(Ba-dum-bum.)

“What have you done?” asked “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest to open the Wednesday results show. At the time, I believe he was being merely interrogative, but in retrospect, I have to ask the same question to the 29 million “Idol” voters in more accusatory terms.

With David Hernandez heading home, so goes one of the best pure voices in the competition. He seemed to have it all, including the look, the charm and the stage presence. But I can’t help but wonder if reports of a previous career stripping at a gay club hurt his chances of moving on in the competition.

But it’s probably a combination of that and the obvious conclusion that, while he was in many fans’ top three or four, he probably wasn’t those people’s absolute favorite contestant. I’ll admit as much.

I have tremendous empathy for Hernandez, who in interview segments has referenced an upbringing in a “broken” family and a lower-income bracket. He seems like a sweet guy and if he doesn’t get signed to a record deal or a soap opera, I could easily one of the most eloquent contestants working as a broadcast journalist. He definitely has the charisma and positivity to succeed in any number of fields.

I agree with judge Paula Abdul—she was surprisingly coherent this week—that with Syesha Mercado and Kristy Lee Cook, it was the strongest Bottom 3 the show’s ever seen. And that’s not even accounting for the fact that Hernandez and Mercado had no reason to be there (sorry, KLC). But it is a testament to the depth of talent in the Top 12 this season.

I break down the rest of the results show after the break.

I like Jim Carrey, but the vast majority of his jokes while promoting “Horton Hears A Who” fell flatter than the soles of his elephant feet tonight. Just terribly awkward. And despite a fantastic voice-over cast that includes him as well as the always-awesome Steve Carell and Amy Poehler, the movie looks dull.

I liked how kind Carrey was to the contestants, though, especially at the “Horton” premiere. I get the sense he is a genuine fan. That said, why didn’t Carell say hello to the gang? He’s by many accounts one of the nicest guys in Hollywood, so I have a feeling NBC put the kibosh on his showing pleasantries to contestants on a network rival, especially TV’s top-rated show. Just a guess.

After the cheesy Beatles medley, complete with even cheesier choreography, Mercado was first to learn she was in the Bottom 3. With an hour to kill, she was asked to sing one of three songs that America deemed the worst. And this is a good idea… why exactly? Instead, I’d like to start a trend of revealing the Top 3 vote-getters and reliving those performances instead. No, but that would only make sense, wouldn’t it? The entire time Mercado was singing, I could swear she was thinking, “This rule totally sucks. This rule totally sucks. This rule totally sucks.”

I was totally confused by the Top 12 music video for Cake’s “Going The Distance,” a song I love. First of all, it’s spoken, not sung, thus completely wasting the talents of the singers. But in a peculiar way, I liked the election theme of the video, with contestants donning business attire and in some cases holding adorable babies in an effort to appeal to “Idol” voters and win the competition. Still, it would have worked better with no song at all, perhaps as just a moderately amusing sketch instead. So, yeah, that happened.

Even before KLC knew she was in the Bottom 3, she asked for the mic. But as she repeatedly sang, “Hold me, love me” in that country twang, I would have been happy to oblige. Also, when the camera cut to Sanjaya Malakar during her song, I wondered if that was the kiss of death. Not to be.

“The Return of Jezebel James” looks unfunny. And that’s unfortunate, because I love Parker Posey (especially in all of those Christopher Guest mockumentaries) and Lauren Ambrose for her excellent and underappreciated work on HBO’s “Six Feet Under.”

Then the call-in segment happened. Yeah, um, no.

The show recovered when Katharine McPhee emerged in a slinky, sequined and fringed minidress and sang George Harrison’s “Something” with David Foster accompanying her on piano. She looked great and did a solid job. Also, I never notice wedding bands, but even I was distracted by the shiny boulder on her left ring finger. Holy shnikies. How else could my entire life’s salary and an additional loan last forever?

David Archuleta could vacation back at home for the next eight weeks and still be safe, based on the sheer squealitude of the girls in the “Idol” audience after they learned he would continue. Is there a way I can root for him without rooting for screams that make my teeth shatter?

The new results-show conclusion is horribly constructed because the audience no longer can see the other contestants swarm the just-booted in a display of solidarity (fake or real, depending on each contestant). Also, what happened to Ferras’ “Hollywood’s Not America?” That was a great send-off song, which has been replaced with a beyond-generic Ruben Studdard track that has no obvious hook compared to Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day” or Daughtry’s “Home.” Awful, awful decisions on both fronts.

Thankfully, Mercado was told she was safe. I liked her best of the three, proving my earlier point about Hernandez not being many people’s top choice. But I totally understand why Kristy Lee Cook stuck around; she’s the only remaining contestant who has committed to the country genre, which appeals to a massive faction of the “Idol” voting demographic. Despite these “Idol” superdelegates, her time might be running out.

This next week’s ha-yoooj. Think of it as the $25,000 question on the current version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”—it’s the second-highest bracket of guaranteed success other than winning the whole shebang. The next person to be kicked off the show is the last one who won’t get to tour with the “Idol” Top 10. I personally hope it’s Amanda Overmyer, but I just don’t think that’s happening anymore. My guess is Mercado, unless she absolutely pulls a Chikezie and blows the judges and audience away on Tuesday.

Who goes home next week? And who SHOULD go home next week? And will you miss David Hernandez? Post your comments below, please! I’d love to hear from you.

(Hernandez photo by Ray Mickshaw/FOX; Carrey photo by Michael Becker/FOX.)