Last night's American Idol delivered its first true shock of the season with the elimination of ladies' favorite Michael Johns. An informal survey of friends and my mother shows a majority believes Johns' performance of Aerosmith's "Dream On" was far better than those of Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, who joined him in having the lowest vote tallies of the final seven. Host Ryan Seacrest delivered the blow, but only after a cruel insinuation that he might be safe—last year, you'll remember, the results show following Idol Gives Back gave one more contestant a second chance. Not until Johns' eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope, did Seacrest hand him his walking papers: "Sorry, Michael, your journey ends tonight." Smooth, Seacrest.

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