Idol Worship: 'Idol' 8.4 Redux

Finally, after a somewhat saccharine start to season 8, week three brought a little taste of the American Idol drama we crave. And as the total tally goes from an unmanageable mass to some 100 hopefuls, we also got to see some impressive talent. But we're still left with 64 to cut and who knows how our faves  — we're lookin' at you Danny Gokey, Jasmine Murray, Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds, Jorge Nunez, and Mr. White Chocolate Matt Giraud — will fare on the next round. Of course, we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves, lest we risk jinxing our chosen front-runners (the rumored Top 36 list can be found on votefortheworst), so instead, we give you a look back at highlights from the hot mess that was Hollywood week. Now, bring us more!

Buh-bye, Bikini Girl...  The show squeezed every last second of airtime out of Katrina Darrell, AKA Bikini Girl, including a good two minutes when we could only see her bedspread. But oversleeping elicited no sympathy from her groupmates, and we'll admit, a little chill of excitement came over us when hapless Ruth Fleck told Katrina to "have a fun trip home." Of course, she stuck around just a little bit longer, but last-minute motivation did little to divert the daggers coming from, well, just about everyone, nor did her Scoliosis excuse. With a final pose, Bikini Girl was gone, hopefully for good. 

Will Tatiana Del Toro ever stop talking? Shockingly, season 8's resident drama queen made it through the harrowing group rounds, despite being effectively ousted by two teams. Tatiana out-whined all of her fellow contestants and drew sneers from audience and judges alike as she clenched hands to heart for one last prayer, but someone up above must have been listening.     

And the meltdown award goes to... Emily Wynne-Hughes, who showed so much promise back on week one, day one, simply lost her grip. A last-minute song change was the first misstep, followed by a disastrous turn in group form where Emily forgot the words, and her fate was sealed. At least home isn't too far away. And with a punk band on the side, there's always the Viper Room.

Insulting Simon's clothes will get you nowhere... When all else fails, as it did for the mediocre Dennis Bringham, going on a wardrobe tear seems like a good option, until you watch the episode back later. But the eliminated Bringham had something to say to Simon Cowell: "For someone so rich, your pants are cheap... and shirt, too!" As usual, Cowell's retort was spot-on: "You just reinforced my decision a million times." Here here.

Clash of the fashion titans... We're not sure what to make of this Nathaniel Marshall kid. On one hand, his blatant disregard for style continuity (piercings, a preppy tie and a headband?) invites some curiosity, but his flair for oversharing and bawling at the slightest of stresses makes us think he can't handle real-deal Idol. Nathaniel's vocal skills might be good enough for the first two rounds of Hollywood, but like fellow eccentric Nick Mitchell (AKA Norman Gentle), the shtick may only take him so far.

Saving the best for last... You knew someone would go out with a bang, and her name was Nancy Wilson. She partnered with Nathaniel and a comparatively competent Kristin McNamara on Duffy's "Mercy," but received none from the judges. A barrage of swear words ensued, some tears, and, well, you get the picture... — Shirley Halperin