(FOX)

It was mean, it was funny and Simon didn’t say it.

The best line of Tuesday night’s “American Idol” came from nice-guy judge Randy Jackson in response to Paige Miles’ gloomy performance of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”

“I felt like turning to Simon, Kara and Ellen and saying, ‘Are you guys gonna have the chicken, the beef or the shrimp?’” Randy joked, suggesting that Paige sounded like a background singer at a banquet. Ouch!

Simon had the second-best line of the night when he followed with, “The arrangement is something you’d hear in a Holiday Inn in 1974.” Double ouch!

Which of the girls deserves to be voted off this week? [Poll]

Needless to say, it doesn’t look good for Paige, who seems to have gone terribly downhill with Simon ever since she admitted that she likes to “color hippos” in her coloring book before the show. We still think it’s a little unfair that she got so little airtime during auditions, but she really doesn’t seem to have the unique quality that so many of the other girls have this year.

(By the way, who knew that Charlie Chaplin sang that song?)

It’s also not looking so good for early front-runner Katie Stevens. Katie stood out so much during auditions as one of the best, but in the last few weeks she’s increasingly paled in comparison to just about all of the remaining girls. Note to all “Idol” contestants present and future: Don’t even attempt a Kelly Clarkson song unless you’re absolutely sure you can sing it better than the original “American Idol.”

We’re also not convinced of the staying power of Katelyn Epperly. Not sure if it’s the spiral curls or the latest outfit, but she reminds us of that 1980s show “Kids Incorporated” … or maybe it’s Jessie from “Saved by the Bell.”

All of the other girls are in direct competition with Crystal Bowersox in the race to be the most “unique” artist with the most distinctive voice. Lacey Brown actually gave our favorite performance of the night singing Brandi Carlile’s “The Story” — it’s an interesting song to begin with, but Lacey made us really love it.

Didi Benami also got back on track on Tuesday night — and all of a sudden we realized that she kind of looks like Taylor Swift. Then we realized that she was singing “Rhiannon,” the same song that Swift was accused of botching at the Grammys. Then we remembered that Simon said he was hoping to find the next Taylor Swift this year. Coincidence?

Quirky Siobhan Magnus is also gaining steam. We agreed with Randy that her performance of “House of the Rising Sun” was “even better than last week” – and where does she get those cute dresses?

WATCH Siobhan Magnus take on Aretha Franklin’s “Think.”

Lilly Scott, whom we usually love, was just OK this week — we agreed with Simon that Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” might have been too mellow a song choice for the night that determines the Top 12.

Which leaves Crystal Bowersox, who is, as Simon said, the one everyone has to beat. As usual, she made a great song choice with Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason.” As usual, she played an instrument. As usual, she sounded great and exuded enviable confidence. But if we already know that Crystal’s going to win, what’s the point of watching for the next two months? Did anyone else catch Alex Lambert yawning at the very beginning of the show?

Our thoughts exactly.

—Jennifer D’Angelo Friedman, Amos Content Group