The interesting thing to me this season of American Idol is that as I'm getting ready to turn on the announcement of the final 36, I'm not hoping to see a favorite or two. Most of them are male. I expect all of them to make it. What will be tough is if they get paired with each other in the same semi-final round, forcing us to choose between them.

This season it'll be a little different. For one, the contestants are meeting with the judges in a mansion instead of a hotel.The judges will be sitting in comfy arm chairs, instead of office chairs. For another, they'll force several of the contestants to come up to the room in pairs, and they'll have to sing for their survival right then and there.

Anoop Desai, a favorite of many is up first. He knows he's getting more and more confident each time he gets up onstage. Kara DioGuardi tells him he has continually surprised them, and while he did have some issues in Hollywood, she tells him it's unanimous that he'll be sticking around for season eight. I wouldn't have thought seeing him audition that he'd get this far, although I've liked him since the beginning. Yet, the more I saw in Hollywood, the more I figured he would be here.

Von Smith is anxious, and admits he's more prepared to hear no, than yes, because he had his struggles in Hollywood. Yet, this is why he's alive, and he needs it. He addresses what Simon said during his first day in Hollywood when he told him he was like a self-indulgent child, saying both his parents are singers, and he needs to be an adult and not take so much to heart. His parents disagreed with his choice on the last day of Hollywood. Simon asks if he's stuck with that, which Von is, and Simon tells him that decision he made made up the judges minds. Paula congratulates him. He made it. His mother cries outside the room, and Ryan takes a break to get her some tissues.

Cody Sheldon takes a seat facing the judges. Simon tells him they want him to sing one more time, whatever he thinks will keep him in the competition. Alex Wagner Tugman is on his way to the judges room as well, as he'll be facing off against Cody. Cody sings Love Remains the Same and sounds good, but there's something that bugs me about his low notes. He's dismissed to wait for the final decision, and when Alex sees Cody, they figure out what's going on. They became friends in Hollywood, and don't want to have to face off against each other.

Alex sings Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, and while I like Cody, I have to give this one to Alex. He's now dismissed as the judges deliberate, and Alex tells Ryan he thinks he picked a key that was too high. Back in front of the judges, Randy tells them it was a tough decision. Cody is indeed going home, as Alex moves on. The two walk out arm in arm, and Alex tells Ryan it's not the way he wanted it to be. The other contestants waiting console Cody and congratulate Alex.

Alex Lambert is up next, and he knows the judges still weren't convinced with him in the beginning of Hollywood, but he hopes singing Cher's Believe will get him into the final 36. He thinks he knows who he is, and he hopes people will like that. Simon tells him they all liked him in Hollywood, but it's different when they stand back and look at the whole thing as a whole, trying to decide if he can be a successful recording artist. He knows his decision may surprise Alex. It was unanimous. He's in.

Taylor Vaifanua struggled in Hollywood forgetting lyrics, but did well on the last day. She tells the judges she was disappointed in her group performance in Hollywood, but other than that she was proud of herself for challenging herself for the first time. Randy asks if she wants the truth, and she does. He welcomes her to American Idol season 8. Jasmine Murray makes it in as well, as does Arianna Afsar, Casey Carlson, Megan Corkrey, Mishavonna Henson, and Stevie Wright.

Joanna Pacitti knows she forget her lyrics in nearly every song, so it was obviously a huge mistake. She still doesn't think she's given her best, and I would hope not after always forgetting her lyrics. Paula mentions knowing it was a tough road for her, coming in and not knowing who she was as an artist. Kara asks when is it going to be that time that she really steps up, since she's had the record deals before. Joanna thinks there's gong to be that time, and Simon answers it will be when someone gives her a break. Unanimously, they all believe she deserves a chance, and I know lots of people will be upset, as they don't think she deserves it.

TK. Hash is let down easy that he's not going through, as well as Chris Chatman and Reggi Beasley.

Kendall Beard doesn't want to get her hopes up, as she doesn't want to come crashing down. She impressed the judges originally, but didn't keep that up in Hollywood. She went from fun and vibrant to dark and oppressive. Paula tells her the songs she was singing were kind of boring. Paula tells her the answer isn't great, it's fantastic. She's through.

Jenn Korbee auditioned with her husband, wanting to be the first American Idol couple, as Paula thought they could be the next Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. They were still together even in the group round in Hollywood. He went home after that, as she stayed in the competition. She faces the judges today, while her husband waits downstairs for her. Paula tells her they're not sure about her, so they want her to sing one more time. Jenn sings Not Ready to Make Nice, and seems nervous. Kristen McNamara has been brought upstairs and now realizes she'll have to have a sing-off against Jenn. She sings I Will Always Love You and definitely shows some range, but doesn't seem to put as much into it as Jenn.