Blame it on the ballad! Chikeze is the latest contestant eliminated from American Idol. Personally, I loved his smooth rendition of "If Only For One Night." But the judges -- and apparently the  voters -- weren't loving it as much as I was.

Chikeze got the bad news on Wednesday night as he stood next to Syesha Mercardo in the bottom two-- Syesha Mercardo! I thought her performance of "If I Were Your Woman" was amazing on Tuesday night. But as a non-voter, I'm not allowed to complain.

Jason Castro landed in the bottom three, as well. But he was sent to the safety of the couch along with the rest of the top 9,  which now consists of Ramiele Malubay,  Jason Castro, Brooke White, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado, David Cook, and David Archuleta.

A Chikeze-less new episode of American Idol  will air Tuesday night on Fox.