The show started out with the usual fluff and filler: recaps of last night’s performances, Peter Noone singing a song that was hip for about 3 ½ minutes 40 years ago, and Brad Garret doing some comedy schtick in a last ditch effort to get people to watch his struggling show, Til Death (which just happens to air after the results show, naturally).

Ryan finally starts reading the results, and calls off names of contestants who need to stand:

Phil, Melinda and Blake….are not the bottom 3! The only one that comes as news to is Phil, but whatever.

Chris Sligh, Lakisha and Jordin….hey, you’re not the bottom 3 either. Yawwwn…tell us something we don’t know, Seacrest.

Sanjaya, Hayley, Gina are asked to stand up (Hayley and Gina look ready to gag) but—c’mon, were you REALLY surprised—they are NOT the bottom 3, either.Chris Richardson and Stephanie: You ARE the bottom two this week. One is safe, one leaves tonight.

Okay, I may not be good at math, but ONE of those previously “safe” people HAD to have been in the bottom 3. To not reveal who it was is deceptive, don’t you think?

A commercial break, a shameless plug for “Idol Gives Back” (the cheesy charity they’ve set up), and then a performance from last night’s other guest mentor, Lulu. I loved her as a judge, and loved her original version of “To Sir With Love,” but tonight I felt like she was trying too hard to be hip and current. Her sexed-up black slinky outfit and short blond ‘do made it look like she was an Oliva Newton John impersonator, and she oversold the song, imo.

Two minutes left in the show, and the person going home tonight is: Stephanie Edwards.

No big surprise there…Stephanie has been skating on thin ice for a while now, trying to find her way and carve out a niche for herself in the competition. She got edged out by Lakisha, Melinda and Jordin…all it took was one weak performance.

And the train wreck that is Sanjaya lives to see another day. *sigh* There’s always next week…