What's Left Of Kenny Rogers sings one of those bullshit country songs with the clever wordplay, all, "I can't unthink about you, I can't not unremember the unthinking rememories of whatever." The pimpomercial involves Taylor obnoxiously destroying Kellie's ghetto car with the help of the Idols, and then Mandisa using electric Jesus to create a Ford Fusion from the pieces, and Ryan cracks that Kellie's so stupid, she probably thinks that's how cars are made.
Ryan splits the Top 9 into three groups, one of which is the bottom three. These are the groups: The Fakes (Chris, Taylor and Kellie), The Surprises (Mandisa, Paris and Elliott), and The Huh? (Kat, Bucky...and Ace). The Fakes immediately get sent back, of course, but it gets weird, because Kat and Bucky were awesome, while Ace is...Ace; but on the other hand, the Surprises have never been in the bottom three in any configuration.
Back from commercial, The Huh? are sent back, leaving Mandisa, Elliott, and Paris. That is so weird. I know all three of them sucked, but they...have fan bases, no? Elliott's fine, and it would be funny if Mandisa went home, because everybody loves/loved her. Mandisa looks calm and cool, Elliott's jumpy, Paris is keeping it together -- all as usual. Then Ryan sends Paris to sit down so fast you might blink and miss it. Simon says that Mandisa and Elliott were screwed by song choice, but at least Elliott's song, "If Tomorrow Never Comes," is recognizable. Always important. Ryan wishes them luck, then dismisses Mandisa. She rocks her sing-out, which is always nice -- really the featured player is Bucky, who keeps singing along and then clamming up when the cameras find him -- but brings an unnerving amount of Jesus into things at the last second. Later!