Rejoice or despair, depending on how you feel about Canadian Idol - the best singer has been eliminated.

Calgary's Amber Fleury has gorgeous tone, flawless technique and a rare gift for not overdoing it. She puts the song ahead of her ego. She doesn't show off. She doesn't trill mindlessly like Mariah Carey. And that may have been her downfall, aside from the fact she doesn't look like Britney Spears and is from Calgary. Neither stopped Jann Arden, of course.

In any event, the 26-year-old paralegal is better off. Now if only she has the guts to quit her day job and go for broke in a music career, she could be a star - even with the "former Canadian Idol contestant" stigma.

But enough of the good. On with the bad. Those who survived this week's "Trial by Embarrassment" - hits from the '80s - will undergo a Trial by Standards next week. Summertime may be ruined in more ways than one. With Amber out of the way, the field is clear for a vigorous "Vote for the Worst" (VFTW) campaign, since any of the seven singers left have potential for great awfulness.

Tuesday's performance show was a parade of embarrassment. It was hard to know what was funnier - the ghastly music or the distracting hair styles. Off the top, before viewers could even recover from the jaw-dropping spectacle of host Ben Mulroney rapping, Amber got to go first. What wound up being her last shot at fame was preceded by unfortunate clips from childhood "cowgirl" performances. Then she sealed her fate and sang a Cher song. Sang it well, too. Oh, well.

Rex Goudie came next, resplendent in red bandana and revealing his potential as a bad bar band singer on Every Breath You Take. Flashing the devil horns was a nice touch.

Casey LeBlanc - the contestant endorsed by the official VFTW website (www.votefortheworst.com) - floundered again, this time on Madonna's Like a Prayer. This flat, soulless performance didn't even banish her to the "bottom three" last night - much to the unwholesome glee of VFTW.

Then we have the nervous little bird, Daryl Brunt, promising to "go for it." He improved his pitch from last time, but was generally unconvincing singing Tainted Love.

"Really odd," said Zack, "but so are you."

Suzi Rawn is an interesting case. She showed potential to be genuine in past episodes - and completely turned it around on Tuesday night. Made up like a rock 'n' roll Medusa, she delivered a hideous take on Heartbreaker. She's much more convincing in a rootsy setting than as some slicked up pop-rock diva. Perhaps the contest is getting to her. Perhaps her own hair affected her brain.

The same may be true of Aaron Walpole, who sported a little mohawk as he hoo-wahed his way through Working For the Weekend. It was scary, and not in a good way, especially when he charged the camera.

Josh Palmer, who seems to have given up on the beard, went for it on Phil Collins' In the Air Tonight. This time, he backed up magnificent poseury with impressive flash and a big note that earned a gooey gush from the judges. "You delivered the pain," said Jake. He can say that again.

All the songs of the '80s and Melissa O'Neil picks Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero, but the 16-year-old Calgarian managed a performance that didn't suck, though her head looked like it had been attacked by cornrow elves.

It's not vote for the worst hair. Still, tonsorial absurdity is just a symptom that the false fame bestowed by this show may be having an effect on the contestants. It's likely then, that we're in for some far worse - and more entertaining - performances in the weeks to come. Rejoice. Or despair.