After last night’s American Idol performances to kick off Idol Gives Back week, we’re no longer rooting for Crystal Bowersox to win, we’re demanding it. Mama Sox may have lost it and broke down in tears at the end of her rendition of “People Get Ready,” but she also gave one of the best vocal performances we’ve ever seen on the show.

Rumor has it American Idol frontrunner Crystal Bowersox nearly quit the competition just a few weeks ago. Bowersox reportedly missed her family terribly and felt like she just couldn’t handle the competition anymore. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest is the one who allegedly got her to stick it out for the long haul.

So how did the American Idol top eight women do last night? Well, here’s our ranking of the performances from the evening.

While the women of American Idol certainly outshined the men Wednesday night, that’s not really saying much. While most of the performances were just boringly mediocre, a few were just appallingly bad. Luckily, there were a few rare exceptions.

American Idol contestant Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized on Tuesday with a mysterious ailment, prompting a last minute switch to feature the male performers on last night’s show. Although little information has been revealed about why Bowersox was rushed to the hospital, the Los Angeles Times reports she will most likely be returning to the stage Wednesday night.