Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Way to go, viewers. It took a while, but you weeded out the worst of the bunch on Thursday’s American Idol elimination show.

Luke Mennard: Gone. I’ll miss his nice-guy image, but not his off-key singing.

Kady Malloy: Gone. I’ll miss … nothing. Not the pout. Not the imitations of Britney. Not the singing, which only got worse when she sang her exit song.

Danny Noriega: Gone. Thankfully. At long last. He joins season four’s Mikalah Gordon in the Idol Hall of Fame for annoying contestants.

Asia’h Epperson: Gone. Somewhat surprisingly. If viewers made a mistake Thursday night, she was it. Over the three weeks of singing competition so far, she certainly outshined Kristy Lee Cook and Amanda Overmyer among the ladies.

But now the preliminaries are over. No more dividing contestants by sex. The best of the bunch go head-to-head for the season seven crown.

That being the case, I thought it’d be fun to rank the remaining Idols based on where I expect them to finish.

Ranking, after three weeks:

1. David Archuleta: Wins unless voters tire of the “gee, shucks” persona.

2. Carly Smithson: Not the most personable of the ladies, but I’m anticipating some Fantasia like moments.

3. Brooke White: I’ll buy her first CD. Can’t say that for any of the other contestants.

4. Michael Johns: Has the Idol look and charisma. Needs to match it with some star performances.

5. Syesha Mercado: Talented and versatile. I could see her finishing higher if Brooke or Michael stumble.

6. Jason Castro: Likable. I just find myself rooting for this guy.

7. David Cook: The most talented of the guys after David Archuleta, but I’m not sure he has the look or the personality to finish much higher.

8. Ramiele Mulabay: Could go sooner if she doesn’t start acting like she belongs.

9. Amanda Overmyer: Could go sooner is she runs into the wrong theme week.

10. Kristi Lee Cook: She’s proven she can sing “Amazing Grace,” and what else?

11. David Hernandez: I just don’t think he’ll stand out in the field of 12, and the stripper controversy won’t win him any votes.

12. Chikezie: He’s been close to elimination at least twice.

Of course, that’s just one viewer’s humble opinion.

Think differently? Feel free to comment and rank them yourself.

After all, the fun of Idol is the debate over who should stay and who should go.