Will the Rhythm Get Us in Miami?

There are a lot of songs out there about Miami but will Miami be home to the next American Idol? We've got a long way to go before we'll find that out.

In the meantime, Shannon McGough is up first. The backstory here is that she works in her family's meat market. Not only can she handle some meat, she has an odd ability to burp. Unfortunately, her attempt at Janis Joplin is absolutely dreadful. In fact, Simon called her the Hungarian Janis Joplin. Sadly, her burps have more melody than her music.

Robbie Carrico is supposedly a former boy bander and now he's a "rocker." There's a nice tone to his voice and Paula is smiling. We'll see Robbie in Hollywood.

The next guy, Ghaleb Emachah, is from Argentina and he sings the song of his homeland. He's got a pleasant voice but something's not quite right. Simon's not enthused but Paula and Randy like the tone of his voice. I don't like this guy's hair, but his face, his body, are quite chiseled. Nice ...

Now we're up to two 20-year-olds who seem to be "bosom" buddies. Corliss Smith sings some jazz to Randy and she's got some chops - but can she do pop? Brittany Wescott goes for the 60s and again, another delightful voice. Nice, very nice. Simon says yes to both, as does I absolutely love these gals! They are full of life and personality. Nothing boring about them!

Day 2 begins with single mother Suzanne Toon telling her sob story, but I'm not crying. Her voice, however, could bring me to tears because there's a lot of potential there. All three judges think so too.

A cute little girl from the Phillipines, Ramiele Malubay, takes on a song much larger than she is - Aretha Franklin's "Natural Woman." Her voice is as big as the song though and Paula applauds. Simon scowls though and compares Ramiele's voice to hotel quality. Lucky for this small sensation, Randy has the deciding vote and she's through to Hollywood.

Syesha Mercado treats us to another Aretha hit with "Think." I don't like it at all. Paula calls it fantastic. Randy says she's one of the best so far in Florida and Simon threw in a yes too. I don't think they thought this through.

Several more gals follow in Syesha's footsteps and nab that golden ticket to Hollywood.

Back from the break and we get nothing but bad news followed by worse news including an American Juniors Top 20 finalist - Julie Dubela. Another Janis Joplin which I don't enjoy at all. The judges commend her acting abilities but send her out the door empty-handed.

Will our last contestant of the final day in Miami fall victim to the axe too? I hope so! Brandon Black will not be back. Seventeen Idol hopefuls will be back when Idol gets back to Hollywood.

Hey - thanks for voting in the polls but feel free to share your thoughts on this season's antics by posting a response below!