'American Idol' recap: Jessica Sanchez gets voted off, but angry judges bring her back

"American Idol" stumbled into the bizarro world Thursday night. Two of the strongest singers of the season ended up in the bottom three, and the one many pundits and fans have long expected to win the whole thing - Jessica Sanchez - got voted off, a full seven weeks before the finale.

Not that the judges let that tally stand. They used their one "save" of the season to shove Sanchez back into the running.

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The vote seemed not only to shock the judges but to anger them. "In 11 seasons of ‘Idol,’ I've never seen this kind of thing," said a peeved Randy Jackson, who declared her "one of the best singers in America - ever."

"America," he implored, "please vote for the best."

To further defy the viewers, the judges wouldn't even let Sanchez complete the common ritual in which the bottom singer has to perform for their possible veto. Less than a minute after the 16-year-old started singing, the judges mounted the stage, and J.Lo seized the mike from Sanchez, declaring her redeemed.

Mentor Jimmy Iovine had just as gobsmacked a reaction. "I'm going to get a new flatscreen TV - mine's not working," he said.

The night's other two endangered singers included Joshua Ledet, generally believed to be Sanchez's strongest competition, and Elise Testone, a judge's favorite who has been viewed with wavering passion by voters.

The show's format Thursday cannily played up the surprise producers obviously knew was coming. They had the three weakest singers - Hollie Cavanagh, Phillip Phillips and Colton Dixon - line up on one side of the stage without announcing if they were saved or not. That left everyone to assume they'd be the bottom three.

Just goes to show you, even a program as predictable as “Idol" can sometimes throw a mean curve.

jfarber@nydailynews.com

via nydailynews.com