Since this trainwreck (IMO) of a season is basically over, how about a couple lists. Make any kind of list you want, but I'll be putting up my favorite performances (Top 16 and on, so I have a decision to make)

My Personal Best Performances

Antonella Barba (eliminated in Round of 16)
Best: Put Your Records On
Reason: For her weak voice (comparatively), picking a lighter song should have done her well. Her reputation was solidified at that point, but I still don't think she was horrid with the CBR song.

Sabrina Sloan (eliminated in Round of 16)
Best: All The Man That I Need
Reason: I don't remember her that well, she was the 5th of 5 divas really. The only one I vaguely remember is the one I listed under "best".

Sundance Head (eliminated in Round of 16)
Best: Mustang Sally
Reason: Easy pick here, one of the two songs he ever sang really well (this and the audition). It riled the crowd up and even made VFTW re-consider their allegiance. Plus, Nights in White Satin and especially Jeremy were disasters.

Jared Cotter (eliminated in Round of 16)
Best: Let's Get It On
Reason: I want to say "If You Really Love Me", because that was the first recognition of his eerie similarity to Bert, but I think it was LGIO.

Brandon Rogers (eliminated in Round of 12)
Best: I Just Want To Celebrate
Reason: He wasn't as good as MJ, he did a Cyndi Lauper song, and then he got booted. This is the choice.

Stephanie Edwards (eliminated in Round of 11)
Best: How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
Reason: This is the one song that really stood out and made her an early favorite for me. Probably the only reason she lasted this long.

Chris Sligh (eliminated in Round of 10)
Best: Trouble
Reason: Not as good as Taylor's, and his "She's Not There" is also up there, but I think this showed off his voice the best. His bash of Simon could be counted too.

Gina Glocksen (eliminated in Round of 9)
Best: I'll Stand By You
Reason: I think this one featured another horrid fashion choice, but I think this is the one song where her voice really matched what was meant to be sung. For someone who really disliked her in the competition, this was her best to me.

Haley Scarnato (eliminated in Round of 8)
Best: Tell Him
Reason: For someone who was completely over matched in this competition and inexplicably made it far, this was the perfect choice. The right attitude, showed off the body, and she actually sang the song quite well. I credit Lulu.

Sanjaya Malakar (eliminated in Round of 7)
Best: Besame Mucho*
Favorites: Bathwater and You Really Got Me
Reason: His best vocal (by far) was Besame Mucho: powerful, sensitive, and the eyes, oh man, the eyes. Still, my favorites was his fun-filled version of Bathwater (which Gwen refused to give him props for) and You Really Got Me (one of my favorite performances EVER)

Phil Stacey (eliminated in Round of post-IGB)
Best: Every Breath You Take
Reason: This was really the first close one for me. I thought his EBYT was fantastic and powerful. Still, he did country VERY well (Where The Blacktop Ends) and I thought his Bon Jovi performance was one of the best of the night. He improved immensely as the competition went on

Chris Richardson (eliminated in Round of post-IGB)
Best: Geek in the Pink
Reason: Most people know I couldn't stand CR's singing. I think his GitP was a copy of Mraz' version, but it still was a good vocal on his part.

Lakisha Jones (eliminated in Final Four)
Best: And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going
Reason: I thought she was incredibly boring most of the time, but this song alone propelled her to Final 4, and while her Bon Jovi was surprisingly good and I liked one of the Bee Gees song, this was my favorite

Melinda Doolittle (eliminated in Final Three)
Best: I Believe In You And Me
Reason: I think this was one of her strongest vocals of the season, and that's saying something. However, a lot of performances could have been in the best area, not limited to "I'm A Woman" and "My Funny Valentine". Awesome job by her this year

Blake Lewis (Final Two)
Best: You Give Love A Bad Name
Reason: This is where Blake won me over. I thought his "Virtual Insanity" was well done and he showed some vocal chops elsewhere, but this is the song that really cemented Blake, and this is why he chose it for Final 2 night. This song probably propelled him into the Final 2 over much more talented vocalists

Jordin Sparks (Final Two)
Best: I Who Have Nothing
Reason: Yes, the second time wasn't as good as the first and it's quickly becoming a trademark song that she could be pidgeonholed into. However, the first performance was so passion filled that it could be my favorite performance of the season, and her vocals (perhaps except for Broken Wing) haven't been stronger yet

Guest Judges

There are two judges that really stood out to me this season, and one may surprise you. The first is obvious: the combination of Peter Noone and Lulu. British Invasion week had disaster potential, but both of them gave constructive crticism that produced great performances out of artists who typically couldn't do it. They actually gave help rather than saying "Well, good luck".

The other one was Jennifer Lopez. I am shocked that I'm saying this, but she was nice, she gave a lot of help (real help even), she gave good suggestions, and she was what a guest judge should be. And when the contestant didn't listen to her (Chris Richardson), you could tell (his Smooth when he changed the key was very good, on stage when he didn't...)

My Favorite Contestants

OK, two rankings. One for vocal ability alone (Top 12 only), and one for entertainment value and personality

Vocally
1. Melinda Doolittle
2. Jordin Sparks
3. Lakisha Jones
4. Phil Stacey
5. Stephanie Edwards
6. Chris Sligh
7. Brandon Rogers
8. Blake Lewis
9. Gina Glocksen
10. Chris Richardson
11. Haley Scarnato
12. Sanjaya Malakar

Performance and Personality
1. Sanjaya Malakar
2. Blake Lewis
3. Chris Sligh
4. Melinda Doolittle
5. Jordin Sparks
6. Phil Stacey
7. Chris Richardson (He seems like an incredibly nice guy, which pushes him up)
8. Haley Scarnato
9. Lakisha Jones (Seems nice as well, boring otherwise)
10. Brandon Rogers
11. Gina Glocksen
12. Stephanie Edwards

So, what do you guys think about this season and the contestants?