Wednesday’s performance episode opened with American Idol’s Top 12 male competitors. Tuesday’s performance episode was so lackluster, it would be hard for the men to sound anything but fantastic.

“This group of guys…I’m really pulling for,” Randy Jackson commented in the opening banter.

“It’s totally different here than at home,” Ellen DeGeneres explained. “If we’re saying you don’t sound great here, you’re sounding worse at home.”

“If you lose it tonight, if you forget the lyrics, your career is over,” Simon Cowell was the voice of doom. Would his dark works be enough to shake up the contestants who would perform?

Todrick Hall was the first to be featured, something of a controversial contestant in this year’s Top 24. He sang “Since You’ve Been Gone,” in a very high-energy performance that put his smooth vocals on display. Hall is a great singer, but he may not be able to overcome his somewhat shady background and stick around on the show. “You’re such a great performer,” Ellen DeGeneres commented, though she add that “the singing wasn’t the greatest.” Randy Jackson thinks Todrick is a “mad performer,” but felt he might have changed the tune a bit too much. “It’s undeniable that you are a performer,” Kara DioGuardi agreed with Randy. “I think you came over as a dancer trying to sing, rather than a singer who can also dance. I thought it was a crazy arrangement with the song,” Simon Cowell told him, claiming that Hall “murdered” the song. “I think it was verging on stupid, what you just did,” the judge declared.

Aaron Kelly, 16, was the next up on the big stage. He sang “Here Comes Goodbye,” ballad-fashion, badly mumbling his lyrics. Kelly got stronger vocally in the chorus, but he has serious problems with his phrasing. Even despite this, Kelly has a beautiful singing voice, and he seemed to win over the crowd as he began to belt more powerfully. Simon Cowell thought it was “quite a good performance,” though he spotted some problems with Aaron’s confidence. Kelly is Kara DioGuardi’s “favorite kind of contestant.” She, too, bid him to be more confident. “I think we’re going to see incredible things from you,” she predicted. “You’ve got a huge voice,” Randy Jackson observed. “I think you’re going to be here a long time,” Ellen DeGeneres encouraged Kelly.

Jermaine Sellers hit a rough patch in Hollywood, vowing that he would never again throw the band under the bus as a result. He sang “Get Here” in a soft croon, completely captivating the crowd who watched. Jermaine’s powerful, melodious vocals are the stuff of Top 12 greatness, though he did hit a few rough notes during the huge number. “I felt like you were pushing a little too much,” Ellen DeGeneres told him. “I felt like you were trying too hard,” she concluded. “The look is hot,” Randy Jackson complimented, “but you were trying to do too much vocally with it.” “I think you wanted to show everybody what you could do,” Kara DioGuardi observed. Simon Cowell thought Jermaine tried to “over sing it.” “I think you’ve totally blown your opportunity with that, if you want my honest opinion,” Cowell offered little hope.

Tim Urban was on display next. He was a last-minute replacement for Chris Golightly, who was originally in the Top 24 but had to be kicked. He chose “Apologize” for his first turn on the Idol stage. That he also chose to wear a weird outfit was an unfortunate side effect of the very boring, vocally flat performance. Tim valiantly tried to impress the crowd with his falsetto, which he didn’t hit correctly even once. Is Tim good-looking enough to live down his bad performance? “We absolutely made the right decision, first time around, by not putting you through,” Simon Cowell decided, saying “the vocals were weak” and “I just don’t think your voice is good enough.” “It just over-powered you,” Kara DioGuardi said of Urban’s song choice. “You’re likable, you’re cute and you’re current,” she encouraged him. “Dog, it was just really the wrong song,” Randy Jackson agreed with rest of the panel. “None of it worked,” Randy explained. “I think it’s smart to choose a song people like and know, but you just couldn’t hit those high notes,” Ellen DeGeneres told him. “I think people will want to vote for you because you’re adorable,” she added.

Joe Munoz, who has been seen only very briefly on the show, was the next to take the stage. His song was “You and I Both,” and he started out with an uncertain warble that was both hard to hear and to understand. Munoz definitely has lovely vocals, but his lyrics were completely unintelligible and when he opened up his tone completely fell apart. “You are so comfortable on stage,” Ellen DeGeneres noticed, praising his “great stage presence.” “Not quite the perfect song choice,” Randy Jackson observed, but added that he likes Munoz’s voice. “I think it was an okay, safe, forgettable performance,” Simon Cowell judged. “I’ll definitely bring something exciting,” Munoz promised the viewers, looking forward to his performance next week.

Tyler Grady, the 70s throwback, was the next to take the stage. I think everyone sort of wanted him to sing something from The Doors, but he made a great choice with The Guess Who’s “American Woman.” Grady tried to rock it out, but he was off at several points throughout the song. He’s got massive amounts of stage appeal, however, and on Idol that’s been known to make up for a lot. “Plus side, people are going to remember that performance. Down side, partly for the wrong reasons,” Simon Cowell said. “It’s all a bit clichéd, it doesn’t feel natural,” the judge added. Kara DioGuardi agreed with Simon. “There’s an obsession, kind of, with the seventies. And it’s kind of playing too true to it,” she said. “It definitely was style over substance,” Randy Jackson told him. “You’re lacking the charisma, and you’re lacking that kind of excitement,” Ellen DeGeneres explained.

