Paul McDonald kicks things off with a raspy, high-energy rendition of Bob Seeger's Old Time Rock and Roll. The judges love his "wild abandon," but fans no doubt are bummed that he didn’t rock the iconic Risky Business boxer look. He opts for a rose embroidered suit instead.

Lauren Alaina sings Miley Cyrus' The Climb from Hannah Montana: the Movie, and just as Jimmy Iovine and wll.i.am expected, she took the song farther than Cyrus ever could. Lovine says Lauren deserves to the votes that would've otherwise gone to Pia, but Jennifer Lopez makes the valid point that, "You don’t need to steal anybody’s votes. You’re getting your own." She's got beauty and brains.

Stefano Langone starts off weak with Boyz II Men’s End of the Road from Boomerang, but as the song progresses, so does he. The judges all agree that he stepped it up and ultimately nailed the song. "This is not the end of the road for you,'' Steven Tyler tells him. "This is the beginning.”

Judge favorite Scotty McCreery sticks to his country roots singing George Strait's I Cross My Heart from Pure Country. He delivers a mature performance, as if he were already seasoned in the business. "Look at this guy right here,'' Randy Jackson says. "I star is born on this stage."

Casey Abrams almost played it safe, having originally chosen to sing Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight. Iinstead, the 20-year-old opts for Nat King Cole's Nature Boy accompanied again by an upright bass. Again, the judges swoon swoon. Randy calls the performance "genius," adding "we cannot live by pop-stars alone. We need art to have that balance.”

After two straight weeks of delivering killer performances, Haley Reinhart leaves the judges underwhelmed with Blondie's Call Me. The judges aren't wowed, but Jennifer tried her hardest not to knock one of the last remaining ladies in the competition.

Mentor Jimmy Iovine throws Jacob Lusk a curveball with Simon & Garfunkle’s Bridge Over Troubled Water from The Pursuit of Happyness. The typically theatrical contestant tones it down for the laid-back song. Randy throws the word "perfect" out three times to describe the performance. You think he liked it?

Wrapping-up the show is James Durbin, accompanied by Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osborne's guitarist) on Sammy Hagar’s Heavy Metal, from the animated film of the same name. Beyond that scream of his, James didn’t exactly showcase the broad range of his vocal talents like he has in the past. Regardless, the judges love it. Steven Tyler calls it "outstanding" while Randy chimes in, "Tonight you did you. Hopefully America will bring metal back."

Karen Malmquist is a sophomore at La Salle University, and the head writer and star of In Other News, a comedy series airing in Philadelphia.