“American Idol” slashes its way through poor singing children, clearing the forrest of so much contestant brush on its way to the Top 12. And in that slashing, sadly, a few worthy souls that got cut when shakier folk hang around.

Yeah, Katie, Paige and Aaron. Those shaky folks are you.

Honestly, I’m not all that surprised that Katie survived, because she’s got a great backstory with her grandmother, who she is losing to dementia, and a legitimately strong voice. But her “Breakaway” was quavery, pitchy and ultimately unsatisfying, and she deserved to go, along with Paige Miles, she of the most ironically maudlin version of “Smile” ever. Again, though, you’ve got a young pretty girl with an unquestionable talent who didn’t bring it, but got another chance. And since those ladies got to stay, Katelyn Epperly, her fabulous curly hair and her karaoke airport hotel lounge cover of “I Feel The Earth Move” were heave-ho’d, along with…and this pains me to say…the interesting, interpretive, creative silver-haired Lilly Scott. I didn’t love Lilly on Tuesday night (her “I Fall To Pieces” was a little corny) but there was a real, exciting there, there. There wasn’t an unoriginal bone in her body, and to know that she won’t be around to add her trippy nuances while nervous Paige and Katie doe-eye their way through the Rolling Stones’ songbook…it’s not good.

On the guy’s side, I’m not surprised about Todrick Hall’s no longer being with us, because  I never thought he connected with the audience, and because his “Somebody To Love” was competent but not special. But color me snookered that Aaron Kelly’s still kicking about with that tragic “I’m Already There” with its pitch and interpretation issues, while Alex Lambert and his solid “Trouble” got kicked out. Don’t get it. Not sure where America’s going with this. Nowhere good.

I’m hoping everyone pulls themselves together next week – somebody’s gotta go, of course, but there are no really bad singers here right now (the fact that there are ever very weak singers at this stage of the game makes me not envy all the solid contestants who got cut earlier sitting at home going “For real? I’m not better than that guy?”). But there are weakest links. And so far, their names seem to be Katie, Paige and Aaron. And it might be time to tell them “Goodbye.”