When a performer as good as Melinda Doolittle is sent home just steps from the finale, one has to wonder what's going on. Lazy fans? Tone deaf voters? Producers looking to add a bit of drama in the eleventh hour?

Whatever the reason, Melinda has deserved a chance to sing in that finale from Day One of the competition. True, the Jordin-Blake matchup is more evenly weighted. Jordin brings youth, Blake creativity, but neither can strut the stage as well as Melinda.

Melinda should be fine in the long run. She has a promising career ahead of her and she won't be subject to that requisite lame first album that five of the six previous Idols have tried to emerge from. And, she won't be forced to mention American Idol at every turn. She's been given the escape card (though I believe Melinda is the kind of person that will give Idol more credit than it deserves.) In any case, I will look forward to watching her career blossom and seeing what she comes up with on her solo debut .

As for Blake and Jordin, it has been clear for several weeks that the judges have glossed over some of Jordin's weaker moments to push her to this point. She has everything a pop idol needs - she can sing well enough, she is bright and perky and she can don a variety of hairstyles and outfits. Blake doesn't have a chance against her. Judges have credited him with being different but the truth is that he's probably just different enough to not be what Idol is looking for.

As Chris Daughtry fans were blindsided with his elimination last year, Mindy Doo fans will be shaking their heads in shock over this one for some time to come.