The show hasn't had a female winner since season six. Will this crew finally break the curse of the WGWG (White Guy With Guitar)? And given the sinking ratings, does anybody care?

Clearly, we heard some decent singers tonight but Ryan Seacrest's incessant need  to hype them up as the best ever smacks of desperation (though we can't blame Ryan for that.)

The one that I'll remember for sure who I think has a shot to win it all: Janelle Arthur. A wonderfully natural country singer. 

Zoanette Johnson? I still don't get her at all. She's all over the place. And Angela Miller? Annoying to me. Seems to be trying too hard.

With 162 female singers, the cuts are brutal.

Mariah Pulice (Sara Bareilles "Gravity") - The anorexa girl doesn't impress me much but that may be because the song is boring. She is out.

Angela Miller (Jessie J "Who You Are") - Another boring song. She is showy and confident but I'm not sure I am all in with her.

Victoria Acosta(Fugees "Killing Me Softly With This Song") - This mariachi singer is pitchy upfront but isn't half bad

Angela and Victoria make it through.

Quick cuts: funny girl Ashley Smith, Ann Defani, Sara Rastuccio ("Super Bass" girl)

After the break, it's two country girls.

Chipper, sparkly Rachel Hale ("Nothing But the Water" Grace Potter and the Nocturnals) - she has a big voice and personality to spare.  Could we say, "shoo in" for the top 40?

Janelle Arthur ("I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" Hank Williams) brings more sadness and depth than Rachel. I loved her.

We see a lot of ladies going through but no singing.

"The best girls we've ever seen stake their claim," Ryan promises before the next break. 

We'll be the judge of that.

Candice Glover, the big S.C. R&B singer (Christina Aguilera "Impossible"), makes it look easy after getting a standing o from the judges in Charlotte.

Megan Miller ("Titanium" David Guetta), who was hurt right before her first audition, is a big voiced singer, too. She sounded okay but not as good as Glover.  And she doesn't make it.

"It's clear Idol has never seen this much talent from the ladies," Ryan says. Again. I wonder who's telling me to say that - over and over again!

Isabelle Pasqualone,from Duluth, totally takes apart "Summertime" to the point I didn't recognize it. She is also very big and very loud. The judges seem to like that.

Kez Ban, the fire performer who looks like a guy, claims sickness and sounds rough singing "Nights in White Satin." But she makes it through.

Briana Oakleydid that annoying Aguilera song.  It was okay.

Melinda Ademi andAshley Felicianofrom the New York auditions make it through, too.

And just like that, 76 out of 162 remains:

Now we go to group round. Janelle Arthur Rihanna Steele, Angela Miller and Kez Ban. Kez Ban wants "California Dreamin' " and everyone else doesn't necessarily buy in.  She is quite annoying. They finally pick "Be My Baby." The others found working with her "challenging to say the least," Ryan intoned.

Isabelle, Eron and Zoanette try to find common ground. They end up picking "Knock on Wood."

Brandy Neely, Kree Harrision, Haley Davis and Brittnee Kellogg (who was cut last year) pick Dixie Chicks' "Sing Wagon" but struggle early on with the choreography.

Zoanette isn't happy with her group song, which is a disco song. The other three are country singers, she said. She isn't feeling it.

The Swaggettes ("Hit'em Up Style" Blu Cantrell): Melinda Ademi (good, but odd pronunciation), Kamaria Ousley (thumbs up), Denise Jackson (my favorite) and Candice Glover (big, big voice, again). They were one of the first groups to go to bed and first ones up.  They really hit'em up big time and go through easily.

Raisin' Cain ("Sin Wagon") - Morgan Leigh Bober, Lauren Mink, Brandy Hotard and the poor fourth girl that doesn't get IDed work their boots with verve and style but I liked Brandy the most, though Lauren was close behind. All go through.

Almost Famous - Savannah Votion Lizz Weiss, Daysia Hall and Leigh Chauvin totally screwed up the harmonies to Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know." Daysia is the only one to survive.

The Dramatics  - ("If I Die Young" the Band Perry) Janel Stinney keeps disappearing and separating from the group. When Janelle tries to say how great it is to work with others and the others smirk. Kriss Mincey botches the lyrics. Janel forgets all the lyrics. Christabel Clack sounds far better than the first two. And there was a fourth woman, too. "I enjoyed you guys messing up the words more than any other performance today," Nicki said. "You guys felt it. I loved it." Keith Urban had a complete opposite reaction. Keith asks if Janel did much rehearsal with the other ladies. She claims yes. (Liar!) Keith giggles because obviously, the producers warned him ahead of time. She then breaks down. "Sometimes I feel like I don't fit in," she said. Somehow, Nicki says it's so endearing. Mariah is laughing. How is forgetting the words a good thing? For some reason, all four move on.

[Saw Melinda Doolittle from season 6 note this on Facebook:

Melinda Doolittle It's definitely not easy to remember lyrics when you're exhausted, learning a new song AND nervous…however, it IS possible! #MakesMeSad]

We hear a few more that make it through. Shubha Vedula sings "If I Can't Have You." Sarina-Joi Crowe and Aubrey Cleland get a few moments of time. (Two of the three make it to the top 20, according to spoilers )

Next group (no name mentioned) Jett Hermano, single mom Seretha Guinn, Tenna Torres, Kiara Lanier.It seemed pitchy, dawg. "That was so painful," Nicki said. "What was that?" Seretha is the only one who is sent home.  

Two snaps: Zoanette Johnson (who makes Fantasia seem subtle), Erin Christine, Lauren Bettes, Isabelle ("Knock on Wood") - What a big fat over-the-top mess but entertaining. Zoanette, Erin and Isabelle make it.  

Handsome women: Shira Gavrielov, Alisha Dixon,Liz Bills, Courtney Calle. The others think Liz thinks she's too cool for us. That was also all over the place. Liz Bills was the best of a groggy lot and the only one who makes it through. Shira wants an explanation so they told her this was not a good day."They got it wrong," she said, bitterly.

Stephanie Schimel,Alex Delaney, Kalli Therinae,Holly Miller. They switch their songs at the last second after struggling with learning the lyric-heavy "Total Eclipse of the Heart." So they switch to Gotye. Holly is the only one who knew the words. "I just sang all the words back there. It was jut nerves," Stephanie said. 

As usual, singers forget their words a lot. We see a few examples. One singer tried to sing it with lyrics in their hands. That didn't work.

Dolly Chicks (Kree Harrison (decent), Britnee Kellogg (pretty good), Brandy Neely (intense), Haley Davis (reading lyrics on her arm and went to sleep early because she was sick) - "Sin Wagon") - "It's disrespectful," Nicki said to Haley. "You just don't go to sleep and have everyone else work." Somehow, Haley got through. What the...? Only Brandy goes home.

Misfits: (Kez Ban, Breanna Steer, Angela Miller, Janelle Arthur) Kez Ban sounds better than she did the first round. Breanna sounds rough. Angela is a showboat. Janelle was by far the cleanest. All four are in. Nicki gives them a standing o. She points out that Janelle "is a star to me."

[NOTE: Isabel Gonzalez from Alpharetta High School is nowhere to be found. Did anyone see her?]