The votes are in and someone is out. It would have been just as easy to make it a top eight and let us vote off four more this week, but there's commercial time to be sold and weeks to go before we get there. No one is wearing a tie tonight, not even Ryan. Everyone is pretending to be relaxed when they feel like they are waiting for an accident to happen. It is an accident...of fate, luck, predestination, whatever. Someone is going home first and no one wants that on their resume. Still, if they are lucky and don't badmouth the wrong people, they will have an exciting year ahead of them. There is still the group record and the tour if they're interested. They all got the Ford commercial tonight, corny as usual; let's hope it pays well.

Tonight's special guest is Stevie Wonder, showing the kids how to do it right. Let's hope Paula does not offer constructive criticism after his performance. She would probably complain about his choreography. Stevie still has it, always had it, will always have it. He's called Stevie Wonder because he is.

Finally we are getting to the bottom three. First in the bottom three is Ace. Some people in the audience seem surprised, but America doesn't like to be sold a product before they've tried it out, and what we were sold with Ace and what we've seen don't quite match up. Hype will sell if the product merits attention. Otherwise, it can work as easily against you, and this is the case here. The judges have listened to all the Hollywood hype about Ace's rising star and tried in turn to sell it to us. We just want someone that sings like a boy or man and seems sincere doing it. We don't want Ace. Constantine was a much better mugger for the camera and was certainly more exciting a performer than Ace, so we've been there before and we don't want to go back there.

Melissa made the mistake of forgetting her lyrics and is the next person in the bottom three. Historically, in most reality shows, a woman is the first person voted off. I don't have scientific facts, but I've watched a lot of series. The third person in the bottom three is surprisingly Lisa. It is never who you think it is going to be. Ace is the safe one tonight. Maybe it will shake him up and make him act more natural and less like someone that thinks he has it made. Lisa is also safe and Melissa is going home. It's not a big surprise. Everyone better watch out, because America is voting in strange and mysterious ways. We've been tricked before, but we won't be fooled again... at least until next week.