Idol: Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds Voted Off

The moment we dreaded came Wednesday night, as two American Idol hopefuls were given the boot.  In the end, the disco balls came crashing down upon Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai, who struggled in their respective performances on Wednesday's show, which paid tribute to 70s dance music.

The elimination of Desai, the 21-year-old college student from North Carolina, looked more and more likely in recent weeks.  Despite early buzz which touted him as a serious contender ("Sanjaya with talent!"), the preppy vocalist told the panel: "I'm so really disappointed -- I really am."

Another talent who fell short in the competition was Lil Rounds, a 24-year-old Tennessee native whose deep, rich vocals made her a favorite from the onset of the competition.

"I'm actually going to miss your family screaming at us every week," Cowell told after Rounds, a mother-of-three, following her dismissal.

The remaining singers in the competition are Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Matt Giraud; the latter two have been toward the bottom of weekly vote-getters lately, and will need strong performances next week to stay alive in the competition.