After a bizarre series of country performances last week, the show had its first shocking elimination with the talented Alexis Grace being ousted after a poor rendition of “Jolene.”

Thus, Michael Sarver gets to hang around another week for reasons I cannot understand.

It was also sad to see Alison Iraheta in the bottom three, as she is definitely one of the most polished contestants in the competition.

Here are this week’s rankings.

The Pretenders

10. Michael Sarver

His take on Garth Brooks was awful last week, landing him in the bottom two. If there is any justice in the world, the least talented contestant left will be gone tonight.

9. Scott MacIntyre

His act is getting boring, with safe song choices and use of the piano. He must start to take some risks so that America can see if he has a great voice or not.

8. Anoop Desai

His take on Willie Nelson’s, “You Were on My Mind” was much better than his Michael Jackson performance the week before, but he still is missing that “It” factor that real stars possess.

7. Megan Corkrey

After battling through the flu and delivering a unique vocal performance on “Walkin’ after Midnight,” Corkrey is one to watch in the coming weeks.

The Contenders

6. Allison Iraheta

The 16-year old rocker has a lot of potential but landed in the bottom three last week even after a great performance. Hopefully she will find a song that better connects her to the audience for Motown week.

5. Lil Rounds

Two weeks in a row, Rounds has delivered mediocre performances. Everyone knows she has a powerful voice, but she must show the ability to take diverse songs and make them her own in order to avoid an early ouster.

4. Matt Giraud

Simon said it has been unfair that everyone has been talking about Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert when Giraud deserves just as much praise. He successfully offered a restrained bluesy take on Carrie Underwood’s “So Small.” The only question is whether or not he has the fan support to win.

3. Kris Allen

Without his guitar, Allen’s stripped down beautiful performance of Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love” impressed Simon so much that he called the performance terrific. Allen has the support and talent to hang around for awhile.

The Favorites

2. Danny Gokey

While his version of Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel” started slowly, he built up to an amazing conclusion that got the crowd on their feet. He showed why he has the potential to win the whole thing with his combination of powerful vocals and knowing how to entertain an audience.

1. Adam Lambert

While Simon called Lambert’s performance of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” indulgent, it definitely showed the singer’s vocal range and control. His originality will lead him to the end of this competition.