They all came out rockin' - but Greg Neufeld was sent walkin'.
Problem is, there's no way the adorable 23-year-old Abbotsford house framer deserved to get booted off Canadian Idol Tuesday night. His take on Queen's We Are the Champions was killer - along with just about everything else he's done since he stepped onto the show in June.
And we're putting it mildly when we say Idol host Ben Mulroney was peeved after revealing the results Tuesday.
"Canada got this wrong," an outraged Mulroney declared, adding he doesn't care if he's not allowed to express his anger on air. Then, turning to Neufeld: "You're a bona fide star."
Mulroney proceeded to demand the studio audience give Neufeld a standing ovation, while judge Sass Jordan looked downright shocked.
Equally shocking were that fellow competitors Carly Rae Jepsen and Brian Melo - who also rocked Queen hits Killer Queen and Too Much Love Will Kill You respectively - rounded out Tuesday's bottom three.
No offence Canada, but what were you thinking?
"This is absolutely ridiculous," judge Farley Flex said when the votes came in. "Those three in my mind were the Top 3 last night," added Jake Gold.
Agreed and agreed. Queen isn't exactly the easiest band to cover. And don't even get us started on Freddie Mercury impressions. But Neufeld, Jepsen and Melo pulled off what we thought were inimitable Queen hits, adding their own personal flair to boot. That's more than we can say for 16-year-old competitor Jaydee Bixby's all-too-smiley take on I Want to Break Free.
But we digress. And elimination shockers aside, Idol made good on its promise to rock you this week. Tuesday night's show just so happened to coincide with the Toronto run of Queen-based musical We Will Rock You, allowing for star Yvan Pedneault to perform on set with the Top 7 contenders.
Missing in action were dinosaur rockers Brian May and Roger Taylor, who took Idol wannabes through the Queen school of rock Monday night. We're not sure what either of them said, but we're sure their advice was useful.
Canada, all you have left now is a six-pack - Jaydee Bixby, Dwight d'Eon, Carly Rae Jepsen, Brian Melo, Tara Oram and Matt Rapley. Next week, Maroon 5 show 'em how to be fabulous pop stars. Can't wait!
