'Idology': Who are the contenders of American Idol 12?

Credit: TVLine.com

Via: TVLine.com

TVLine.com's resident American Idol aficionado Michael Slezak is back with Season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle to discuss last week's performances and results on an all-new Idology.

Who are the contenders for Season 12? And who really should have gotten through?

You know, over the weekend I've watched some of the performances back for the top ten. And while I still actively loathe Curtis Finch Jr., and I still wish we had twelve instead of just ten singers, I find that I'm far more interested in this group of finalists than I was last week. In fact, I'm actually fairly excited about where this season could go, particularly since I don't actually feel like there's a clear-cut frontrunner. And I'm not sure I've ever been able to say that about a season of Idol before. I could realistically imagine any one of these people winning. No one is so far out in front that they can't be toppled.

That said, I agree with Michael about Breanna and, especially, Elijah. Loved that version of "Stay" on subsequent listens, and I feel like if he'd gotten a more substantial edit in the lead-up to voting rounds, he might have had a shot at making it. Then again, Kris Allen overcame editing deficiencies, making the top 13 despite not having really seen much of him at all.

I even found myself agreeing with Melinda about Paul Jolley. The man CAN sing, but I'm just not sure if he's someone worth really getting excited about. Of course, I felt the same way about Haley Reinhart, and she completely flipped the script on that one, so you can never really be sure this early on.

What do you think? Did the right people make it through? What were some of the more heartbreaking eliminations of last week's episode? And who are the real contenders this season?

Sound off in the comments!