Semifinal Destination

''American Idol'': The viewers have spoken

What's worse for an American Idol hopeful: singing so horribly that viewers can't stop discussing it, or turning in a performance so middling that no one discusses it at all? The subject is still up for debate after season 5's first semifinal results show, during which the widely panned Stevie Scott and Bobby Bennett, and the forgettable Becky O'Donohue and Patrick Hall, were deemed by the viewing public to be unfit for a second week of live performances.

Stevie and Bobby's respective ousters will be sweet music to most TV Watch readers. ''I don't know how Stevie Scott made it to the top 12, but I was cringing watching her sing,'' wrote Missfendi, articulating the opinions of most of our message-board posters after the opera-trained teenager massacred Josh Groban's ''To Where You Are.'' ''She was so unbelievably bad, I was embarrassed for her. Out of all the thousands of people who auditioned, she's in the top 12? I don't get it.'' EW.com reader Susan, meanwhile, questioned how Bobby made it this far after a rendition of ''Copacabana'' that was murder on the ears. ''Do the producers choose bad singers to make sure we don't vote their favorites out?'' she wondered.

As for Becky and Patrick, all I can say is that after scouring a few hundred reader comments, I could find only a handful about the former, and only two about the latter. While Becky's vocals on ''Because the Night'' were better than the judges had expected from the comely twin (and onetime Fear Factor contestant), it was pretty clear she'd never have the chops to compete with front-running divas such as Mandisa! and Katharine McPhee. Patrick's barely passable ''Come to My Window,'' meanwhile, paled in comparison not only to Melissa Etheridge's original but also to the rendition by season 2 Idol hopeful Kimberly Caldwell, and voters responded (or, rather, failed to respond) accordingly.

Still, the contestant who drew the most vitriol on our message boards — tart-tongued diva Brenna Gethers — got enough votes to make the final 20, putting her in contention for this season's Mikalah Gordon Trophy, awarded to an overconfident screech owl whose popularity with masochists allows her to outlast a host of more talented performers. Sorry, readers, but I fear we'll be watching Brenna shake her derriere and perform her self-spanking dance moves for at least a few more weeks. Better keep your finger on the ''mute'' button.

What do you think? Should Heather Cox and David Radford be offering up a silent prayer of thanks? Were you stressing when it looked like Kevin ''Chicken Little'' Covais and Kinnik Sky might be sent packing? Or are you simply waiting for the final 12, when you'll be able to jump from Taylor Hicks to Paris Bennett without some earsore sandwiched in the middle?