Ramiele Malubay, Brooke White and Kristy Lee Cook await the news.

Fox

My prediction for the bottom three before Wednesday night’s “American Idol” results show included Ramiele Malubay, Kristy Lee Cook and Jason Castro. I got the first two right.

But I was definitely not ready for the jarring news that Brooke White would join them, which sent me into a spiral of questions. What? How did Jason make it over Brooke? How did Ramiele avoid the bottom three up until now? How can you even clump Brooke and Kristy Lee in the same category? Why in the world was Chikezie kicked off before Ramiele? Why do I even care so much?

At the end of the day, the answers to those questions don’t really matter. There are always those contestants you know aren’t going to win. Ramiele and Chikezie were destined to go home at some point anyway. Does it really matter in what order they’re kicked off?

Eventually they will all be sent packing, one by one (even Brooke White) and the last one will be left standing.

The only way to make sense of it is to understand that this is, after all, a popularity contest over and above a vocal competition, at least when it’s left in America’s hands to decide on a winner. And I fear — yes, fear — America has already decided on David Archuleta. (Feel free to share your thoughts about this on the “Idol Times” blog at roanoke.com, because I know many of you disagree.)

If you had to pick the final two based solely on this week’s performances, I think the contenders would be Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. (Again, I’m just talking about this week’s show.)

Michael Johns wowed the audience with a bluesy version of “It’s So Wrong, But It’s So Right.” But it was less his vocals than the way he connected with the audience that brought down the house. His days of simmering on the backburner are over. If anyone is the dark horse in this competition, it’s Michael.

Carly Smithson has proved a solid performer week after week. And, frankly, I don’t care what she wears. (Speaking of, if this is indeed a fashion show, how come Simon never slammed Ramiele for her style choices?)

Carly sang Dolly Parton’s iconic “Here You Come Again,” and dare I say it, maybe even better than Dolly herself. Then again, Dolly did say, “[Carly’s] is the kind of voice this song was really written for.” Talk about endorsement.

When it came down to the final two, Kristy Lee Cook seemed more prepared than Ramiele to pack it up with her handwritten note that said “Kristy’s seat,” intended as a placeholder for her constant spot in the bottom three.

But, at the end of the week, it was Ramiele who didn’t get America’s seal of approval. And, ironically enough, her tear-filled, final performance turned out to be her best yet because she finally had the emotion to back it up — something she lacked all season.

Just hang on to that card, Kristy, your time is coming.

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