Minnesota Now 0-For-2 On American Idol

If you were hoping to continue to root for Minnesota's Mark Andrew to win this season of American Idol, I've got bad new for you.

Andrew, the construction foreman from Eden Prairie, was one of 16 finalists who flew to Los Angeles and taped the show Tuesday on the American Idol soundstage in front of the judges, according to US Weekly. Unfortunately, though, he wasn't selected to move on to the Top 12 round, which was revealed during Wednesday night's show.

Andrew, who, at age 29, was one of the older contestants on the show, sang “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” last week, but apparently didn't get enough votes to move on.

I say 'apparently,' because I've always been somewhat suspect that shows like Idol and The Voice actually use ONLY the audience voting totals to move contestants to the next round. If you've noticed, none of those shows ever reveal the actual number of vote each contestant has received, they only announce who's moving on and who is being voted off.

It's my suspicion, given the millions of advertising dollars riding on the particular ratings each show generates, that producers might massage the results with respect to the audience vote totals to favor their (and, hopefully, the audience's) more popular singers-- despite their performance and/or singing capability. I don't have any proof, mind you, but it's always been a sneaking suspicion of mine.

Either way, seeing as St. Paul's Shannon Barthiume was eliminated last week, it marks the end of the line for Minnesota contestants on the national stage this season. In case you missed it, here's Mark's last performance: