Forgetting the words to the song on Tuesday night was the downfall of Melissa McGhee who was cut from "American Idol" on Wednesday as competition heated up with the beginning of the theme shows.
Each contestant picked their favorite Stevie Wonder song which they performed for the judges and the great Stevie himself. "Theme nights either make you or break you," Simon said.
Melissa sang "Lately," the first ballad she has performed on the show - and wearing her first dress ever. "It ended up really strong," judge Randy Jackson offered, even though the 21-year-old's huge mess up would put her in a bad position.
"You've got pipes, you can sing." Paula Abdul volunteered, "When you open your mouth to sing, there is something soothing. It is different than any other voice in the competition."
She got a further surprise when Simon Cowell praised the singer: "In my opinion, that was your best performance so far. It was edgy, it was contemporary, it was very strong."
Yet Melissa knew she had blown it. When host Ryan Seacrest asked if she predicted she would get the boot, she nodded and said "Yeah." She became the first of the final 12 to be voted off.
Barely escaping elimination were Ace "The Face" Young and Lisa Tucker, who had the next to lowest vote tallies but survived for another round. "I don't get it," said Paula Abdul about Ace Young's score. Simon admitted that he himself was "a little surprised" about the heartthrob's low results and told him, "you know what, it's a wakeup call for you."
