'American Idol' contestant rankings: Patrick's Power Ratings semi-final week two

So I guess I need to take my first mulligan here on the Power Ratings... my week one number one was gone in one week! This is where I would normally point out that my bottom two guys last week were indeed the two who got voted off, but there's not really any excuse for my poor choice of Ashley Rodriguez. Fortunately it takes much more then a single failure to deter me from my picks... I am losing sleep however over the fact that apparently some people used my ratings as the basis for their selections in their family American Idol pool (Andy N. in Eugene, I'm looking at you!). At this point I must beg of you to please not use these picks as betting advice; I'd hate to see someone lose their home over something like this.

Be sure to click through to the end for an exciting new bonus feature!

1) Katelyn Epperly
Last Week: 5
Highest Rating: 1 (Week 2)
Epperly started the contest with a strong performance of a great song choice. With apologies to Mrs. Brown, I thought she was dressed appropriately for the style of song she was singing. She's going to need to keep bringing it if she wants to stay in the number one spot.

2) Todrick Hall
Last Week: 2
Highest Rating: 2 (Week 1)
I for one loved Hall's rendition of the Kelly Clarkson song. Gutsy move to take on such an original arrangement, and he knocked it out of the park. Still to be determined if he can *really* sing, but he oozes confidence and has a great overall package.

3) Crystal Bowersox
Last Week: 4
Highest Rating: 3 (Week 2)
I'm still not sure a flower-child like Bowersox can win this thing, but there's no denying her musical ability. She's going to need to break out of her comfort area of song selection soon if she's going to stay in until the end.

4) Andrew Garcia
Last Week: 3
Highest Rating: 3 (Week 1)
The interwebs are still trying to crown him king, but he hasn't shown me that he has the populist touch that will win this contest. He definitely can sing, and as long as he continues to take risks he'll be around a while.

5) Aaron Kelly
Last Week: 7
Highest Rating: 5 (Week 2)
I love Kelly's shy persona, but he's going to need to start showing some more confidence. No question he can sing, but can he still looks a little stiff on stage. There's plenty of time to fix those issues, now I just want to hear him sing something a little more pop.

6) Casey James
Last Week: 9
Highest Rating: 9 (Week 1)
Gonna be honest here, I thought he had some wierd modulation in his voice on his performance this week. That said, he overcame some ridiculous monkeying around by the judges during his performance, and he seems natural on stage. America seems to love this guy, so I'm on the bandwagon now too.

7) Didi Benami
Last Week: 6
Highest Rating: 6 (Week 1)
A nice performance last week, but she needs to bring some energy soon or we're all going to fall asleep on her.

8) Michael Lynche
Last Week: 10
Highest Rating: 8 (Week 2)
Michael's high energy on stage will help him stick around for quite a while. It felt like he had some problems knowing when to take a breath on Wednesday night. A nice current song, but seemed like he was chanting more then singing at points.

9) Siobhan Magnus
Last Week: 8
Highest Rating: 8 (Week 1)
She delivered a great cross-gender performance on Tuesday of "Wicked Games," but am I the only one wondering if she has any kind of personality away from the mic? Maybe she's just nervous, but in her interview segments she comes across as one of the more boring people to ever appear on television.

10) Haeley Vaughn
Last Week: 14
Highest Rating: 10 (Week 2)
Vaughn did a convincing job of showing us that she's not just about country. She has legit guitar skills too. She's going to need to do a lot of work to convince Simon, though.

11) Michelle Delamor
Last Week: 16
Highest Rating: 11 (Week 2)
Considering this was the first time we had ever heard her sing, I think she is a pleasant surprise. Great singing voice and presence on stage. Now she needs America to get to know her.

12) Lee DeWyze
Last Week: 18
Highest Rating: 12 (Week 2)
This rocker dude came out and took a risk on a pop song. Approved! Do it again in a few weeks, in the meantime more rock and roll please.

