American Idol: And Then There Were Ten

In another “American Idol” shocker, one of the best singers in the talent contest’s line-up was voted off the show on Wednesday. Stephanie Edwards of Savannah, Georgia, was given the boot before fellow singers Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato, even though the latter two had consistently gotten panned by the judges as being almost “unlistenable.” Now the “American Idol” field has been winnowed down to ten contestants with a winner to be selected in May.

Simon Cowell said on Tuesday’s show that Edwards’ rendition of Dusty Springfield’s “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” lacked the edginess and youthful energy that she brought to her previous performances. Paula Abdul seemed to agree urging Edwards, 19, to have “more fun on stage.”

Chris Richardson, the Idol contestant with the next-lowest vote tally, just barely escaped viewer elimination. This was despite the fact that the judges had raved about his version of “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” with Simon Cowell calling it his best performance to date and Paula Abdul noting that Richardson, 22, of Chesapeake, Virginia, was “charming and sexy.”