No go for Nadia

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Savol stays hungry
In a way, however, that's poetic justice. Each of the remaining finalists is probably more talented than Savol, but nobody wants it more than he does — and in reality, nobody needs it more than he does to have a chance at success in the music business.

Bice's approach is totally different. On the one hand, it's hard not to like his attitude. When Ryan asked him how it felt being in the bottom three, he said "What's the worst that's gonna happen? I go home, I play my gigs, and I have a blast doing what I've been doing."

That's because Bice is arguably the contestant who needs this competition the least; having already had some success in the music industry, he'll undoubtedly be fine no matter where he finishes.

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On the other hand, Bice's attitude could wind up being his fatal flaw in the competition. He has his persona already in place, and acts very similar to Nadia — every week he picks songs from the era and the genre that he's comfortable with. If voters like it that's great; if they don't, no regrets. The difference thus far has been that Bice's songs have been less obscure, and his act more appealing.

All the judges warned the bottom two contestants that they needed to step it up and pay attention to what they were saying. Paula essentially threw down the gauntlet to Bice, asking him if he thought he had what it took to win, and then said he needed to sing with that kind of force each week in order to win. If Bice can recapture that energy that he showed in the early stages of the finals, he could join Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino as those who have gone from bottom three to "Idol" champion.

If he can't, he only needed to look at the woman standing next to him on stage to see how quickly contestants can go from favored status to elimination.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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