No Luck For The Irish; Carly Says 'Goodbye' On 'Idol'

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Brooke White was not sent home on "American Idol" Wednesday night, despite her song performance the night before being mediocre at best.

Even though the curly haired blonde restarted her version of "You Must Love Me" from the musical "Evita," she was passed on to safety. It was Irish songstress Carly Smithson who was sent home, after being placed in the bottom two alongside Syesha Mercado.

[ David Foster's 'Idol' Analysis (April 23, 2008) - Play it Now ]

"First of all I apologize for giving you a compliment last night; kiss of death, but let me tell you Carly, you can leave with your head held high," Simon Cowell told her.

"I've had the best time here," Carly said smiling through the bad news.

[ 'American Idol' Season 7, Top 6 Week - Check Out the Photos ]

Though Carly was sent home, it was Brooke who was a major focus of Wednesday's "American Idol" elimination.

"Losing your way happens to the best people. It happened on the panel a couple of times last night actually," Andrew Lloyd Webber told Ryan Seacrest when asked to comment on Brooke's slip up. "I've seen it happen in the theatre myself. She's a very talented girl… I think there's a real future for her. I really fell for her because the dress rehearsal, she was flawless."

[ All Access: American Idol - Reality TV - Music - TV One - TV ]

So why did Brooke make it through?

Simon Cowell suggest it was actually because of her slip up.

[ Dish Of Salt: Booted 'Idol' Kristy Lee Cook - Play it Now ]

"Brooke, watching you back, I'm not surprised [you've made it to the next round] 'cause you made yourself human. And everyone makes mistakes," Simon said.

As for why Jason Castro made it through, despite poor remarks from the male judges for his rendition of "Memory," from "Cats," Simon said it had to do with his looks.

[ 'American Idol' Celebrity Knock-Offs - Check Out the Photos ]

"Jason, you weren't very good, but you were charming," he said.

The night's broadcast also included a performance by Simon discovery Leona Lewis.

Neil Diamond will mentor the final five "American Idol" contenders next week.