Canadian Idol: Durst Is The Worst, And We Don't Mean Fred

If you think that Canadian Idol's elimination episodes are intense at home, try watching them live at Toronto's John Bassett Theatre.

Without any distracting minivan ads or Wayans brothers film previews to cut the tension, the commercial breaks feel interminably long. All you can do is watch the contestants awkwardly squirm, add a few more hearts and sparkles to your Brandon Jones Sucks Ass poster and — if you're lucky enough to sit next to eliminated top 14 candidate Nancy Silverman — try to get her to talk shit about the other contestants. (While Silverman admitted that many of the most talented singers had been voted off, I was unable to coax the words "Brandon Jones sucks ass" out of her mouth.)

In typical fashion, host Ben Mulroney jacked tensions up further by revealing the bottom three as if slowly peeling off a Band Aid from a patch of pubic hair. In one of the more tense moments, Mulroney — after already sending Steffi D to the losers' circle — singled out Chad Doucette, Eva Avila and Rob James as potential members of the bottom three.

Despite increasingly natural, professional performances, perennial underdog James seemed to be a likely choice, particularly after Doucette and Avila were declared safe. But to everyone's surprise, Mulroney told James that he'd be back next week as well. In the place of James, Mulroney sent Ashley Coulter and Kati Durst to the bottom three.

If any of these performers deserved to be sent home, it was Durst. Despite questionable song choices, Coulter looks, sings and dances like a real pop star. And D has recently succeeded in moving away from the cutesy Shirley Temple schtick, proving herself to be a mature and compelling contender.

Of course, as Silverman said in reference to her own unfair elimination, the public doesn't always vote for the most deserving performer.

"There are a lot of 16-year-olds voting," she noted, "and I ain't 16 anymore, if you know what I mean."

This time, however, the country's 16-year-olds had their heads in the right place, granting Coulter and D a second chance and sending Durst home. It was a wonderful turn of events, even if it did leave one poor victim sobbing her way through The Band's "It Makes No Difference" as the credits rolled.