Just when we thought that this year’s Idol is the girls’ season to lose, we witnessed the axe fall on three consecutive guys.

Casey Abrams

It’s been a rough road for our favorite fuzzy growler. After a couple of health scares, a shocking near-elimination, and a Nirvana cover which made him look like the second coming of Weird Al Yankovic, it’s amazing that this early frontrunner still finished as far as he did. Top 5 or no Top 5, he still made his mark for being this season’s most memorable contestant.

Stefano Langone 

You can’t deny his soulful vocals and above-average stage chops, but his momentum came to a screeching halt one treacly ballad after the other.

Paul McDonald

His now-infamous rose jacket and his freakishly toothy grin may have earned him instant Vote For the Worst fanfare, but he was by no means this year’s most polarizing contestant. That distinction belongs to Jacob Lusk.