Joshua Ledet, Phillip Phillips and Jessica Sanchez were safe; Hollie Cavanagh and her best friend slash roommate Skylar Laine were in the bottom two.

American Idol has only three weeks left before its Season 11 grand finale. With only four contestants vying for the title, the voters become more proactive than ever in supporting their bets. This week, Phillip Phillips' fan base has sent a message - he can boldly go the mediocre way and still be safe.

On a night when most of the Idol hopefuls gave their best, Phillip Phillips held back by dishing out a performance that did not quite wow the audience as his versions typically did. In fact, his take on "Time of the Season" by The Zombies on Wednesday night's performance show was the weakest of the night. Jimmy Iovine observed, he should be in the bottom two, but he probably won't end up there. He was right, and so was this forecast. It is all about the Idol hopefuls' fan base from this point on in the talent show. The audience could only hope that those who have clearly gained a very strong support system (read: Phillip Phillips) will not slack off and be too complacent. The audience would be happy to not miss the talent in the show.

Joshua Ledet, on the other hand, deserved to be safe. This guy does not hold back; in fact, he sometimes got in trouble for going over the top, which is something he seemed to be working on. He is now more restrained, more heart-and-soul in his renditions, and he does not make excuses. He did not know the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody," but he learned quickly and gave a spectacular concert performance. It would be great to see him in the grand finals, although his fan base has not really been consistent in the past.

Jessica Sanchez was safe this week, but after two consecutive weeks of rock-and-fail performances, she has to be really great next week to secure a spot in the finals. She has to be very careful in her choices of songs and build a stronger connection to her fan base. After all, she almost went home three weeks ago.

Between best friends Skylar Laine and Hollie Cavanagh, only the latter has become successful in marking herself with pop star potential. Skylar cannot be faulted for not giving her best. As Jennifer Lopez noted on Wednesday night's performance show, her energy was amazing. Unfortunately, energy in an idol search is not enough. Skylar has delivered some stunning numbers in the past, but then she would come back with songs she really enjoys singing and loses the voters in the process. The first time she landed in the bottom three was the night after she sang her personal favorite "Gunpowder & Lead" by Miranda Lambert. It should have told her that she would not get much support by doing songs her voters could not relate to especially at a crucial time in the competition.

Perhaps it did not matter to Skylar, because she chose the same song for her farewell number Thursday night, when she was announced to have gotten the lowest number of votes out of 60 million votes cast.

Getting eliminated is not so bad now. Skylar would go on Idol tour, anyway, and she has shown many producers that she can sell records if she could be given the right material. So it's not too bad for this deer-hunting country talent.

Now, a surprise - after many disastrous weeks and five trips to the bottom two/three, Hollie Cavanagh is part of the Final Four. She has to continue giving strong performances as she did Wednesday night. With her bubbly personality, cute Brit-Texan accent, and natural celebrity vibe, she is more likeable than young diva too-serious-for-her-age Jessica Sanchez. So much has been said about American Idol being a talent show. It is a voting game at the end of the day, and those who are able to connect to the audience win it all.

American Idol Jennifer Lopez