Who would have thought that Carly Smithson’s great performance of “Superstar” actually ruined her chances to become a pop star?

Ok, maybe we didn’t expect Carly to become the public’s favorite after one flawless performance, but everyone certainly expected Brooke White to get axed.

Brooke was the only contestant in “Idol” history who stopped singing and had to start the song all over again. Twice. Paula scolded her, insisting that one was never supposed to do that.

"You must never start and stop," she admonished a teary-eyed Brooke.

Maybe it was because of the men who were all sympathetic with her, or because of the way she bit her lower lip, that Brooke avoided elimination this time.

Simon tried to explain on Wednesday why Brooke was not voted out, saying she had shown herself to be human by letting herself be overwhelmed with emotion and forgetting the lyrics to “You Must Love Me.” Her stumbling over the beginning of the song probably caused the public to sympathize with her.

Brooke herself was obviously shocked she had not been voted in the bottom two.

Jason Castro was also saved by the audience, probably due to his performance, similar to that of a little kid who was forced by his parents to sing at a wedding, like Simon described it. His performance of “Memory” was considered a “train wreck,” not by Simon, but by usually mild judges Paula and Randy.

So, after performing one of her best numbers during the show dedicated to the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Carly Smithson is the odd one out, even though Simon, who usually hates her, praised her rendition of “Superstar,” considering it one of his favorites that night. His appreciation immediately urged Carly to pop out a blue T-shirt that said: “Simon Loves Me (This Week).”

Also in the bottom two Wednesday was Syesha Mercado, who has also offered one of her best performances since the beginning of the show, singing "One Rock 'n Roll Too Many" from the musical "Starlight Express." Her performance was also praised by the judges, Simon calling it “very sexy.” Lucky for Syesha, it apparently was sexy enough to keep her safe on the show for another week.

On the occasion of Carly’s departure, after the voting results were revealed, Simon apologized for a compliment he had given Carly the night before.

"I apologize for giving you a compliment last night, the kiss of death," he said. "You can leave with your head held high."

And she did leave proudly and undisturbed. "I'm very proud of myself—I'm not upset that I'm going home," said the Irish-born former barmaid.

Carly had been a controversial contestant from the start because of her previous experience in the music industry. She signed a contract with MCA Records in 2001, and the company released her debut album “Ultimate High,” which was a failure and dropped in the charts.

In Wednesday’s show, President Bush and his wife Laura Bush appeared in a taped video to announce that the “Idol Gives Back” charity event had raised more than $65 million for children.

Next week, the remaining five contestants are to be trained by guest mentor Neil Diamond. He and Natasha Bedingfield will also perform on next Wednesday’s elimination “American Idol.”