Alexis Grace and Danny Gokey advancing to the finals of American Idol were surer bets this week than Rush Limbaugh coming down hard on Barack Obama's stimulus plan.

But the show pulled its first surprise of the season, as early fan favorite Anoop Desai was passed over in favor of oil rig worker Michael Sarver.

Sarver didn't really impress judges on Tuesday with his rendition of Gavin McGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be," but Simon Cowell said he hopes the nice guy gets a second chance - and voters apparently agreed!

Hope isn't lost for Desai supporters, though: in a few weeks, American Idol will hold a Wild Card round of auditions, during which a select few semifinalists will receive another opportunity to advance. Our hopes for that round?

Anoop and Ann Marie Boskovich.

How about you?

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.