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Similarly, Tyler Grady and Justin Williams brought tough-luck anecdotes to their auditions. The former arrived in bell-bottom jeans, a purple polyester shirt, and matching casts on both of his broken wrists, the result of an unfortunate tree-climbing (!) accident. (I blame the Ents, even though I have no proof.) Naturally, Tyler's attire inspired an utterly clueless critique from Randy — ''Is this 1961?'' — and had me preparing for a classic Idol train-wreck. I mean, seriously, it usually ends up one of two ways for a guy in retro garb doing spastic dance-moves in front of the confessional camera: Simon destroys their dreams and their self-esteem with one withering put-down, or the contestant and the judges end up having a group chuckle at the dude's haplessness. But nope, this time around, the outcome couldn't have been more atypical. Tyler opened his mouth and let out a growly, pitch-perfect take on ''Let's Get It On,'' one that was free of nerves and delivered with an unrushed cool that you could find on a shelf somewhere between Anoop Desai and Michael Johns.

Justin also got the ''sympathy edit'' from producers, who focused on his successful fight against cancer from seven years ago rather than on his participation in season 8 Hollywood Week alongside fellow ''White Chocolate'' members Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, and Asia Morrison. Did Randy, Kara, and Simon really not recognize him (unlikely!) or did some crafty Fremantle/Fox gnome manage to leave any mention of his prior Idol acts on the editing-room floor? Either way, I felt like the details of Justin's medical triumph cast an undeniable shadow over his pitch-perfect but slightly twee delivery on ''Feeling Good.'' (Was it me, or did the rendition lack the wallop of Adam Lambert's more aggressive season 8 interpretation?) Still, it's not hard to understand why the judges sent Justin forward, or why the producers gave him plenty of pre-commercial-break promotion: With his spiky hair, carefully manicured stubble, and Crest-white smile, dude looks like he's one styling session away from a major-label album cover. With so many attributes to inspire, did anyone else find it a little odd that the best Victoria Beckham could do was declare he had a ''nice voice, nice face, nice presence, and nice smile''? Randy, please bequeath the woman your unopened Thesaurus!

Two other potential semifinal prospects emerged last night — and if scientists could magically combine their DNA, then Leah Laurenti and Ashley Rodriguez would form a terrifying super-contestant. As it stands, though, both ladies have some work ahead of them if they want to see their photos in an opening-credits montage next to Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

Of the duo, Ashley — who bears a striking resemblance to season 6 champ Jordin Sparks — is perhaps the more promising. Her rendition of ''If I Ain't Got You'' was quite pretty, but a little nondescript, and as I sit here and type this recap, it's Ashley's sparkling personality, her inherent star quality, and what appeared to be some eight-inch red spike heels that remain in my mind. Kara's critique kind of said it all: ''You have the look and the voice to be very commercial.'' In other words, is her instrument distinctive enough to stand out when she's pitted head-to-head against the best undiscovered vocalists in America? Possibly not.

Leah, meanwhile, may actually have what it takes vocally — there was nothing safe or forgettable about the way she tore into ''Blue Skies'' like a cheetah into a baby impala — but her energy level comes to a screeching halt the minute the music ends. Oh, and girlfriend may have not have been exposed to secular music as a kid, but I bet there are more flattering ensembles in your average Cabela's catalog than that too-short, too-drab skirt and ill-fitting gray top she was rockin'.

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