The "American Idol" competition was narrowed down to six remaining hopefuls Wednesday (April 16) after Kristy Lee Cook was voted home.

The 24-year-old native of Selma, Ore., whose country charm helped her escape the bottom three on multiple occasions, failed to connect with the audience Tuesday with her rendition of Mariah Carey's "Forever," although judge Paula Abdul said she was "blown away" by Cook's performance.

Carey served as a mentor for the "Idol" group this week, as the remaining seven all tackled songs from the pop star's catalog. The female contestants had the most difficulty matching the power of Carey's famed range, and Syesha Mercado and Brooke White joined Cook in bottom slots.

As Simon Cowell noted, the men were better able to put their own spin on Carey's songs, particularly David Cook, who drew rave reviews from all three judges by giving "Always Be My Baby" a dramatic, hard rock edge.

Carey, who made an appearance during last week's "Idol Gives Back" episode, returned last night for a sweet and touching performance of "Bye Bye," the latest single from her just-released album "E=MC2."

Season 5 contestant Elliott Yamin, whose mother recently passed away, also made a spirited return to the stage to sing "Free" from his 2007 self-titled debut.

Next week, the remaining contestants -- White, Mercado, Cook, David Archuleta, Jason Castro and Carly Smithson -- battle it out once again before the competition slims down to the final five.