DC stands out on emotional Mariah night

In what could have been a lackluster night, David Cook brought the crowd to its feet with his unexpected rocked-out version of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby." At the conclusion of his performance, Ryan pointed out that David was tearing up (thanks Ryan for letting us know...). The reason: his brother, Adam, who is terminally ill with cancer, made an $80,000 trip out to see David perform.

Adam's hometown of Terre Haute, Ind., helped him raise money for the trip, and David could not help but reveal his emotions after his performance. The moment will be one that he never forgets.

Aside from David's outstanding performance, the rest were just "meh." David Archuleta opened the show with "When You Believe," Mariah's duet with Whitney Houston from The Prince of Egypt soundtrack. The judges all loved it and Simon had to throw in that he produced the song. There were parts, however, that the judges must have zoned out on, because it was not nearly as good as usual.

Brooke White did the near-impossible "Hero," but was able to make it her own. Her piano playing skills are remarkable, but Paula mentioned how Brooke let a few bad notes speed her up, which was true. Brooke did do a better job not talking over the judges during their critiques, but Simon's comment about "ordering a hamburger but only getting a bun," followed by Randy's add-ons to the failed comparison about not getting mustard or mayonnaise were just plain out there. Will find herself in the bottom 3, possibly the bottom 2.

"Without You" was taken on by Carly Smithson, who did well vocally and looked great, but there were times where she strained her voice to hit a few high notes. Simon noticed this, and said he had always wanted her to sing this song, but he didn't think she pulled it off. Paula and Randy made it seem like Carly had no confidence, as they told her she needs to "trust [herself]." Although it might seem like a definite bottom 3 appearance here, I think Carly will eek it out this time.

Syesha Mercado made a smart choice in "Vanishing," a song that not many are familiar with, and was able to show control. Instead of her usual power voice/shouting, Syesha came off as a seasoned veteran and looked beautiful in a gold dress. Paula was happy she chose a song not many people know and said the performance was "unbelievably magical" for her. Simon Said it was technically good, but he did not think it was a good idea to pick a song not many people know at this stage in the competition. Randy complimented Syesha on her tough song choice but said there were a few pitch problems. Another week in the bottom 3 for Syesha is in store.

Another finalist that got great reviews and has shown much improvement over the past few weeks is Kristy Lee Cook. Taking on another lesser-known Mariah song, Kristy Lee sang "Forever" and was told by Mariah during her mentor session that she "gave [her] chills," something Kristy Lee was proud of. The judges were not as kind, but they still gave her props for showing improvement. Paula did say she could have a country hit with the song today, but Simon said she did not give him chills. She will most likely land the third-least amount of votes.

And finally, Jason Castro closed out the show with "I Don't Wanna Cry," a performance that was accompanied by bongo drums and two guitarists. Jason sounded good vocally and was not as boring as usual. After Randy made a comment about the song sounding like it was from "some weird beach luau," Paula said she'd "love to be at that luau all night long." Simon agreed with Paula, whether or not he was referring to wanting to be at the luau all night long. But regardless, he liked it, and that's really all that matters.

So tonight, look for the two Davids to sail through to the next round, while everyone else is in danger. It's a tough week where any one of five finalists could be going home, especially after last week's shocker.

Predictions:
Bottom 3: Kristy Lee, Brooke, Syesha
Bottom 2: Brooke, Syesha
Eliminated: Syesha