Lee DeWyze has only been seen in passing until his performance on Wednesday. He strummed his guitar while singing “Chasing Cars.” The soft start set the perfect tone, putting Lee’s unique, raspy vocals on display. When the tune picked up, the performance become something much more special. Everything was perfect - perhaps not technically, but Lee truly gave everyone a spectacular show. Ellen DeGeneres liked the song choice, though she did criticize him for “screaming too much.” “I gotta disagree with E, man. I didn’t like the song for you,” Randy Jackson told him. “You almost made the song unrecognizable at parts,” Kara DioGuardi told him. “I’m going to completely disagree…because I thought this was the best performance by a mile,” Simon Cowell cried. “This guy is a naturally good singer,” he declared.

John Park has also been very briefly featured, but his interview was wildly entertaining. It was unfortunate, then, his song started on a sour note and never got much better. The old-fashioned song was rockily crooned in completely out-of-tune vocals. It’s almost always a bad decision to do a ballad for your first Idol performance. “You have got to have an incredible voice to take on that song, and you haven’t,” Simon Cowell told him. “It came across as very flat, and, interestingly, zero emotion,” he added. Kara DioGuardi agreed with Cowell. “There was no connection. It got a bit lounge-y at times,” she said. “It made you feel old,” Randy Jackson explained. “I don’t know why you chose that song,” Ellen DeGeneres offered her opinion. “I liked the performance. I thought you sounded great. I just wish it was a different song,” she smiled.

Michael Lynche got a lot of attention during Hollywood Week, mostly because his wife went into labor during the whole thing. Lynche does have an amazing voice, which made him easy to feature in early episodes of the show. He chose “This Love,” and appeared on stage wearing plaid and carrying a guitar. None of it seemed to fit, and the song choice was terrible for Michael. His phrasing was incredibly difficult to understand and his smooth, pretty vocals were swallowed up by the fast-paced song. For Lynche, a ballad might not have been misplaced. “You have so much personality, it is just bursting out of you,” Ellen DeGeneres found. She loved the song choice, and “loved watching” Lynche on stage. Randy Jackson also liked Michael Lynche’s performance. “What they’re really trying to say is that you were like the support act before the main act,” Simon Cowell told him. “You delivered so little on that performance,” he explained.

Alex Lambert wore a blazer for his moment in the spotlight - truly a bad choice. The mullet is also a terrible, terrible choice. His “Wonderful World” was very twangy and a little too quiet. Lambert has an unusual sound, which could help him stand out, but his weak delivery and absolutely awful look aren’t going to get him very far. “I don’t know who was happier for that to end - you, or me,” Simon Cowell told him. “That was the most uncomfortable performance of the night.” He thinks Lambert has a good voice, but pointed out that nerves were a serious problem with him. “I feel like he needs a hug,” Kara DioGuardi commented. “It’s just not completely together, but you have great potential,” she encouraged. “I hope you stick around,” Randy Jackson declared himself a fan. Ellen DeGeneres likes Lambert’s mullet and finds him “adorable.” “You just need to ripen. You have all of it. It’s all right there,” she encouraged him.

Casey James wore his hair and shirt loose for his time in the spotlight. He sat on a stool and played his guitar to sing “Heaven” in a gentle croon, and right away it was a good performance. James will probably find more than a few female fans. There’s no question he’s got a great voice, but he offers up some very weird facials when he’s singing. “Casey, I don’t recognize you with your shirt on, first off,” Kara DioGuardi told him. “I think you got a little pitchy,” Kara seemed very discombobulated. “You sounded great,” Ellen DeGeneres told him. “You’re going to get votes like crazy. It doesn’t really matter,” she said. “It was a great song choice for you,” Randy Jackson told him. “You are eye candy, but you’re also ear candy,” Kara added her serious opinion. “We both were cursed with good looks,” Simon Cowell told him. “You absolutely chose the right song. It came over as very honest, very sincere,” he said. “Obviously, the cougar here likes you,” Cowell got in a little dig at Kara while he was at it. It was a good performance, but the judges accepted it as a foregone conclusion that James will go pretty far in the contest. I think that’s been made clear for a while now.

Andrew Garcia was the last performer of the night, a good choice for the final song. Garcia’s strong voice was sure to make his turn on stage a highly-anticipated moment. He chose “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down,” and started off the number with only his voice and guitar. The arrangement of the song made the tune sound very original, and Garcia’s lovely vocals completely filled the stage. “I was looking forward to hearing you more than anybody else tonight, but I was disappointed in that,” Simon Cowell found, calling it “too indulgent,” “too serious” and “not original enough.” “It was a really strange rendition of that song,” Kara DioGuardi told him. “The arrangement was really strange for me,” Randy Jackson admitted, adding “I’m a fan of you.” Ellen DeGeneres encouraged him to “turn and open up” more while performing.

They will all be judged during Thursday’s elimination episode, along with the Top 12 girls. Two from each side will go home, and each week four more will leave until only a single Top 12 remain. Stay up-to-date on all the behind-the-scenes stories, spoilers and gossip - check out all our American Idol 9 posts.