Welcome back to "AI Aftermath," where we explore Idol's past. Each installment, as one more American Idol hopeful is eliminated from the competition, we take a look back at contestants past who were eliminated at the same point. We'll examine how they did on the show and what they've been up to since their eliminations. In honor of Syesha Mercado's elimination this week, we'll be looking at other fourth place finishers.

This week: 3rd place finishers, featuring featuring Nikki McKibbin (Season One), Kimberly Locke (Season Two), Jasmine Trias (Season Three), Vonzell Solomon (Season Four), Elliott Yamin (Season Five) and Melinda Doolittle (Season Six).

I'm not ashamed to admit it. I grew up with the Paula Abdul vs. Janet Jackson rivalry. Janet had a better singing voice, but Paula was the better dancer. Now, here it is six hundred years or so later and while Janet's never stopped recording, it's been awhile since we've seen Ms. Abdul sing and dance. If you missed her Super Bowl performance, now she and Randy Jackson have released the official music video for their new single "Dance Like There's No Tomorrow."

For a woman of 45, Paula looks and moves great. Her vocals are about what they've always been, but nevertheless this has a great dance hook and should do very well in the club scene. Maybe this will be the beginning of a full-fledged comeback for her.

Call it what you will -- the downfall of pop music or its savior -- there's no denying that 'American Idol' is a fickle god-maker.

Some winners have found great success (hello, Kelly!), some have been dumped by their labels (so sorry, Ruben and Taylor), while some also-rans have gone on to bigger and better things.

We check in on 30 'AI' alums and fill you in on which ones are in trouble with the law, which are still giving it their best shot ... and which have fallen off the radar.

On Wednesday night, many of us were shocked to see "resident pro" Melinda Doolittle get booted from American Idol. But more shocking than that, many of us swore we heard Ryan Seacrest mistakenly announce her upcoming ouster prematurely.

Here's what happened. After Elliott Yamin performed, and before a commercial break Ryan said, "We've got more music coming up live from Maroon 5. Plus, more emotional results and Melinda Doolittle goes home."

American Idol's season five finalist, Elliott Yamin, has a new look to go with the release of his debut album. He'll be promoting his CD with upcoming appearances on The Ellen Degeneres Show (March 27 at 4 PM), and Jimmy Kimmel Live (April 4 at 12 AM).

Last year, I wasn't on the Elliott bandwagon. Every time I looked at him, I pictured Mr. Tumnus from Narnia. Unfortunately, I didn't appreciate how good Elliott's voice was, until he was gone. I don't think that any of this year's male finalists even come close to matching Elliott's vocal talent. Simon Cowell even called Elliott "potentially the best male vocalist in the history of American Idol."

Judge for yourself. You can listen to samples of Elliott's music, by going to his MySpace page.

Hey, Brigitte here with TV Squad Daily. I'll be covering the TV stories I find interesting each day, Monday through Friday, in this video blog.

Today on TV Squad Daily:

• Yunjin Kim of Lost shares some advice for men on winning the woman of their dreams that would have many women thinking about a restraining order.
  
• What's your online persona wearing? Lauren Conrad from MTV's The Hills has a new line of virtual clothing.
  
• When you think of Elliott Yamin, former American Idol contestant, think of salad.
  

The video's embedded below, or you can download the file directly (Quick time required). You can also subscribe to this podcast via our feed.

I'm no fan of veneers, but in the case of Elliott Yamin, I'm glad to see it. Elliott placed third in last season's edition of American Idol. He was dubbed 'snaggletooth' for his extremely crooked teeth-- something that I have to admit I found distracting.

Elliott told People magazine that he spent 20 hours in the dentist's chair to get his new chops because he has been embarrassed about his smile since he was a kid. He said he figured out how to smile, and even how to sing, by showing the minimum amount of teeth. Elliott's new teeth are worth $50,000 but he got them for free from an LA dentist... just in time for the release of his first album, which is due early next year.

What do you think of Elliott's new look?

If I tried, I couldn't make this up. People reports that former Idol contestant Elliott Yamin is recovering from surgery for a broken finger. That's all well and good, but the bizarre part is how he broke his finger. Apparently, after a night out, Yamin was picking up rocks and throwing them at a sign. Somehow he managed to get his finger "caught on a rod holding down a rock."

The hell? How big was that rock? When I go out for a round of throwing rocks at signs I generally stick to the smaller stones. They are generally much less likely to be rooted to the earth with rebar. A plate, two screws, and a cast later Elliott seems to be on the road to recovery.

