Over 180 singers descended upon the Hollywood stage at the Kodak Theatre. For 85 of them, the dream ended, and they made the trip home with only thoughts of what could have been. For the other 96, the journey through Neverland continues, as they are shown how deep the rabbit hole goes.

At the end of day 2, the judges and producers give the final 96 their next assignment: group sing. A bad decision on groups or songs could mean the end of the line for the entire group.

First, the Dreamers started out with three, Mary Powers, Alex Lambert, and Margo May. Their song selection attracted Erynne Hundley and Hope Lambert. Then there's the Denver-based Mighty Rangers (Maddie Penrose, Danny Jones, Mark Labriola, Tori Kelly, and Kim Kerbow) and a group called Phoenix, which included a person from Danny Gokey's group last year. Back to the Rangers, though, who can't seem to get their helmets on straight, if you follow.

And three-fifths of the Dreamers are working... where are the two newbies? Who knows...

DAY 3

It's Group Day in Hollywood, officially, and the groups practice in their respective places. Erynne and Hope are facing being dropped from their group. With no clear leader, Mary decides to take the lead. And the end result, the Dreamers... are still five strong.

Paige Miles and Thaddeus Johnson need a space to sing. Jessica Cunningham and Liz Rooney finish up Neapolitan, who practice "Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa. Across the room, Destiny's Wild (Siobhan Magnus, Jared Liewer, Theri & Todrick Hall) will also sing the same song. Right next to Neapolitan. Frustration sets in...

In the closet, Moorea, who was in the same group as Gokey last year, lays down the plan of attack in the closet.

Big Mike's group is done, and now he's going to take a moment for his wife, who is about to deliver his first child. Some of the other contestants are still rehearsing, while others go to bed. Three of the Mighty Rangers are going to call it a night. The others... keep on keeping on. The power struggle in the Dreamers is getting a second wind. Musical director Michael Orland is starting to get annoyed with Mary's leadership. The clash between Destiny's Wild and Neapolitan continues. Destiny's Wild goes to bed, while Neapolitan gets their time with the musical dudes... and unfortunately fatigue starts to set in.

Breakfast time, and the groups pick up where they left off. Almost everyone seems calm and confident. ALMOST.

10:30a. The groups put the final touches on their performances... and it turns into another round of "Don't Forget the Lyrics!" As morning progressed, the Group Day vibe started to creep up. Meanwhile, Big Mike is still anxiously awaiting the arrival of his new child. Mary makes one last attempt to smooth out the Dreamers.

But time is upon us. If it doesn't get done now, it's not going to get done. BUT... Big Mike gets an important phone call. His group Team Awesome stays with him for the news... and it's beautiful baby girl. Now can Big Mike deliver?

First up is Faith (Michelle Delamor, Charity Vance, Ashley Rodriguez) with "Irreplaceable"... and they're all through!

Next.. Team Awesome (Big Mike Lynche, Seth Rollins, Tim Urban, Michael Castro) with "Get Ready"... Mike and Tim step forward. Seth and Michael are in the back. Front row... is THROUGH. Bittersweet ending for Team Awesome.

Next is Neapolitan, one-half of a bitter feud with Destiny's Wild. Things are going well with Neapolitan, who decided to do it a cappella... when Destiny's Wild decided to it first. Pot. Kettle. Black. Simon thought it was pretty good. It's a sweep for Neapolitan. Will it be the same with Destiny's Wild? Yep. But it's a bittersweet victory, as they face their rivals. On stage, we have a run on sweeps.

The Mighty Rangers are next. Some split to practice. The others split to bed. Maddie and Tori nail it. Mark and Kim... not so much. Danny... joins the latter group on the way out of the theatre.

It's been nothing but trouble for Jermaine Sellers' group. Now they are minutes away from their shot, and one of the members, Kat Nestel, quits without warning. The other four of Phoenix (Ben Honeycutt, Jeff Goldford, Moorea Masa, Jermaine Sellers) take the stage with "Carry On Wayward Son". Moorea misses her words. Moorea needed a crutch badly. Ben & Moorea step forward... and it's the end of the line for them.

"Sweet Escape" turned into a sour nightmare... And only ONE person nails that "sour milk to refrigerator" progression. How about Matt Lawrence from Orlando, Amanda Shectman from Boston, and their group? Nope. It was a toilet stink.

It's getting down to the wire, and Middle C (Janell Wheeler, Jermaine Purifoy, and Casey James) hit the right notes, as do Three Men and a Baby (Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, JB Ahfua, and an unnamed fourth).

Last up, the Dreamers, who've been nothing short of nightmarish. Mary's been the driving force of the group, and it seems like they've been driven up a hill. But it should all count here. They try "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac. "It's like the dream died somewhere backstage." You're not kidding, Kara. Mary steps forward. Hope steps forward... Alex steps forward... Front row... made it BARELY.

Of the 96 that started, 71 are granted one more day in Hollywood. It's the Solo Sing. Enjoy it.

For more info on the auditions, and to see this episode in its entirety, go to www.americanidol.com.