The American Idol 9 judges had few negative comments to make Tuesday night, which set the stage for a very unpredictable elimination round on Wednesday’s results show. Thirty-three million votes were recorded following Shania Twain night.

Rascal Flatts kicked off the show with “Unstoppable,” performing the tune as ably as you’d expect. Classic country song, very straightforward stage show, a few hot guitar licks. The song was really, really long. Rascal Flatts is soon going out on tour with Shakira, an odd combo.

Ryan Seacrest introduced a video clip of the Top 6 Idols getting their make up and costumes done for the next Ford video, a vampire-themed commercial that was truly, truly bad.

A promo for the new Shrek movie followed. The Idols went to a special screening of the movie, wearing Shrek ears and 3D glasses for the event. Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderes joined Ryan Seacrest on the stage to talk more about the movie. “There’s new beginnings, and also endings, in this film,” Cameron smiled. Shrek: The Final Chapter is in theaters this May. Yes, you’ll have to wear 3D glasses if you decide to go see it.

The Top 6 would be split into three groups as tension was drawn out on the stage. Siobhan Magnus was the first to stand to hear Ryan’s comments. She moved to the far side of the stage to form the backbone of the first group. Aaron Kelly was the next to rise. He was asked to stand in the center of the stage. Michael Lynche stood, and predictably became the first to form his group on stage.

Lee DeWyze was moved to Siobhan’s side. Casey James was asked to stand with Michael Lynche. This left Crystal Bowersox standing with Aaron Kelly.

Ryan Seacrest asked Siobhan Magnus to move next to Casey James, which formed the bottom 3 for the week. Fairly surprising to see Casey James in that group. The judges found his performance on Tuesday to be one of his strongest too date.

Carrie Underwood was also in the house for the evening. She introduced Sons of Sylvia, whom she will be touring with this summer. Their song “Love Left to Lose,” was delivered by the lead singer in a throaty growl that was literally impossible to decipher. If you happened to watch The Next Great American Band, you know these boys used to be known as the Clark Brothers (and prior to that, along with three more brothers they were the Clark Family Experience). They won the competition, but none of this got mentioned because the show bombed badly (FOX is mostly to blame for it, too, they shoved the series into the ill-fated Friday night summer slot where so many others have crashed and burned). Anyway, that’s who’s touring with Carrie Underwood if you plan on catching a show. My advice? Show up late.

Lady Antebellum appeared on stage to sing “Need You Now.” I was unfamiliar with the act before they performed on Idol. They delivered a solid enough performance for country week, if rather boring and tedious. I have to wonder if they understand what “antebellum” means.

It was unending. After the break, Rascal Flatts was again brought to the stage to perform - this time, with Shakira. The performance debuted a brand-new Shakira song, “Gypsy,” for which she played the harmonica and dressed like she was in a play of Aladdin. Awful, awful song, terrible choreography and what the hell was the tune even about? Anybody figured it out yet?

What a godawful results show. At long last, Ryan Seacrest turned his attention to the bottom 3 for the week: Siobhan Magnus, Casey James and Michael Lynche. “Everybody did well last night, so there’s no shame in the bottom three,” Michael Lynche told Seacrest. The host then gave Big Mike the good news and sent him back to safety, leaving only Siobhan and Casey standing on the stage.

After the break, Siobhan Magnus was kicked off the show, leaving Crystal Bowersox as the only remaining female in the contest. Siobhan got the sweet performance spot for Tuesday and Vote For the Worst support, but it just wasn’t enough to save her. Her singing voice is amazing, and Siobhan’s got a good chance of doing well.

For her final performance, Siobhan sang “Think,” a song which won her lots of attention on the early weeks of the show. Her voice was too high and strident, but Magnus performed ably under the circumstances. Siobhan walked off stage to hug her family as soon as she was done singing. Magnus also exchanged hugs with the judges before the episode closed.

And so, the path is clear for Crystal Bowersox to shine as the show’s sole diva… and Vote For the Worst needs to find another candidate. Stay up to date on all the post-elimination interviews, spoilers and gossip - read all our American Idol 9 posts.