In what has typically been a shocking week in American Idol history, there were few surprises last night.

Unlike past seasons when some of the front-runners - Chris Daughtry, Tamyra Gray, and La Toya London - have been given the boot on the eve of the Top 3, this season's fourth place finisher was as predictable as Taylor Hick's lack of career.

After more than 45 million votes were read, it was single mom LaKisha Jones who was eliminated. While the powerhouse singer certainly has a fantastic voice, her head was firmly on the chopping block because she offered little else. Simply put, she has no shtick.

And, unfortunately, this week's theme - disco - did not help her. After giving two mediocre performances of Stayin' Alive and Run to Me, it was obvious her time had come.

"I had a lot of things that happened during the day. I didn't have on what I was supposed to have on... and I was hoping Simon (Cowell) would kiss me again," LaKisha explained.

Now, it is really anybody's game. Remaining in the competition are Melinda Doolittle, who may be technically the best singer in the history of Idol, Blake Lewis, who has become as well known for his impressive beat-boxing skills as his voice, and Jordin Sparks, who Barry Gibb predicts will be one of the all-time great female singers of our time.

Considering all the talent on stage last night, it was almost embarrassing how bad the Fantastic Four were during their group performance of Gibb songs. Maybe it was a sound problem, or that none of the Idol wannabes wanted to steal the spotlight from the other. Regardless, it was as painful to watch as it was seeing Simon Cowell hit on Jessica Alba with his girlfriend in the room.

And to add to the suffering, American Idol announced it is in the process of creating a spin-off show, which would search for the country's best band. The Band Show, as it is currently titled, means Canadians, who already have to endure two Idol shows a year, will be subjected to one more.

And, of course, Canucks are not eligible to apply, so there truly is no up-side.