Surprise result sends Daughtry packing

LOS ANGELES -- Does this qualify as irony? After paying tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, the guy whose name the judges can't invoke without using the word "rock" gets sent home.

I think maybe that's a little ironic, and not just in the Alanis Morrissette sense of the word.

And more than a little surprising: Most people had Chris Daughtry ticketed, if not to win the whole thing, then at least to make it to the finals. But in a pretty huge upset, Chris became the "Idol" equivalent of UConn, which I guess makes, who -- Elliott? Katharine? -- the George Mason of this year's contest.

Granted, "Idol" has never been kind to would-be rock stars. But after Bo Bice's breakthrough last year, it seemed like Chris was on his way. Granted, his performances of "Suspicious Minds" and "A Little Less Conversation" weren't his best, but the money had to be on Kat, with her flubbed lyrics on her "Hound Dog"/"All Shook Up" mash-up, was ticketed to leave this time.

Of course, there's a whole lot of show to get through before we find out any of the results, including the requisite Elvis group sing. Question: Do we think Taylor, who gets the solo on the "Heartbreak Hotel," or perhaps Chris, would have done more with that than one of their songs from Tuesday? I would've liked to hear Chris tear that one up as opposed to "A Little Less Conversation."

The results are further delayed by the fact that Rebecca Romijn, a legit "Idol" fan who -- hey, how about this -- just happens to be starring in the new "X-Men" movie from 20th Century Fox, requests a command performance of "Jailhouse Rock" from Taylor. I guess if Rebecca Romijn asked me to sing, I would too, even if Jerry O'Connell were sitting right next to her.

Finally, then, to the results. Taylor and Elliott are this week's top two. No real surprise there, given how Elliott knocked out both of his songs Tuesday and Taylor redeemed his manic "Jailhouse" with a nice performance of "In the Ghetto."

Seacrest builds up Chris for a second, then cuts him off at the knees. Katharine's jaw drops -- it looks like maybe she expected to be going home. Chris gives Ryan a well-deserved Stare of Death before admitting he's a little shocked to be getting the boot.

Much as I love Kat, so am I. Purely on performance, she probably should have left this week. But that's not how it works. It's hard, though, not to believe he won't have a career waiting for him once his "Idol" obligations end.