"American Idol" Viewers Send "Big Mike" Packing

Michael Lynche came painfully close to his dream of making it to the top three, but fell short when he received the fewest votes on Wednesday night's episode of "American Idol."

Lynche, the 26-year-old personal trainer from St. Petersburg, Fla., left the viewers and the judges unsatisfied with his predictable performance of Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There." The judges deemed his performance safe and unimpressive.

During the results portion of the show, Casey James was the first contestant granted relief and Crystal Bowersox was the one left standing next to Lynche at the end.

But it was no surprise to hear she was saved, as she's a strong favorite to win the whole competition, or at least advance to the final two.

Season 9 Contestants
The "Idol" Finale

Despite being saved from elimination by the judges five weeks ago, Lynche had a good run. He won the viewers over early with his charm, and they were further endeared to him when his wife gave birth to their first child during the audition rounds.

Season 3 winner Fantasia opened the show with her performance of "Bittersweet," a powerful ballad from her upcoming album. Bon Jovi also took the stage to sing "Superman Tonight."

Later, Season 5 finalist Chris Daughtry returned to the "Idol" stage with his rock band and performed "September." Grammy-nominated Daughtry offered a few words of advice to the finalists.

"Stay hungry and don't compromise the music you love -- stay what's true to you," he said.

Wednesday night's results show had 37 million viewers, a record high for the season.

Next week, the top three finalists will get a chance to visit their hometowns before hitting the stage once more, with one more contestant sent home before the May 26 finale.