him do that on the show) , Haley caught up with her dad, Lauren chatted with her brother and dog, and James connected with his fiance, Heidi, and son, Hunter.

Finally, it was time to dim the lights. Ryan handily put Lauren in one of the freshly painted (or so Seacrest said on Twitter) gold chairs reserved for the Top 3. You'd think she'd just met Justin Bieber, got a pony and was crowned homecoming queen all in one moment, judging by the gasp of delight from Lauren.

At this point, it was pretty clear a boy was going home tonight. The debate over the past 24 hours over who would leave in 4th place has centered around Lauren and Haley. No point in selling it short if Haley were leaving ...

In preparation for their mentoring session with Lady Gaga, we got to watch the Top 4 watch Lady Gaga perform ... on TV. Of course, the performance the producers selected was Gaga's unreleased 'You and I,' which Haley took on last week. Remember how J.Lo said she should have gone with a song we all know? I sense a botched promo push here ...

Lady Gaga is a tough act to follow, even when the audience is watching the kids watch her on TV, but Enrique Iglesias was up for the challenge, performing 'Dirty Dancer' and 'I Like It.' The vocal effects on Iglesias' voice were not flattering, but props for having a Taiko drum on stage.

Moving right along, it was time for the Ford music video, in which the Top 4 danced around and created objects out of neon lights. So trippy. Ford Focus, the preferred motor vehicle of ravers, everywhere.

Thankfully, we're back to featuring former Idols on the results show and this week it was Jordin Sparks' turn. The season 6 winner took to the stage to perform her new single, 'I Am Woman,' sans purity ring, creating a firestorm on Twitter. Hey, wearing a ring that screams "I'M A VIRGIN!" doesn't do you any favors when you're singing about prancing around in stilettos.

And finally, the moment we'd all been waiting for. The premiere of Steven Tyler's new music video for '(It) Feels So Good.' The clip featured Tyler with an assortment of zoo animals, melting furniture and girls young enough to be his granddaughter. Also, Nicole Scherzinger. The song wasn't half bad though. At 63, Steven can still sing.

At last, it was time to do the deed. With Haley, James and Scotty under the gun, it was with great relief and surprise that Miss Sassafrass herself, Haley, made it to the Top 3. She and Lauren hugged it up, as the Georgia peach welcomed Haley into her elite company.

That left James and Scotty, and a result so obvious, even James knew it was coming. In fact, the moment Haley was sent to the Top 3, James shrugged and looked into the audience, likely at his fiance. Ryan read the results and Scotty bowed his head in relief as James started to tear up. The California rocker told Ryan he'd hoped to make it further, but did things on 'Idol' no one had done before, for which he was proud.

Revisiting one his most well-received performances, James chose 'Maybe I'm Amazed' as his send-off song, as he waded in the audience, face streaked with tears, to hug his wife.

Though he said he had a feeling, I'm not sure James really expected to go tonight. Did you? Let us know in the comments, vote in our poll and for more on tonight's results show, check out an all-new 'Something Pitchy!'

'American Idol' airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8PM ET on Fox.