This week on American Idol ...

James Durbin implored viewers to give heavy metal a chance, then took the stage with reckless abandon and delivered a performance that Ozzy would be proud of:

Casey Abrams went with a stripped-down version of Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" that he put his own signature on. A very counterintuitive but also effective effort:

Lauren Alaina was told she's a much better singer than Miley Cyrus. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen, but her cover of "The Climb" was quite strong:

Who do you think was the best on American Idol this week? Who do you think will go home this evening? It's always up in the air, so your guess is as good as ours.

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.