RECAP: 'American Idol' Welcomes Lana Del Rey, Boots Erika Van Pelt

American Idol said goodbye on Thursday to contestant Erika Van Pelt, who cut and dyed her hair into a jet black pixie for Wednesday's round of Billy Joel tributes. America's voters — and the judges, who declined to save Van Pelt from elimination — were not impressed enough to keep her around.

Nor does it seem that many were impressed with Thursday's guest performer, Lana Del Rey, who sang her hit "Video Games" in a way reminiscent of — though nowhere as bad as — her infamous stint on a January episode of Saturday Night Live. "Noirish alt-princess Lana Del Rey doesn't look nearly as freaked-out as she did when she performed on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago, but watching her is still a bit like watching a David Lynch show that you're not sure whether to take seriously or not," critic Brian Mansfield wrote in USA Today. "Vocally, she's the complete antithesis of what Idol champions should be, but she gets lots of style points. As a performer, though, she's closer to Heejun Han than Jessica Sanchez."

Thursday night's epsiode also saw the return of Season 10 contestant Haley Reinhart, who delivered a cagey performance of her new single, "Free," off her debut album, Listen Up!

Watch Del Rey's latest video, "Blue Jeans," here: