Hey ... bagpiper? DeWyze's performance gets bizarre

Posted April 06, 2010 11:00 pm

Kathleen Danes

If Lee DeWyze keeps making a certain bet with his fellow idols, he may lose a lot of money.

"Lee's the biggest worrywart," fellow contestant Katie Stevens told the audience. Every week he bets us he's going home and every week he's still here, Stevens said.

Thrust once again into the "pimp spot," DeWyze turned in a capable rendition of "Hey Jude." DeWyze channeled his newfound confidence and appeared to enjoy himself as he rocked out to the Beatles classic.

But he may have let the all the judges' praise from last week go to his head because the performance turned bizarre when a bagpiper showed up midway through the song.

The judges were similarly confused.

"I thought you sounded great, you never lost your cool even when that guy from the parade showed up," judge Ellen DeGenres cracked.

Simon Cowell agreed, saying it looked like the bagpiper belonged on another show.

"I don't know what you guys are drinking in the mansion," he said. "But I would not have done that."

But DeWyze said it was "100 percent" his decision to add the bagpiper to the performance.

"Why not, man?" DeWyze responded when host Ryan Seacrest asked DeWyze about the odd choice.

In a season that's been slammed as one of the weakest, the contestants generally gave good performances Tuesday night.

Casey James turned in an raw and stripped-down "Jealous Guy" that Cowell called the best of the night by far.

After stumbles last week, Sibohan Magnus and Crystal Bowersox were back on their game. Magnus put a haunting spin on "Across the Universal," while Bowersox rocked "Come Together."

Even perennial whipping boy Tim Urban was praised by the judges for his upbeat take on "All My Loving."

After such a strong showing, it's anyone's guess who'll go home tonight. "American Idol" airs at 8 p.m. on Fox.

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