Nick Fradiani Gets Better Every Week on 'Idol'

In a somewhat surprising turn of events, Nick Fradiani is still on American Idol — and has even made it into the Final 4. Fradiani has been the dark horse of this season, seemingly coasting through this competition. But I finally get it. Everything finally clicks as to why Fradiani is still in this game. He's amazing. His performances have gotten better and better as this competition has progressed and now is the perfect time to "peak" as Jennifer Lopez calls it. If Fradiani continues on this upward climb, we could see him in the American Idol finale in just two short weeks.

Fradiani's performance tonight is his best yet, according to both the judges and me. "Bright Lights" by Matchbox Twenty was the perfect song choice for him. He sounded as if he was the actual lead singer of the band and was performing the song for a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. Fradiani's vocals were smooth with just the right amount of grit to remind us that he was singing a rock song. To top it off, he got the crowd involved and really owned the stage. It was the best performance of the night so far — even better than Harry Connick, Jr.'s — and the audience will definitely reward him for it.

If the judges' comments were any indication, Fradiani will be more than safe next week — guaranteeing him a spot in the finale. Fradiani chose the perfect week to give such an amazing performance. He left an amazing impression on the audience going into the final two weeks. The competition is fierce, but if he continues to perform like he did tonight then we will definitely see him standing in the final two. If you had asked me a few weeks ago if Fradiani would make it that far in the competition I would've laughed. Whether it was poor song choices or nerves that made his performances weaker in the early weeks, he just didn't seem to measure up to the other contestants. But he's finally emerged as one of the strongest artists, and I can't wait to see him in the finale.

Image: Michael Becker/FOX