'IDOL' WATCH: Down to 5

When "Idol" gets down to the top six, each week is a shocker. With so few contestants left, it is nearly impossible to predict who will head home each week and, at this point in the competition, it really feels as though it's anyone's game. Tonight featured a slew of performances and was the first real reminder of how close we are to finding a winner of "American Idol" season nine.

Rascal Flatts started the night, continuing last night's country theme with their hit song Unstoppable. The group always gives top notch performances musically and tonight was no different. Their harmonies were tight and I was impressed with lead singer Gary LeVox's vocals. Even Simon seemed to enjoy the performance even though, as he said last night, he doesn't particularly enjoy country music.

I had never heard of the group Sons of Sylvia before their performance on "Idol" and I was sadly unimpressed. Their song was quite catchy and was very solid musically. It just felt like the overall performance was a bit too intense. I was also taken aback by the instruments; you don't typically see the lead singer of a rock band jamming out on a violin. The group is currently touring with "Idol" star Carrie Underwood and, on country week, I'm not quite sure why Underwood herself wasn't the performer. The group wasn't bad, just not really my style.

Lady Antebellum performed one of the top songs playing the airwaves right now, Need You Now. The live performance sounded almost as good as it does on the recording, a feat which is too rarely accomplished in the music industry. I thought the performance lacked a bit, but they sounded good and didn't overdo it. It was a nice change to see a group consisting of two singers and a pianist/vocalist, a very atypical makeup of groups nowadays.

In another weak performance tonight, the Rascal Flatts took the stage again to perform their new song, Gypsy, with pop star Shakira. The song was alright; I was surprised at how well the country backing worked with Shakira's voice. The performance, however, was odd; the backup dancers felt out of place and I didn't like how Shakira used her skirt for the performance. I feel as though the song would have worked better purely as a stand-and-sing. Another odd performance on what could have been a strong night.

Learning the bottom three tonight was a bit of a surprise. It was a very solid week from all of the contestants, so the rest of results shows will be a shock from here on out. The bottom three consisted of Michael Lynche, Siobhan Magnus, and Casey James. The first to be saved was Michael Lynche, followed by Casey James, making it Siobhan Magnus who would not make it to the bottom three. Magnus has been very up and down in her weeks on "Idol." At times, her belt was fantastic, while at others it just seemed forced and unnecessary. Her individuality shown through in every performance and she was a nice addition to the "Idol" group.

Next week will feature Broadway star Harry Connick Jr. mentoring the "Idol" contestants on Frank Sinatra songs. This is one of the few years where the top twelve has not consisted of a crooner, so it will be interesting to see what the contestants make of it. The top five will perform on Tuesday, May 4th, followed by a results show airing May 5th, beginning at 9:00pm EST.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo (Hairspray, Hair), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages), and Ace Young (Hair).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST.