It was the judges turn to vote on "American Idol" during Thursday's wild card round and they picked not three, but four contenders, turning what was expected to be a Top 12, into a Top 13.
Eight contenders battled it out for the judges on Thursday, including the ever-emotional Tatiana Del Toro, who did not make the cut, and 17-year-old Jasmine Murray, who did.
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Jasmine, who performed fifth, opted for a ballad, despite the judges' previous advice to pick a poppier, fresher song, more suited to her age. But her choice of Christina Aguilera's "Reflection" ended up swaying them in her favor.
"It was a very brave song choice. It sounded a little bit, at times, like a young girl trying to sound grown-up, but compared to what we heard before, that was a huge improvement and I think you put yourself back in the running," Simon Cowell said after her rendition.
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And there was more positive praise for Matt Giraud, who made up for singing Coldplay in Week 2, by performing the Jackson 5's "Who's Loving You" on Thursday night.
"I happen to think you did an amazing job," Paula Abdul gushed. "And there's no doubt America is loving you right now."
Also put through was Megan Corkery, the 22-year-old tattooed blonde known for shimmying while performing. Her version of KT Tunstall's "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree," wasn't praised, but her personality had Simon raving.
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"I've always liked you and I still like you," Simon said. "I think you're terrific. What I like about you is that you're current. Sometimes this show can get a bit karaoke and I don't get that from you."
Corkery was overshadowed as she was picked for the Top 13 by Tatiana, who show host Ryan Seacrest brought on stage as Paula delivered the news to the women simultaneously.
Tatiana's bad news brought the tears, but it also brought some advice from Paula.
"Tatiana we love you and we've had a lot of fun with you and you are a brilliant singer," Paula told the emotional young woman. "You will be going places and it's not just going to be singing for you, you're going to be an actress too."
But it was the secret reveal – that the judges were putting through four contestants instead of three – which created the most drama, as it was early favorite Anoop Desai, who got the unexpected news.
The Chapel Hill, N.C., singer was shocked as the news was revealed. Unable to muster any words, Anoop put his hands to his face as the audience erupted in screams.
But it was more than just being put through that affected the final member of the "Idol" Top 13. Earlier, after performing Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative," a judges' favorite, Anoop addressed his hometown.
"I just want to tell Chapel Hill that I know we're having a tough day today, but we're all thinking of Eve and I love you Chapel Hill," he said, referring to Eve Carson, student body president at the University of North Carolina, who was murdered a year ago Thursday.
Anoop previously said her death helped inspire him to audition for "Idol."
"When she died, everyone sort of decided we needed to up our game," he said according to the News Observer. "We needed to make up this huge hole that was left by her passing. It definitely motivated me to do things I was previously uncomfortable with or didn't think I could do and do more."
According to MyNC.com, community members gathered together on Thursday in Chapel Hill to honor Eve.
Two men have been charged in the crime and are currently in jail awaiting trial.
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