Not Enough People There for Jasmine - American Idol

So long Jasmine.

No reprieve for Jorge.

Wow, Kelly Clarkson. Just. Wow. Last night's elimination show really belonged to the original American Idol, who put Kanye's strange performance (way to rock the Canadian tuxedo, dude) to shame and reminded us that this current group of hopefuls has a long, long way to go.

Aside from Kelly's vocally impressive "My Life Would Suck Without You," the rest of the night was awkward and kind of mean, actually. I hold Ryan Seacrest responsible for some of this awkwardness. His back-and-forth, gay-subtext banter with Simon is starting to wear thin. And was it really necessary to delve into Kelly's dating life (or lack thereof) before she started singing? Kelly wasn't trying very hard to dig herself out of the embarrassing hole Ryan pushed her into, but still.

Must everyone who graces the Idol stage be stripped of their dignity?

Apparently, yes. The new Idol twist, the Judges Save rule, turned a normally sad (and sometimes disappointing) moment into a downright humiliating one.

In case you missed the fine print, here's what the Judges Save rule is all about. The new rule will allow the judges to save a contestant who would have been otherwise eliminated. From what I understand, they can save an eliminated contestant on one occasion and one occasion only this season. The catch, however, is that the week following the save there will be a double elimination.

Stop smiling.

So, last night, the judges had the opportunity to save Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez who were the lowest vote-getters. And they chose not to, which was absolutely the right decision. But it was horrible to have to witness these two hopefuls belting out their not-so impressive songs from the night before while the judges pretended to decide their fate. I'll admit it; I actually fast forwarded through Jorge's performance because I was so uncomfortable.

The only thing more awkward than this pre-execution ritual was watching Ryan as he attempted to comfort the ousted contestants. All in all, however, I think the judges and America got it right. Jasmine was out-matched vocally as was Jorge (though I think some of Paula and Kara's tears drifted over to my face).

Anoop was lucky not to feel the weight of America's boot, but he better bring it next week if he wants to stay.

Read on for a complete rundown of all the action from the Top 13 elimination:

'American Idol' recap: Two Birds, One Show. [ew]

America and the judges made the right call. [tvsquad]

Say farewell to Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez. [buzzsugar]

New wrinkle for 'Idol': Judges can veto America. [chicagosuntimes]

Kanye Does That Thing He Does That Resembles Singing On 'American Idol'. [stereogum]

'American Idol' Judges Have New Power. [perez]

The Angel of Death comes to the 'Idol' stage. [latimes]

American Idol: What You Didn’t See. [eonline]