American Idol host Ryan Seacrest called this year’s Top 3 competition the “closest race this show has ever seen,” but that was before the three performed their three songs. Now that the music has faded and the votes are in, there’s only one question left: who will make it to the finals, and who will make it only as far as elimination?

Each Idol contestant visited their own home towns last week, a traditional event for all Top 3 American Idols every season. For this year’s crop it meant a visit to Murray City, Utah (David Archuleta), Kansas City, Missouri (David Cook) and Tampa, Florida (Syesha Mercado).

David Archuleta began the night by singing “And So It Goes,” a Billy Joel tune picked for him by Paula Abdul. This was a horrible, awful song choice. It you’re picking Billy Joel, for crap’s sake at least pick “Piano Man.” David wore a weird leather jacket as he sang his way through a very boring performance. It was a terrible, terrible song choice and a darn depressing way to begin the evening. Randy Jackson felt that Paula “chose a dope song,” and told David “you are in the zone.” Paula thought “it was a beautiful performance,” and Simon found it “very good,” though a “bit predictable.” I truly didn’t think it was good…at all.

Syesha Mercado received her song from Randy Jackson via text message. The song: Alicia Keys “If I Ain’t Got You.” Syesha was gorgeous in a glittering pale gold gown, and though the song was rather mellow, Mercado spiced it up with her big vocals. Randy felt that she “did an amazing job.” Paula Abdul was likewise full of compliments, saying “you look absolutely stunning.” Simon felt she “sang that very well.” He even piled on another accolade, saying “overall, it was…and you look gorgeous, by the way.”

David Cook was doing an interview with FOX when Simon Cowell sent him a text message informing him he’d be performing “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack. Simon said he wanted to see “something different,” and that’s exactly what he got. Cook performed with soft vocals and a much more sedate, put-together look that what he usually sports. It was, indeed, something different from David Cook and I was once again blown away by the beautiful vocal ability he so very rarely shows. He hit his stride when he hit the chorus, easily putting the other two performances of the evening to shame. He capped it off with a huge finish, solidifying this as the best performance of the entire night. It was a much needed moment for David Cook. Randy, however, didn’t particularly care for Simon’s song choice. “I want you to rock, baby,” Jackson cried. Paula reminded her two male cohorts that “It’s about you, David,” and went on to praise the performance. Simon thought it was “one of your best performances to date,” which I fully agree with, before he delightedly cried “Round 1 goes to Cook and Cowell.” Which I also agree with. I will also add that it’s good Cook performed this one first instead of last - to finish the evening with this performance would have created a landslide of votes in his direction. That this was his first number still creates hope and possibility for the other two competitors.

David Archuleta stepped up to sing a song of his own choosing, “With You” by Chris Brown. I was glad he picked an upbeat song, but his vocals sounded a trifle off just the same. Maybe it was all the screaming from the female audience - it was hard to hear anything but. It all sounded a little breathless, but David managed to nail down an ending. I was okay with everything until I realized he was wearing plaid pants. This is the Idol stage, Archie, not the back nine at TPC Sawgrass. Randy was “not sure that was the right song.” Paula disagreed, saying “I think it’s perfect,” and “I think you did a great job.” Simon Cowell wasn’t afraid to tell the favorite the truth. “It was a little bit like a Chihuahua trying to be a tiger…insomuch as, it’s not really you,” he criticized.

Syesha got showy with a very theatrical rendition of “Fever” by Peggy Lee. She wore a short, sparkly frock with fierce heels for the number, displaying sultry vocals and dance moves. I thought it was great and felt impressed with her wonderful vocal range. Randy found it to be a “very interesting song choice,” but thought it was a “great performance,” and that she sang it “amazingly well.” Paula didn’t like the song choice but still had compliments to offer, telling Syesha “you look lovely.” “I think you will probably regret that decision,” Simon Cowell predicted, finding it all to be “quite a lame cabaret performance.” But he couldn’t predict what would come next.

David Cook appeared to sing Switchfoot’s “Dare You to Move,” a popular radio song. He did nothing at all interesting with the arrangement, presenting a pretty normal David Cook performance. He did, however, put a whole lot of feeling into the tune. Randy found it to be a “very, very good song choice,” but said it was “a little pitchy, baby.” Paula was not of a like mind, saying “I wanted more!” Simon decided it was just an “okay middle round” for the entire Top 3.

David Archuleta had one last chance to make a lasting impression with the producer pick “Longer,” a truly horrible and awful song choice if ever there was one. This song is a very slow, very old-fashioned ballad…and sadly, that’s just the way Archuleta sang it. Blame it on the producers all you want, this kid could have done a lot more with the arrangement of this song. I wish he would have put some new life into it. Archuleta gave the tune a nice finish, but honestly I’m not sure it was enough. Randy found it to be an “interesting song choice,” but still felt it was “another hot one” for Archuleta. Paula thought it was a “lovely performance.” Simon had no fear when it came to bashing the producer pick. “I think you sang the song very well,” he told Archuleta, but felt the song itself was “absolutely horrible” and “gooey.” I’ll agree with that.

Syesha Mercado sang “Hit Me Up,” in a sparkly top and tight black pants. She showed off her big vocals, inserting perhaps too many runs for this poppy song. She did, however, sound and look great all night long - more than what can be said of David Archuleta, who performed all three of his tunes in a rather lackluster fashion. A weak finish on Syesha’s last song could easily cause her trouble. Randy found this last performance of hers to be “just okay.” Those involved with the show, if it isn’t obvious, are still strongly pushing toward a David-David final. “You did the song very well,” Paula Abdul praised, “I don’t know if it’s gonna be enough,” she added a warning. Are you serious? David Archuleta totally bombed on stage! Simon found this Syesha performance to be “better than the second song,” but still found it “a little bit forgettable,” saying she lacked a defining moment. Can any of you even remember one moment of Arch singing “Longer,” then?

David Cook was made to sing “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing,” putting him in a pretty tough position. It’s hard to cover such a famous tune on Idol. Cook didn’t do much to the arrangement, though he did get big in the middle and gave the performance a strong finish. It was still nothing really new from Cook. Honestly, I’m not a fan and I haven’t been on his side all season long…but I’d be bloody shocked if he didn’t make it to the finals. Randy said of the performance “it was okay.” Paula Abdul cried “see ya in the finals!” Simon Cowell made his own announcement, “David Cook wins the night!” And really, I can’t help but to agree.

David Archuleta could easily be upset by Syesha, though Idol’s remaining female is still on thin ice in the face of such huge popularity for the show’s youngest contender. David Cook, on the other hand, seems the most solid and safe of the three. Could this finally be the year where a rock n roller wins Idol? It would probably be better for Cook if he did not.