13) Lilly Scott
Last Week: 21
Highest Rating: 13 (Week 2)
Color me impressed. Scott came out and killed with a funky rendition of a classic Beatles' tune. She can clearly sing, but I still think she needs some work on her looks.

14) Katie Stevens
Last Week: 17
Highest Rating: 14 (Week 2)
Her song choice and execution was average last week. I agree with Randy, she needs to be picking very current pop songs. Her cute looks could help her if she can get her performances together.

15) Alex Lambert
Last Week: 19
Highest Rating: 15 (Week 2)
Is this guy Rod Stewart? Why isn't he singing Rod Stewart? I agree with Kara; he needs to believe in himself.

16) Jermaine Sellers
Last Week: 13
Highest Rating: 13 (Week 1)
Song selection is what it's all about at this point; if he can't pick a song that suits him he's gone sooner then later.

17) Lacey Brown
Last Week: 11
Highest Rating: 11 (Week 1)
Is she an "Idol" or a karaoke singer. At this point, it's looking like the latter.

18) Tim Urban
Last Week: 12
Highest Rating: 12 (Week 1)
I'm off the Tim Urban band wagon. Obviously the producers liked him enough to bring him back; they probably shouldn't have.

19) Paige Miles
Last Week: 24
Highest Rating: 19 (Week 2)
She led off the ladies on Tuesday and that may have caused her to be nervous, but I also think it helped her poor performance to be forgotten by the end of the show. Lots of flat notes and not enough confidence.

20) John Park
Last Week: 15
Highest Rating: 15 (Week 1)
The first time I saw Park I was convinced he wasn't as good as a lot of people seem to think he is. His performance Wednesday was awful. Needs a better song and a better singing voice.

ELIMINATED:

Out: 21) Tyler Grady
Lasted: 1 Week
Highest Rating: 23 (Week 1)
Odd way to go out. Blamed the judges for not giving him enough help in Hollywood? Maybe it's your obsession with Jim Morrison.

OUT: 22) Joe Muñoz
Lasted: 1 week
Highest Rating: 20 (Week 1)
Probably a victim of not getting enough coverage in the first few weeks. Seems like he had a better performance then several other guys who stayed.

OUT: 23) Ashley Rodriguez
Lasted: 1 week
Highest Rating: 1 (Week 1)
The curse of the Power Ratings has its first victim. Perhaps she was a victim of being a favorite and people thought that she didn't need more votes since everyone else would be voting for her? What are you going to do. She went out classy though.

OUT: 24) Janell Wheeler
Lasted: 1 week
Highest Rating: 22 (Week 1)
In typical "Idol" fashion, sang her song much better after she was eliminated then when she was under the pressure of competition. Admitted to picking the wrong song.

And now the exciting new feature!

Since I'm not the only one in America composing a Power Rating, I thought I'd share the opinions of some other select bloggers with you. Behold, the new Power Grid. Each week you'll have the ability to compare my picks to other bloggers across the country. This week's Power Grid:

	Seattle Times	INDenverTimes	Idol Philosophy*
Didi Benami	7	3	4W
Crystal Bowersox	3	4	1W
Lacey Brown	17	13	9W
Michelle Delamor	11	11	5W
Lee DeWyze	12	14	2M
Katelyn Epperly	1	7	2W
Andrew Garcia	4	2	1M
Todrick Hall	2	8	9M
Casey James	6	1	3M
Aaron Kelly	5	9	5M
Alex Lambert	15	20	6M
Mike Lynche	8	5	4M
Siobhan Magnus	9	18	6W
Paige Miles	19	16	8W
John Park	20	17	10M
Lilly Scott	13	10	7W
Jermaine Sellers	16	12	7M
Katie Stevens	14	6	3W
Tim Urban	18	15	8M
Haeley Vaughn	10	19	10W

*Ranks Men and Women individually in top 24

So that's the Power Ratings for this week. Who am I way off on? Let us know in comments!