Paul McDonald (left) and Kate Hudson
Michael Becker/FOX, Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Casey Abrams, who said he was feeling "awesome" in the days after his hospitalization for ulcerative colitis, was thrilled to do Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." "I even went in doing one song and [producer] Jimmy [Iovine] didn't like it," Abrams said, "and we would just look through the charts, and either [a song] wouldn't clear, or someone just wasn't me, so it was just a miracle I got that song."
In a night where So You Think You Can Dance judge Mary Murphy, Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak, and former Idol contestants Tamyra Gray and Carly Smithson were in the house, the top 12 were most star-struck by actress Kate Hudson, whom they got a chance to meet.
"When I first saw Almost Famous, I was like, 'I want to marry you,' " confessed Paul McDonald, who debated if he should've admitted that to Hudson. "But I just kind of hung out and met her and her boyfriend. It was cool because Almost Famous is one of my favorite movies of all time. And she's dated some of my favorite lead singers."
For others, the night was a battle against sickness. Lauren Alaina, slumped against a pillow on a couch, admitted, "They put me in a hotel so I'm separated from everyone else."
Naima Adedapo was just blue to see Ashthon Jones out of the competition. "I was like, that's my roll girl," Adedapo said. "We were close and when she went. That was a little painful because when you find someone that's like a confidante you can vent to, I wake up in the morning and look at her empty bed now and it's like dang! But we all have faith in one another."
One more contestant will be up for elimination during Idol's results show Thursday (8 p.m. ET) on Fox.
