Round of 9: Country - April 5

Gordon: That's it. Welcome to another sterling Roundtable Idol
Jason: Good evening.
Gordon: We welcome all of you to the party. We start with the Country Idoler, Mr. Jason Block
Jason: Yee Haw.
Gordon: Next up, we have...do they have Canadian Country up there, Don?
Don: Um, does Shania Twain count?
Gordon: Sure she does. Finally, we have someone who loves her country as well -but in music and in location. We welcome Grandma Pepper to the party
Jason: Hello Grandma Pepper.
Grandma Pepper: Hi everyone. Let's see how close we can get tonight.
Jason: We will.
Gordon: We also welcome Joe 'Game Show Man' Van Ginkel with us this evening.
Joe: Hiya!
Gordon: Now, usually in the round of 9, the Idolers get divided in groups of 3. So we are going to do that tonight as well. I'm going to give you a person. Your're going to tell me if they are in the totally safe group, the somewhat safe group, or in the bottom three.

Kellie Pickler

Jason: Totally Safe
Don: As much as I hate to say it, totally safe.
Grandma Pepper: Totally Safe - she did a good job.
Gordon: I agree with the majority. The skit is getting old, but it wont hurt
her...yet.
Chico (Via E-Mail): Safe
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe
Joe: Kellie: Vaporized
Gordon: We have a difference of opinion here...

Chris Daughtry

Jason: Totally Safe
Don: I think at least 3 others did better this week, so I'm thinking
partially safe.
Grandma Pepper: Totally safe. I don't think he did the best, but I think that
he's solid.
Gordon: I think he's totally safe, because I do put him in my top 3.
Chico (Via E-Mail): Safe
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe
Joe: Partially Safe

Taylor Hicks

Jason: Totally TROUBLE.
Don: I'll say partially safe.
Gordon: I think he's partially safe as well. I think the soul partol bails
him out, but I was not knocked out.
Grandma Pepper: I don't feel he's safe, but I don't think that he's in complete
trouble. Partially Safe
Joe: Totally Safe
Chico (Via E-Mail): Trouble
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Trouble

Ace Young

Don: Totally trouble.
Jason: Totally Safe
Grandma Pepper: Like Taylor, I don't feel he's safe, but I don't think that he's in complete
trouble. Partially Safe
Joe: Partially Safe
Gordon: If he wasn't in trouble last week, he could be out this week, but his fan base knows that he needs votes, and he wasn't the worst one out there. Partially Safe.
Chico (Via E-Mail): Safe
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe

Katharine McPhee

Don: Totally safe.
Grandma Pepper: I think she's totally safe, I think that her performance last
night was the best and that she totally redeemed herself.
Gordon: Agreed.
Joe: Totally Safe
Chico (Via E-Mail): Safe
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe
Gordon: Next up -

Bucky Covington

Jason: Totally Trouble and Out.
Don: Put him in the totally trouble group, and I see him out.
Chico (Via E-Mail): Out
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Out
Grandma Pepper: Out. His genre is country, and he didn't even come across well in that.
Joe: Vaporized - Totally Trouble and Out.
Gordon: I think he's vaporized so far that you'll need a particle collector
to find him. Out.
Don: lol
Joe: Thank you Gordon.

Paris Bennett

Joe: Partially Safe.
Jason: Partially Safe.
Don: I'm thinking totally safe.
Grandma Pepper: In trouble.
Gordon: She wasn't as good as she was last week, but she's got all of Lisa Tucker's vote, and I thought she was ok. Partially Safe
Chico (Via E-Mail): Safe
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe

Elliott Yamin

Jason: Partially Safe
Joe: Vaporized, but not out.
Don: Totally trouble.
Gordon: Ace's group knows that he is in trouble, so his group knows that they have to vote for him. Elliott has never been in the bottom, so his group may not be as determined as Ace's, and with a lack luster effort last night, I think that he makes his debut in the bottom tonight. Trouble.
Grandma Pepper: I think that he is in trouble. I don't think that he did well at all and I think this could be an upset in the making
Chico (Via E-Mail): Trouble.
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe

Mandisa

Jason: Partially Safe
Don: Partially safe.
Joe: Totally Safe.
Grandma Pepper: In trouble. Mandisa has to give some serious thoughts to her song
selection or she is going to keep losing votes.
Gordon: I think that she was not good for the past 2 weeks and I think she is alienating voters. She did not listen to my State of Play column as she continues to select songs that only people in certain genres listen to, and I think it costs her this week. We may be in for a few shocks tonight. Trouble
Chico (Via E-Mail): Safe, but if I had a 4th trouble vote, it goes to Mandisa
Anthony (Via E-Mail): Safe
Gordon: So In summary...

