The semi-final eliminations of early favorites [[Alex Lambert]], Katelyn Epperly and Lilly Scott before the Top 12 stunned bloggers and viewers. Michael Slezak of [[Entertainment Weekly]] stated, "So you'd think by season 9 — during the inconsequential semifinals, no less — it would be easy to brush off the bad judgment of speed-texting tweens, to process the way-too-early exits of Lilly Scott, Katelyn Epperly, and Alex Lambert...and move on...(S)o why do the ritual killings of the dreams of (three) indisputably flawed semifinalists feel like they’re part of something bigger, a shifting of the tectonic plates at the core of the Idol universe?"<ref>Slezak, Michael. http://www.ew.com/recap/american-idol-recap-season-9-episode-21 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414045319/http://www.ew.com/recap/american-idol-recap-season-9-episode-21|date=April 14, 2016}}. [["The Unbearable Triteness of Leaving."]] March 10, 2010.</ref>
===Ryan Seacrest's Twitter post===
[[Lacey Brown]]'s elimination stirred up controversy after [[Ryan Seacrest]] [[Twitter|tweeted]] the results before the elimination aired on the west coast.<ref>[http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2010/03/ryan-seacrest-spoiler-ignites-twitter-revolt.html Ryan Seacrest spoiler ignites Twitter revolt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322192955/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/americanidoltracker/2010/03/ryan-seacrest-spoiler-ignites-twitter-revolt.html |date=March 22, 2010 }} March 18, 2010 ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref> This caused anger among the fans of the show and as a result, the elimination show may have had lower ratings than usual.<ref name = "Wash Post" >[http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tvblog/2010/03/seacrest-spoils-west-coast-ido.html 'Idol' suffers historic ratings low after Seacrest spoils it] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924135910/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/tvblog/2010/03/seacrest-spoils-west-coast-ido.html |date=September 24, 2012 }} March 18, 2010 ''[[The Washington Post]]''</ref><ref>[https://ew.com/article/2010/03/18/american-idol-ryan-seacrest/ 'American Idol': Ryan Seacrest spoils results show on Twitter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324211155/http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/03/18/american-idol-ryan-seacrest/?ew_packageID=20312226 |date=March 24, 2010 }} March 18, 2010 ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''</ref>
