The Idol Countdown: Five Essential Moments From Last Night’s “American Idol”

Last night’s American Idol audition show in Omaha began with troubling news: Paula Abdul’s plane tripped over her dog, so she missed the first batch of contestants. Once Paula did “land,” however, we were rewarded with slurry commentary and a few near chair tip-overs. Simon Cowell continued to substitute “You’re a nice guy” and “You’ve got a good personality” for “That was wretched” and “I hate you,” and the show featured a “Stuck in the Middle With You” medley that was harder to watch than Reservoir Dogs‘ iconic ear-slicing scene. There were lyric-forgetting farmers, gift-bearing weirdos and a weepy girl trying to impress her strict dad, but for the five best moments from last night’s episode, check out these quick clips:

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