Jason Castro leaves Idol

Jason Castro was eliminated from American Idol last night, leaving just David Archuleta, David Cook and Syesha Mercado in contention to be the next Idol.

The dreadlocked singer's departure was suspected, as he received negative reviews from the judges on Tuesday night for his two songs, "I Shot the Sheriff" and "Mr. Tambourine Man." Judge Randy Jackson called the former "karaoke Bob Marley" and Castro even forgot some of the lyrics to the latter song.

"Somebody told me that I shot the tambourine man," Castro said, receiving a laugh from judge Simon Cowell. "I thought that was pretty funny."

He said that his inexperience may have caused him to falter, noting that it was difficult for him to learn two new songs last week and this week, and next week he would have had to learn three songs.

"I don't know what I would have done," he added.

And when host Ryan Seacrest reminded him that Cowell told him to pack his bags Tuesday night, Castro replied, "I did."

Prior to singing his final song on the Idol stage, the spacey Texan conveyed his appreciation for the experience: "Dreams do come true, so dream big."

Castro's elimination was not the only event of the night. Maroon 5 also performed the latest single, "If I Never See Your Face Again."



Season 4 second-place finisher Bo Bice also sang his southern rock song "Witness."



Next week the remaining three finalists will return to their hometowns, and then they will sing three songs, one selected by themselves, one selected by a judge and one selected by a producer.

The season finale is May 21, and most viewers are expecting a David-David showdown. Earlier in the season, Mercado seemed overshadowed by unique singers such as Carly Smithson, Ramiele Malubay, Brooke White and Amanda Overmeyer. Mercado has been in the bottom two several times, while David Archuleta and David Cook have consistently been in the top.