For a little bit of fun and context, I’m going to include my first impressions of each of the contestants next to their current rankings. Remember: These are my rankings I release hours before the same night’s “American Idol” episode.

1. Carly Smithson—Jan. 23 (San Diego auditions recap): “I was impressed with the (vocal), look and (personality) of … 23-year-old Irish native Carly Smithson (formerly known as Carly Hennessy), singing something so well that it distracted me from writing down which artist she was covering.”

2. David Cook—Jan. 30 (Omaha auditions recap): “With so many faux-rockers in goth get-ups preening for the ‘Idol’ cameras the last few years, I instantly appreciated the quiet confidence of Cook, a 24-year-old Tulsa, Ok., bartender who fashioned his audition after ‘American Idol’ success story and fellow rocker Chris Daughtry. With a similar embellished vibrato, Cook did himself justice with a largo ‘Living On A Prayer.’ It pleased me to see the highlights of his audition transcended the red streaks in his hair.”

3. David Archuleta—Jan. 23 (San Diego audition recap): “I was impressed with the (vocal), look and (personality) of … 16(!)-year-old David Archuleta, jammin’ on John Mayer.”

4. Chikezie—Feb. 6 (Best of the Rest recap): “About 45 minutes into the episode, I was genuinely disappointed with the featured contestant quality. Then I finally said wow aloud when Chikezie Eze busted out with Luther Vandross. Dude, nice.”

5. Brooke White—Jan. 16 (Philadelphia auditions recap): “Last, we meet 24-year-old Brooke White, a nanny of 1-year-old baby girls, who lives in Van Nuys, Calif. Neither she nor her husband of three years has seen an R-rated movie and she doesn’t smoke or drink, but she doesn’t need a bad-girl image to convince the trio of judges that she’s good enough for Hollywood.”

6. Syesha Mercado—Jan. 31 (Miami auditions recap): “Unlike most Hollywood-bound contestants whose sob stories often (over)compensate for marginal or subpar singing abilities, Mercado belted out an audition that made me take notice for the right reasons. The 20-year-old Miami resident’s song was the first since Kristy Lee Cook’s that made me think, ‘Hmm. She could be this season’s ‘Idol.’’ Although Mercado lost a little bit of traction toward the end of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Think,’ I was impressed with her wail, upper-register control and sheer star power. She definitely looks and acts the part. And unlike some of the sob stories we’ve seen, Mercado’s beaming, perfect smile and positivity are so much more appealing than so many who come across as desperate.”

7. Jason Castro—Feb. 20 (Top 24 performances recap): “The Dreadlocked One’s comfortable, laid-back approach to ‘Daydream’ was by far the best among contestants who got no face-time prior to this week (the others: Jason Yeager, Garrett Haley and Luke Menard). Castro’s not a man of many words, but there was an on-stage spark about him that made him and his guitar the most surprising highlights of the night.”

8. Michael Johns—Jan. 23 (San Diego auditions recap): “I was impressed with the (vocal), look and (personality) of 28-year-old Australian native Michael Johns, owning Otis Redding….”

9. Ramiele Malubay—Jan. 31 (Miami auditions recap): “Ramiele Malubay, 19, kept her hand on her chest while pumping out each note as if she were in labor. I didn’t like her audition, but I loved her dad’s jubilant reaction to her golden ticket as they left the building.”

10. Kristy Lee Cook—Jan. 16 (Philadelphia auditions recap): “You want a lock for the Top 12? Check out Kristy Lee Cook, 23, the kickboxing, horse-training natural beauty from Selma, Ore. Cute woman with a decent voice, but because she’s a rough-and-tumble country girl with a heart of gold and a voice with a hint of Underwood, she’s likely to be a hit with the text-voting Hannah Montana set. So, to use a phrase that ceased to be relevant three years ago, lock it up.”

11. Amanda Overmyer—Feb. 5 (Atlanta auditions recap): “Let the record show that I liked the (personality) of … Amanda Overmyer. But no matter how much I cringed over the … mediocre rebel rock of Overmyer’s (audition), Idol’s clearly got stories to tell at the expense of more vocally talented contestants. … And the one-note Overmyer fills the requisite biker/rocker chick niche the show somehow feels the need to fill despite her inevitable Amy Adams/Gina Glocksen-style exit early in the voting process. I doubt either will change my mind in the coming weeks.”

(Photo by Frank Micelotta/FOX)