‘American Idol’ preview: Can Lazaro Arbos pass Amber Holcomb, Janelle Arthur?

Has there ever been a season of “American Idol” as strange as this one? We’re not quite sure that we have ever seen a collection of episodes so lopsided before when it comes to the genders, and this may be the most controversial progression ever since Sanjaya Malakar first graced the stage.

Of course, however bad the backlash may be now towards Lazaro Arbos, it’s going to be worse if he makes it through to the top 5 … and we genuinely think that he will at least escape elimination this week. Why? He was just in the top three for one, and there is an advantage that comes with that. Rather than having to share the young female “we like the cute boys” vote with someone else, he has it all to himself now. Meanwhile, there are also some people out there clinging to the inspirational story, and while there have been moments in which we have questioned his attitude, the way in which another contestant lashed out at one of our favorite members of the media family last week suggests that he is not the only one in need of a little bit of humility.

While Lazaro staying will upset some people, there’s still no way the guy wins the competition. The only way that we see him leaving this week is actually not if he performs terribly, but instead if he just performs something forgettable or goes first on the night. Being bad in some ways means sympathy votes; doing okay means that people may forget to vote.

So who is in danger? While we genuinely believe that any of the ladies will be saved if they are in the bottom two, we’re going to look at Amber Holcomb here or even (gasp!) Candice Glover. Janelle will likely get a bottom two bump following last week, and Amber and Candice may be sharing some of the same R&B voting block. Amber desperately needs to go up-tempo, and Candice actually at this point could benefit from a ballad that shows just how incredible her voice really is.

Who do you think is going to be in the most danger on “American Idol” this week? In addition to share your thoughts below, be sure to hear the new music from Scotty McCreery and Lee DeWyze over at the link here.

Photo: Fox