The first big surprise of the evening was the bottom three, which for the first time included the male contestants. Both Casey Abrams and Stefano Langone found themselves near the bottom of the heap next to floundering teen Thia Megia. When all was said and done, Abrams was the one with the fewest votes, a shocking revelation considering that he had been a favorite for most of the competition.
But things got really weird when it came time for Abrams to perform his survival song in an attempt to snag the coveted judges’ save. He only got a few notes into “I Don’t Need No Doctor” before Randy Jackson stopped him and let him know that they had already decided to save him. Abrams was completely thrown by the news, and he stammered and mumbled his way back to the safety of the pool of contestants.