Dang you, "American Idol"! I was really counting on some epic train wrecks from the Top 11 on Tuesday's Grand Ole Opry night. But no such luck.

With the help of mentor Randy Travis, the gang managed to deliver probably the best single night of performances so far this season.

Frontrunners Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey will have to sweat a little more after strong showings from the so-called darkhorses. As host Ryan Seacrest said at the end of the night, we've got ourselves a competition.

Here's a breakdown of the evening, from best to worst:

Future's looking bright

- Matt Giraud (pictured): Turn on the DVR and watch his performance again. Its richness becomes more impressive with repeat viewings. This guy's good.
- Anoop Desai: It's great to see him back on top. Despite what Anoop's Troup might think, I like the guy. He just needs to take this seriously and make great song choices.
- Kris Allen: It was a smart move to ditch the guitar — especially because it was impossible to hear it over the band last week.
- Adam Lambert: Talk about a "love him or hate him" kind of performer! It will be interesting to see if there's backlash after good ol' boy Randy Travis questioned his nail polish.

It was just all right, dog

- Danny Gokey: When he gets into a song, watch out.
- Scott MacIntyre: He made a bigger impression tonight.
- Alexis Grace: Hmmm. Will she deliver next week on the "dirty" style of singing that Kara DioGuardi is so obsessed with?
- Lil Rounds: Give her props for hanging in there on country night. She'll have better days.
- Michael Sarver: I like this guy and it's great to see him really get into a fun country song.
- Megan Joy Corkrey: Is she trying to drop the Corkrey name? Hmmm. She did great when you consider she has the flu.
- Allison Iraheta: She was solid, but not particularly memorable. She could be in trouble tonight.

Thanks for playing!

- No one this week. Everybody brought it.

Who are your favorites after the Top 11 performances?