American Idol

We’re in that wasteland between the end of Idol season and the start of the Top 11 tour. That’s why we’re relieving some memorable performances of Season 10. The best, the worst, and nothing in between.

5. Paul McDonald, “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll”
Episode: Top 8 Performances
Why it was no good: We adore a man in a rose suit, so this one pains us. But when Ol’ McDonald staggered onto the stage for “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll,” not even a tambourine and hot blonde saxophone player could help him. We don’t feel too bad for Paul McDonald, since he’s about to marry a Twilight star. Goodspeed, you white-teethed emperor.

Paul McDonald Sings "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll"

5. Lauren Alaina, “Flat on the Floor”
Episode: Top 5 Performances
Why we love it: While Lauren Alaina was destined to go far in the Idol competition, we couldn’t help but notice the energy being sapped from the bubbly teen as the weeks progressed. Truth be told, we weren’t sure if the 16 year old could hold up under the serious pressure that was bound to come with Idol stardom. Thankfully, she ratcheted up the sassy levels on “Flat on the Floor” and gave us hope that she’d retain her pep for years to come.

Lauren Alaina Sings “Flat on the Floor” by Carrie Underwood

4. Jacob Lusk, “I Believe I Can Fly”
Episode: Top 13 Performances
Why it was no good: This was well before Jacob Lusk’s “Man in the Mirror” remark, but the gospel powerhouse was already on thin ice with his rendition of R Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” First of all, R Kelly, really? And while Jacob’s over-the-top style and dramatic vocal flourishes often worked, something about the acrobatics on this song fell flat. Couple all that with the frantic flapping motions of his arms, and Jacob fail-boated his way into Worst Performance history.

Jacob Lusk Sings “I Believe I Can Fly”

4. Haley Reinhart, “House of the Rising Sun”
Episode: Top 5 Performances
Why we love it: Everyone was into kicking our little pony when she was down, so after the judges dissed and dismissed her rendition of Lady Gaga’s unreleased “You and I,” Haley Reinhart wasn’t messing around with her closing song, “House of the Rising Sun.” Redemption was hers: Haley had the best performance of the night.

Haley Reinhart Sings “House of the Rising Sun”

3. Ashthon Jones, “When You Tell Me”
Episode: Top 13 Performances
Why it was no good: Listen, listen. When you’re the first person to go after the massive cut that reduces the number of participants by almost half, you know you’ve done something wrong. Such was the wake-up call for Ashthon Jones when she sang “When You Tell Me” during the Top 13 Performance Show and was summarily cut the next night. It’s alright, though. We still follow Ms. Jones on Twitter, so we know she’s #2driven2quit.

Ashthon Jones sings “When You Tell Me” by Diana Ross

3. Casey Abrams, “Your Song”
Episode: Top 11 Performances
Why we love it: Don’t call it a comeback, but, uh, it kind of was. Casey Abrams was on his way out of AI — as in, voted off, wave buh-bye, see ya! — until the judges saved his ginger beard from certain doom. The next week, with all of America slightly skeptical about why this (and we mean this in the nicest possibly way, we love Casey) jazzy weirdo was still on their television sets, Casey brought the performance of a lifetime. Elton John’s “Your Song” became sweet and soft and heart-melting. We were so glad Casey got to stick around for that.

Casey Abrams Sings Elton John's "Your Song"

2. Stefano Langone, “Closer”
Episode: Top 7 Performances
Why it was no good: Oh sure, Stefano Langone has big brown eyes, but his vocals never screamed “Idol” to us. Instead, they registered somewhere around “Cruise Ship Performer” on the awesome-o-meter. Which is why when ‘Fano switched from his usual closed-eyes swaying to an attempt at dancing during Ne-Yo’s “Closer,” things did not go well. Proving that stepping outside his ballad comfort zone was a fatal mistake, Stefano was long gone the following night.

Stefano Langone sings “Closer” by Ne-Yo

2. James Durbin, “Maybe I’m Amazed”
Episode: Top 13 Performances
Why we love it: Up until this point in the competition, James Durbin had showcased only his rock-god side. Sure, we knew he could wail on those Lambert-esque high notes, but we weren’t sure what he would do when the tempo slowed. Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed” was the perfect choice for James to prove there was a real voice underneath that metal scream.

James Durbin Sings "Maybe I'm Amazed"

1. Scotty McCreery, “Young Blood”
Episode: Top 4 Performances
Why it was no good: Scotty McCreery’s dancing eyebrows are still giving us nightmares. Sure, the song has a rollicking, upbeat feel, but in the country boy’s rendition, it felt gimmicky and over the top. The judges loved it, sure, but they didn’t get the close-ups of Scotty’s face contorting into terrifying expressions as he swaggered and dipped across the stage. The worst of the worst.

Scotty McCreery Sings "Young Blood" by the Coasters

1. Haley Reinhart, “Bennie and the Jets”
Episode: Top 11 Performances
Why we love it: What?! Two Haley Reinhart performances in the “Best” category? Zero Scotty McCreery? Yeah, you read this list correctly. The growly girl started her “Bennie and the Jets” cover on top of a freaking piano and looked right at home. Um, this song is still on our iPods. When we go to karaoke, this is the version of the tune we emulate. In our minds, this is Season 10’s best performance. Deal with it.