Thanks to a three-hour process filled with tears of all varieties on Tuesday and Wednesday night, we finally have the final 24 contestants on "American Idol." Looking across the board, there's a pretty solid mix of rockers, soul singers, people who will pull at your heartstrings, and of course a few people that will cause teenage boys and girls across the country to scream with delight.
So what do we know about these 24? It varies depending on the person.
The women
• Ashley Rodriguez, 22, Chelsea, Massachusetts: Ashley is one of the favorites in terms of pure talent. We don't know as much about her outside of the fact that her background as a music student makes her one of the most well-trained contestants in the pool. She's used to performing, and once the talent shines through the lack of a "story" tends to lose importance.
• Crystal Bowersox, 24, Elliston, Ohio: Crystal is easily the most intriguing contestant among the women. She has multiple tattoos, sings with passion, and has a sort of punk style all her own. She reminds me of an older Allison Iraheta -- and she may have even more talent.
• Didi Benami, 23, Hollywood, California: Didi has already impressed judge Kara DioGuardi enough; after all, she performed one of her songs. Didi to me strikes me as a "middle of the pack" performer who will have to work hard to stand out. If she can, she may make it to the end.
• Haeley Vaughn, 16, Fort Collins, Colorado. Haeley has a built-in advantage in that she's memorable: there's not many African-American country singers out there, and she also has the potential for the same sort of crossover appeal as Taylor Swift. She's not the best singer of the group, though, and a bad performance early could doom her.
• Janell Wheeler, 24, Tampa, Florida: Janell's voice is divisive -- you either love it or hate it. Personally, I find it soulful and full of a refreshing energy. If she sticks with a bluesy style, she could make it far.
• Katelyn Epperly, 19, West Des Moines, Iowa: Could Katelyn pull a Kris Allen and get an entire state behind her? It's possible -- as a matter of fact, it's probable. I'm happy to see the show move past the "child of divorce" story they pulled early on, since this girl simply doesn't need that.
• Katie Stevens, 17, Middlebury, Connecticut: Katie's one of those contestants that we knew early on mainly because of a story: she has a sick grandmother she helps to take care of. She seems like a responsible enough kid, but with the younger contestants I always worry more about consistency.
• Lacey Brown, 24, Amarillo, Texas: Hollywood is a long ways from Amarillo (trust me on that), and this repeat auditioner is finally realizing her dream. She has a voice similar to Norah Jones -- which means that she could get lost in the shuffle when competing against some of the other "pop singers."
• Lilly Scott, 20, Littleton, Colorado: Lilly is helping to prove that 2010 is the year of the blues singer. I don't know how mainstream her sound is, but this silver-haired singer is memorable enough to take on the competition next week and make it into the top 12.
• Michelle Delamor, 22, Miami, Florida: Who? Michelle has barely been seen on the show thus far, meaning that she has the hardest road out of everyone. It's possible that she could win, but the odds are not in her favor.
• Paige Miles, 24, Cyprus, Texas: Paige is also a lesser-known contestants, and I would expect her to get lost in the midst of some of the other singers.
• Siobhan Magnus, 19, Barnstable, Massachusetts: This may be a case of someone who is a good singer but not quite ready for the competition. (Then again, I love to be wrong!)
The men
• Aaron Kelly, 16, Sonestown, Pennsylvania: Usually I'm not a big fan of 16-year olds on this show, but Aaron actually stands out due to his calm demeanor. I also think that "The Climb" is the most overdone audition song in reality show history -- but Aaron gave a great rendition.
• Alex Lambert, 19, North Richland Hills, Texas: The second popular Lambert on "American Idol," Alex is actually a better comparison to David Archuleta. I'm not sure he's ready for the big stage, but he does have the charisma to make up for an uneven performance.
• Andrew Garcia, 24, Moreno Valley, California: Andrew has to be a favorite to win it all at this point. His rendition of "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul is arguably the season's most memorable performance thus far. It also helps that he's soft-spoken, humble, and has a story as a family man that will touch viewers.
• Casey James, 27, Fort Worth, Texas: Casey is from my backyard, so that alone makes me want to root for him. However, I'm still not sold that he's a talented enough singer once he gets away from blues. His popularity as "the shirtless auditioner" could get him in the top 12, but I don't see him going much farther than that.
• Jermaine Sellers, 26, Joliet, Illinois: Did you really just insult the band? I'm still shocked by what Jermaine did during Hollywood Week, and while he's one of the best singers on this season his ego could get him in trouble.
• Joe Munoz, 20, Huntington Park, California: Joe is one of the lesser-known guys in the group, so he's going to have to step it up more than just about anyone.
• John Park, 21, Evanston, Illinois: John will certainly win over the ladies, and he also has a soulful deep voice that allows him to stand out a little bit from the others. The one thing he suffers from is lack of screen time, but Kris Allen ended up winning last season facing the same problem.
• Lee Dewyze, 23, Mount Prospect, Illinois: Before Lee busted out his take on The Fray, I didn't think this guy had much of a chance. While I'm still unsure he can crack into the top 12, there is a glimmer of hope.
• Michael Lynche, 26, Astoria, New York: So the reports turned out to be false, and "Big Mike" wasn't removed from the "Idol" competition. Really it's a relief, since he's just a fun guy with a big voice and a nice story. Just don't compare him to Ruben Studdard just yet.
• Tim Urban, 20, Duncanville, Texas: Tim's going to win over the young female audience. He looks like Justin Bieber could look in five years, and his voice is pretty powerful and works well with ballads. I'd say he still lacks a stage presence, but he could be a solid top 10 performer. (His biggest obstacle is that he's coming in as a replacement.)
• Todrick Hall, 24, Arlington, Texas: Another local connection for me, I actually think Todrick has the potential to go extremely far. However, he suffers from what I will call the "Danyl Johnson" tribute in honor of the former "X Factor" contestant; he seems cocky, and that could turn him off with some viewers.
• Tyler Grady, 20, Nazareth, Pennsylvania: Tyler's nothing like Adam Lambert, but he has the same sort of potential. He has a great voice, a unique sort of style, and could develop an incredibly large fan base in a short span of time. As the new incarnation of Jim Morrison, Tyler is a darkhorse to win the competition.
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Who is your favorite to win "American Idol?" Let me know your thoughts with a comment below! Check back soon for more exclusive coverage, including conference call highlights with Simon Cowell.
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