'IDOL' WATCH: The Third Results Show

A night with a number of surprises rounded out the final separation of the guys and girls, as America found out the twelve contestants that will make up the finals of "American Idol." Each of the contestants sent home this evening had standout performance within the past three weeks and many contestants who did make it through were shocked at their fate.

The contestants opened the night with their best showing yet as a group, singing Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Buble. The arrangement was top notch, as the harmonies blended seamlessly into the song and didn't make a typically solo song sound awkward for a group. The gentleman especially looked as though they were having a great time with the song. It was the first time the group performance has really felt solid.

Katelyn Epperly was the first contestant to be sent home for the night. After a rough showing last night, Epperly is not a huge surprise. She only had one standout performance since Hollywood and was never really able to connect with the audience. Her voice tone and quality are interesting, so this shouldn't be the end of her career, but Epperly just couldn't match up to some of the other contestants.

The first gentleman to leave the competition on the night was Todrick Hall. The once Broadway performer didn't have the technical ability to hold his own against some of his more seasoned opponents. Simon pointed out last night that Hall belongs in the theatre, as his performance of Somebody to Love by Queen was very presentational and would fit perfectly into a musical. Perhaps Broadway has its first "American Idol" season nine star?

"Idol" continued its trend in bringing back last season's contestants, as Matt Giruad and Scott MacIntyre took the stage performing a dual piano version of Billy Joel's Tell Her About It. The song was extremely upbeat and fun and both the guys were really into it. The piano solos were both excellent and the rock song was a great touch on an otherwise somber night.

The gentlemen were up next, coming down to Alex Lambert and Andrew Garcia. Garcia seemed the sure bet to head home after three weeks of lackluster performances, but, much to his surprise, it was Lambert who was ousted from the competition. He seemed completely taken aback at his fate as was, I would guess, many of those watching at homE. Lambert had three weeks of increasingly improving performances and losing him from the competition was a huge surprise. It was sad to see him go, since he has a great voice; he was, apparently, just unable to connect to the audience due to his lack of experience.

The last surprise of the night was the loss of Lilly Scott, who seemed to know who she was as a performer and also seemed taken aback at the news. Between Scott and Katie Stevens, the final two contestants, Stevens seemed most likely to head home after her weak performance last night. It seems Scott wasn't mainstream enough for the majority of the audience, as Stevens is a much more accessible performer to a younger crowd. It was a tough loss for the competition, as Scott hasn't had a truly bad performance yet this year.

"Idol" took some surprising turns en route to the top twelve. Beginning next week, contestants will be eliminated one-by -one, until the "Idol" champion is crowned. Next week will also bring the first of the theme weeks, the first featuring Rolling Stones' hits.

Once again, the final twelve contestants are: Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Lacey Brown, Siobhan Magnus, Paige Miles, Katie Stevens, Lee Dewyze, Andrew Garcia, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche, and Tim Urban.

The next episode of "American Idol" airs Tuesday, March 11th, at 8PM EST on Fox.

"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), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

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