Who is in Danger This Week- Top 9?

Last week I suggested that Sanjaya Malakar, Haley Scarnato, Chris Sligh, Gina Glocksen, and Phil Stacey were the contestants most in danger of facing elimination. As it turns out, three of these individuals found themselves in the Bottom 3 this past week, with Chris, somewhat surprisingly, gettin' the boot.

So...who is in danger this week? As I did last week, I will identify the contestants I think should be most concerned going in to the Top 9 Performance Show, and then look at the likelihood that these contestants will actually be going home.

Of course, song choice and performance order could effect the outcome (it is no coincidence that the first three eliminees sang in the first half hour of the show) , but here's how I view the landscape with approximately 32 hours to go until showtime.

Melinda Doolittle/LaKisha Jones
These girls ain't going anywhere, especially during a week where they will get to show off their respective vocal prowesses on good, ol' fashion standards. Neither has a thing to worry about.
Chance of going home (combined): Less than 3%

Blake Lewis
While Blake is clearly still the male front-runner, he is going to need to amp up the excitement a bit in his performances in order to maintain significant fan support. Don't get me wrong, I loved both "Time of the Season" and "Love Song," but I'm a bit nervous that if Blake doesn't do something significantly memorable this week, he could be assumed to be safe and find himself slipping into the Bottom 3. I don't, however, think that will result in his elimination this week.
Chance of going home: 4%

Jordin Sparks
Jordin made huge leaps forward a couple of weeks ago with "I Who Have Nothing," but took a couple of steps back last week with an ill-advised rendition of "Hey Baby." She should be able to wrap her golden voice beautifully around a Tony Bennett classic this week, though, and solidify her spot in the Top 4.
Chance of going home: 6%

Gina Glocksen
Last week I thought Gina might be approaching her last performance in the competition, but she came roaring back with a stellar "I'll Stand By You" that should buy her at least a couple more weeks. Her only potential downfall is the yo-yo effect, which occurs when a contestant performs well and then is assumed to be safe, and is thus voted off. I'm still bettin', though, that we'll have Gina around in the Top 8.
Chance of going home: 11%

Chris Richardson
Chris rode the "pimp" spot last week into safety, but if he gets placed early in the line-up come Tuesday night, he could find himself with some problems. I am thinking, though, that his Bottom 2 showing a couple of weeks ago will still be in his fans' minds and they will vote him to safety once again.
Chance of going home: 14%

Phil Stacey
Despite delivering his best performance of the competition last week, Phil still found himself in the Bottom 3 -- the second time he has been in that position this season. If he comes out strong again this week I think he'll make it through another elimination -- if not, though, we could be viewing a montage of his "time on American Idol" come Wednesday night.
Chance of going home: 17%

Sanjaya Malakar
Of course Sanjaya should be in danger this week, he's terrible! Will he actually go? That depends, of course, on how ridiculous his hairstyle is as much as how he performs vocally. We can say a lot of things about Sanjaya's performances over the past few weeks, but they have certainly not been forgettable -- the best chance of him gettin' the boot is if he is just boring and unmemorable, a distinct possibility on a week where the contestants will be asked to sing songs from more than 5 decades ago. Unfortunately, I think he's still got one more week of life left in him.
Chance of going home: 21%

Haley Scarnato
After weeks of ho-hum performances Haley (and her fanbase) has gotta be running out of steam. The audience has got to be a bit de-sensitized to her legs at this point, and, besides, wearing short-shorts probably wouldn't be appropriate for a performance of a standard anyway. Does Haley have anything left in her bag of tricks? I'm guessing not, and that we'll be seeing the last of her tomorrow night.
Chance of going home: 24%

So there it is -- going into the Top 9, I think Phil, Sanjaya, and Haley need to be the most worried. As I said, anything could change after Tuesday night, but these contestants, especially, better give their performances all that they've got -- it could be their last shot.