Grandma Pepper: Trouble - Mandisa, Paris. Out - Bucky
Don: Trouble: Ace, Elliott. Out: Bucky.
Jason: Trouble: Paris, Taylor Out: Bucky
Gordon: Trouble - Elliott, Mandisa. Out - Bucky
Joe: Trouble: Kellie, Elliot; Out: Bucky
Chico: Trouble - Elliott, Taylor Out - Bucky
Anthony: Trouble - Elliott, Taylor Out - Bucky
Aldo: Trouble - Elliott, Taylor Out - Bucky

Joe: The Loseeeeeeeeeer! By unanimous decisiooooooon...Buckyyyyyyyyy...Covington.
Gordon: But will the audience, in a sea of lack-luster performances, see things the same way?
Jason: And we are live. Ryan is in a suit and has a beard.
Gordon: We have 35 million votes cast. We get a quick recap. Randy likes Kellie and Pauile likes Bucky.
Joe: Of course Paula likes Bucky.
Gordon: Chris took a gamble, and Randy loved Ace. Paula didn't like Paris and gets booed, but Simon liked the performance. Katharine goes after Simon. Simon goes after Mandisa. Simon goes after Elliott and Taylor as well. Ryan goes after Simon's Love Life. We see the reappearance of Kenny Rogers, who tells Simon to listen to more country music. If Kenny looks familiar, it's because he just performed on Nashville Star less than 2 weeks ago. We get Kenny's new song, I Can't Unlove You, What do you guys think?
Joe: Can't hear it. Show's not on here yet. :D

Group A: Ace/Bucky/Katharine
Group B: Paris/Mandisa/Elliott
Group C: Chris/Kellie/Taylor.

Gordon: One of these groups will be going back to the happy couch - and they are Taylor, Kellie and Chris. Now I ask you all, of the 2 remaining groups, which group is in the bottom three?
Don: I really couldn't see how Katharine would be in the Bottom 3, but seeing her in the same group as Bucky... I don't know...
Jason: Katherine, Ace, Bucky
Joe: Sad to say it will be group C. Bucky is vaporized.
Gordon: Here's the interesting dichotomy. Katharine, Ace and Bucky do have the low vote total from last week, but Mandisa, Paris and Elliott by far had the worse performances
Grandma Pepper: But the bottom group voters all knew that they had to vote last week. Therefore, I say that the Paris/Mandisa/Elliott group is the low group.
Gordon: I can't go against my grandma, and I happen to agree with her. And Grandma is... correct!
Jason: Ok. Chaos Theory please?
Gordon: Perfect Chaos Theory. None of them safe, and ... Mandisa goes home tonight. So that puts the standings thusly...

15 - Gordon, Grandma Pepper
14 - Chico
12 - Jason, Anthony, Aldo
11 - Donut
1 - Mr. Game Show Man

Gordon: Yay! Go Peppers!
Jason: Grumble.
Gordon: Any final thoughts?
Don: This is just gonna keep getting more interesting as the numbers continue to dwindle.
Jason: The American public made a major mistake tonight. Bucky Covington is this year's Scott Savol. America, I am ashamed. And I wish Mandisa would have been a little less gracious and told America the truth.
Grandma Pepper: I can't believe that Mandisa, who I felt belonged at the top, sang herself out of votes.
Gordon: I would have thought that she would go further myself, and as we see her funeral video and get one last performance, you can only wonder what would have happened if we heard her go back to country and pop like the did on the first 3 weeks of the competition. We are done here. Thanks to everyone for another splendid Idol Roundtable. For everyone, this is Gordon Pepper, saying to have a good night and to spread the love.
Jason: Good night all.