As of Tuesday night, the broadcast of American Idol’s Hollywood Week began. After weeks and weeks of watching auditions, fans finally got the chance to catch up with some of their early favorites during this intense round of multiple eliminations.

One hundred and sixty-four singers piled into the theater FOX rents out for the show, with a relative few of them impressing the judges in their very first round. Taking the stage one by one, each contestant sang for the judges’ general pleasure (or displeasure, as the case may be). Those who won approval from all three got to sail through the first elimination round, earning a respite before facing the judges again on the third day. It was during this first round the much-touted musical instruments appeared, though precious few seemed to find success with these devices.

The new Season Seven twists on Hollywood Week began right away. First, there were no eliminations the first day - thus ending Simon Cowell’s ruthless first-day tirades and quick cuts that make Hollywood Week so very compelling. You could see him seething in his chair, badly wishing he could eliminate some of the less charismatic performers right off the bat. The stress built and built until finally Cowell could take it no more - he got ticked off with Paula Abdul’s inane comments and stormed off the stage in true melodramatic fashion. Ever the gentlemen, Simon did apologize to Kyle Ensley (the contestant whose performance sent Cowell over the edge) later in the week.

However, this get-out-of-elimination-free card saved Syesha Mercado, the confident singer with powerful pipes who lost her voice at the beginning of the week. Syesha whispered her way through the first few days of the contest, then returned for her third on-stage performance to bring the house down with a beautiful rendition of “Chain of Fools.” Thank goodness this one was saved!

The first round of eliminations began brutally on the second day, and finally Cowell was in his element as the judges sent singers scurrying from the stage. Here, contestants had a last-ditch effort to sing for their supper (and to stay in Hollywood) without accompaniment of any kind. Many of the interesting back stories were quickly tossed to the curb, thus ending the public’s involvement in their lives. However, young Josiah (who sleeps in his car when not being put up in a hotel room by TV producers) remains even after being soundly criticized by judges for his third performance.

The third round of eliminations narrowed the group down to only fifty, and gave viewers the chance to see singers on stage with a full band at their disposal. As usual, the episode ended with Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell poring over Polaroids.

You didn’t mis-read me, and I didn’t leave anything out. That’s right, there was

. Anyone remember group night? That wonderfully intense, terrifying time where complete strangers are forced to cluster up and create a scintillating pop performance just to keep themselves in the running? Last year, Blake Edwards and Chris Sligh both shone bright in their shared group, delivering a performance that even today could be a chart-topper. It is during group night we see the bitter fights, the sad tears, the screaming, the rage, the 4 am practice sessions - the drama! Not to say this new version of Hollywood Week wasn’t dramatic…but it was still somehow lacking. The group dynamic adds a very interesting element to the show, and without it somehow this broadcast fell a little flat.

Wednesday night will see the end of Hollywood Week, and introduce us all to the final twenty-four contestants. One of them will become an American Idol. Will it be the contestant you’ve already picked?

(You can find all the American Idol 7 posts here.)