Shocking news from the world of American Idol. While Taylor Hicks was the first to sign his recording contract because he actually won the contest, a handful of the other finalists are right behind him with recording contracts of their own. According to TMZ.com, RCA Music Group (which signs all the Idols) has already signed runner-up Katharine McPhee and is reportedly in negotiations with Chris Daughtry and Ace Young. Third placer Elliott Yamin is reportedly being wooed by Hollywood management company The Firm.

At this point, I'd say it's a crapshoot. Who can guess which contestant will be most successful? So far, the only really successful non-winner seems to be Clay Aiken, who sued to break away from the Idol contract. And the only really successful winner is Kelly Clarkson, and that's because she split from 19 Entertainment, the management company that mis-manages all the Idol winners.

Despite all the mania surrounding Lost, there is apparently a lot more mania surrounding American Idol. Last night's episode of Lost had its lowest ratings of the season (lowest, anyway, for a new episode). Even though it was the lead-up to the season finale, it couldn't stand up to the awesome power of the American Idol results show. This is amazing to me because that results show is crap. There's no need to actually watch it. Just log onto the internet, people!

Last night, Idol averaged 27.1 million viewers and a 10.5 rating/25 share while Lost averaged 14.2 million viewers and a 5.9 rating/14 share. Yowza. I think things are only going to get worse for Lost next week.

Elliott Yamin, voted off American Idol last night, believes there's a music career in his future. Today, he told the Associated Press that, "I'm going to do whatever I can just to be heard and be successful." He said if that means doing an Old MacDonald Has a Farm remix, he'll do it. He also said he doesn't want to lose his individual style. Huh? What style?

Ahhhh. He's sweet. Sadly, I think poor Elliott is going to go the way of other American Idol contestants like... uh... what's-his-name and what's-her-name.

I'll confess to this -- I did cry after watching Elliott's homecoming footage. I'm not the type of person who typically cries at a reality show montage, especially for one involving an Amish leprechaun (as one reader expertly described him.) But I'll fess up to crying tonight. I sniffled and thought, "man, it's going to be sad when he gets eliminated tonight." But then I shrugged my shoulders and remembered ... I don't like Elliott. Never have. But my tears were real, and not faux like Ryan's sexuality or Paula's boobs. I am slightly embarrassed that I broke down so easily. But hey, you gotta admit that seeing his mom choke up during Elliott's parade was a tear jerking Music/Variety/Game Show moment.

It was a good send off for a kid that nobody really thought would make it this far. (Oh, except Paula, of course.)

 

Anna Johns asks a very important question -- with Chris gone, does anybody still care about American Idol? My answer is yes and no. Chris was my number one dude, and I'm destroyed that he's gone. The thrill of the game has left me. I no longer feel the shrill of excitement every Tuesday when Chris takes the stage. I am now filled with blood lust, and I thirst for the demise of Elliott. I don't blame America for Chris' untimely elimination. I blame Elliott. I'm not exactly sure why, but somehow he is at fault. It's certainly not me. Taylor deserves to be in the finale, and so did Chris. Katharine? Eh, I guess. Elliott? Not so much.

With Chris gone, I have a new reason to watch Idol. I want Taylor to destroy them. Destroy them all. When we first met Taylor, he seemed the most unlikely candidate for American Idol. He's got gray hair. He's kinda tubby. And he looks like he's taking a dump when when he sings. This whole season has been absurd, so why not end it with a fireworks display of absurdity. I want Elliott and Katharine to be buried alive under the avalanche of votes that Taylor will receive. I want every man, woman, and child to vote for Taylor. I want more Americans to vote for Taylor then there are actually in America. I want Mexicans to illegally swarm over the border like locusts, with their Cingular Wireless phones in hand, just so they can vote for Taylor. I want him to destroy those other two. I want Taylor to rise from Chris' fallen ashes and pour acid rain all over Elliott and Katharine. I know that being bitter over Chris won't bring him back, but it makes me feel a hell of a lot better.  

With Chris Daughtry out of the running... does anyone even care who wins American Idol? Taylor's grey hair and windmill dancing skills are growing old. Elliott is talented but really boring. And Katharine is cute- but is she ready for the big time? I just don't see any of these three people being the next American Idol. I mean, just look at the photo. Two yahoos and Katharine. Which one of these people looks like a star to you?

American Idol judge Paula Abdul is patting herself on the back for Elliott Yamin's sudden success on the show. She told Teen People magazine, "I feel like I changed the face of the competition by making America wake up and see the talent that Elliott possesses." Um, I think somebody is drunk with power (hey! maybe that's her problem!). At this point in the game, the judges have zero influence over the competition. We all have eyes and ears and can see that Elliott finally 'brought it' to the stage.