Last night we got an old-school ‘Idol’ audition show with the sob stories, bad auditions and performances from the judges that made this show the (almost former) number one show on television.

Nothing seemed processed last night. In recent years, everything has been so telegraphed on these results shows. You know the good. You know the bad. You know it all as soon as they enter. Even worse, you know just how good or bad each is going to be and exactly how the contestants will go about proving this.

Last night, all bets were off as we got some of the most earnest bad performances ever on this show and probably the most compelling judge banter since the new crew came in.