I'm so sad, but I can't stop dancing

Dear Mark Burnett,
Please make all three weekly Rock Star shows 1 hour long. Thanks.

The little show that could has developed into a compelling TV series. Tonight's elimination show was legitimately sad, especially when Deanna said onstage that she was afraid everyone would forget who she was after she left the show. I have a feeling that the record producers and agents who'll be calling Deanna tomorrow morning won't let that happen.

Unlike other reality shows with young, dumb contestants, these people are mature enough to form real friendships with each other. The competition seems to come second to their relationships, and they were obviously upset to see Deanna go. Well, not J.D., for whom the competition has always come first.

Jordis seemed to take the elimination hardest because she knew she deserved bottom three, and maybe it was supposed to be her night to go. It's hard to ask a 23-year-old girl to face the people she lives with after being given a reprieve she didn't want, or deserve.

Luckily for Marty, his fall to the bottom three forced him to do exactly what INXS wanted (more singing, less screaming) and he gave what may have been his best performance yet. What's amazing is that Marty doesn't even want to be the lead singer of INXS. This is just a learning experience for him, and I don't think he expected to get this far. He'd rather return to Chicago and play with his now highly-publicized Lovehammers; too bad he might wind up winning the whole thing.

Tonight's outro footage of Ty captured what being a contestant must feel like these days. The house band played and Ty danced along as the tears rolled down his cheeks. The experience has likely been more intense than any of the contestants expected; most of them probably thought it would be an easy way to get noticed, and they'd spend the rest of the time partying. But every week they get closer to the prize, and every week they have more to lose. Most of the contestants probably just wanted to go home tonight. They're so sad, but they can't stop dancing.