I like Jason Castro. I really do. And this week's elimination episode of American Idol revealed that the producers love the dreadlocked dude too. Why else would they make his stint on the Bottom 3 the shortest ever on this season of Idol? For the past how many ever elimination episodes,  the Bottom 3 has had to wallow in their collective sorrow and uncertain future for some good 10 minutes before declaration of the results. But in this week's episode it seemed like the producers felt so *so* bad that he was in the Bottom 3 that they decided to make it as short as possible. Barely had Jason been consigned to his Bottom 3 fate and joined by Chikezie and Syesha (who had been warming the silver stools for more than half the show) and barely had he started rambling about how he had a hunch he would be in Bottom 3 that Ryan said, "Jason, you're safe!" Jason himself had that "What? Already?" bewildered look on his face. Only after Jason rejoined the "safe" contestants, did Ryan go into a break with Chikezie and Syesha standing alone there...

 I thought that was a little unfair. Till now they have always gone for a break with the Bottom 3 kept standing on stage. Let me digress here and say that having been a contestant manager on 'Indian Idol' - the Indian version of American Idol, I have a fairly good insider's knowledge of how elimination episodes work... The votes come in but the order of the line-up, who goes 1st, who's to be tortured more etc etc is all decided by the supervising producers and sometimes even the floor managers and executive producers. I have watched this season of AI very closely and I have myself been surprised how closely the AI format was appropriated here - everything is the same, including stage design and background music, everything except of course the contestants and the songs sung...

SO... to absolve Jason of too much Bottom 3 agony (experienced so vividly by both Syesha and Chikezie), they called him at the last moment and relieved him in split seconds... Besides the seemingly blatant partiality, I think Jason could have done with some Bottom 3 soul-searching... He's retreated too much into his comfort zone. He's such a unique gifted singer that to see him being complacent is not very nice... 

Anyway, here's hoping Jason does better in the future and doesn't have a make frequent Bottom 3 trips...