Tears of both joy and devastation flowed copiously as each hopeful received the verdict on whether he or she would be sticking around.

Katharine McPhee, 21, was so thrilled by the news of her semifinal status that she kissed all three judges on the lips, then ruled Randy Jackson the best kisser.

Meanwhile, plus-sized contestant Mandisa Hunley, 29, who was ridiculed by Simon Cowell at her audition because of her weight, elected to turn the other cheek when she went before the judges to hear her verdict.

"You hurt me and I cried and it was painful," she told Cowell. "But I've forgiven you."

"Mandisa, I'm humbled. I feel one millimeter small so I'll carry on with what I am doing," Cowell replied, displaying uncharacteristic humility.

"I'm sorry to tell you," he continued, pausing for dramatic effect, "you're going to have to go through this again because you're on to the next round."

Taylor Hicks, 29, was one contestant who didn't seem to fit the Idol stereotype, due to his head of prematurely gray hair. While awaiting his fate, he serenaded the judges with his harmonica--a move which apparently worked in his favor.

"Congratulations, my dear," Paula Abdul told him. "You're through."

Jose "Sway" Penala, whose future on the show had been questioned due to speculation that he may have been under contract at the time he auditioned, also made it through to the next round.

Less lucky were the drama-loving Brittenum twins, whose dismissal from the show due to legal problems was finally acknowledged by Fox. Also not making the cut was Idol wannabe Tatiana Ward, whose prior conviction for shoplifting was revealed by TMZ.com.

Whether they made the next round or not, all of the Idol hopefuls were winners, when it came to the ratings. The reality show easily bested NBC's Olympic coverage, attracting 27 million viewers Tuesday night, as compared to the 16.1 million who opted for figure skating and skiing instead.

On Wednesday, Idol triumphed again, attracting double the audience of 17.9 million viewers who tuned into the Winter Games, according to preliminary Nielsen ratings. In fact, Wednesday's Olympic coverage marked the least-watched Winter Olympics since 1988, per Nielsen.

With viewer voting kicking off on Idol next week, Olympic ratings are unlikely to see any improvement. The 12 female semifinalists will perform during a two-hour episode Tuesday night, followed by the male contestants Wednesday night. On Thursday, the two contestants who receive the least votes will be cut during a live results show.

Here's a rundown of this season's American Idol semifinalists:

The Women:


• Paris Bennett, 17, Fayetteville, Georgia
• Ayla Brown, 17, Wrentham, Massachusetts
• Heather Cox, 22, Jonesville, North Carolina
• Brenna Gethers, 25, Mt. Vernon, New York
• Mandisa, 29, Antioch, Tennessee
• Kinnik Sky, 28, Duluth, Georgia
• Melissa McGhee, 21, Tampa
• Katharine McPhee, 21, Sherman Oaks, California
• Becky O'Donohue, 25, Dobbs Ferry, New York
• Kellie Pickler, 19, Albemarle, North Carolina
• Stevie Scott, 19, Fair Oaks, California
• Lisa Tucker, 16, Anaheim, California
  
  The Men:
  
  
• Bobby Bennett, 19, Denver
• Kevin Covais, 16, Levittown, New York
• Bucky Covington, 28, Rockingham, North Carolina
• Chris Daughtry, 26, McLeansville, North Carolina
• Patrick Hall, 27, Gravette, Arkansas
• Taylor Hicks, 29, Birmingham, Alabama
• Will Makar, 16, The Woodlands, Texas
• Gedeon McKinney, 17, Memphis
• Jose "Sway" Penala, 28, South San Francisco, California
• David Radford, 17, Crystal Lake, Illinois
• Elliott Yamin, 27, Richmond, Virginia
• Ace Young, 25, Los Angeles