Demi points out the standing ovation he got from the audience, Louis calls him a country star, and Britney flatly declares him "my favorite so far." L.A. is only mad Tate hasn't done this earlier. And then Tate ruins the moment by taking off his hat and showing his hair. Yikes, Tate, hat-head much? Luckily he puts it back on in time to rack up his four unreserved yeses. L.A. announces to the crowd that they're done with Kansas City. Well at least until we see more Kansas City auditions tomorrow. Louis and L.A. bid each other a fond farewell, Louis having failed to make any kind of impression at all. Well, except for my newfound appreciation for Randy Jackson.

San Francisco again? Again? The three non-Simon judges arrive with the usual pomp, even though at this point I think they're lust leaving so they can keep coming back. They talk about Simon so he can make an overdramatic, belated entrance. Can we just get on with it?

Elsewhere in the Cow Palace, a five-member boy-band calling themselves "Citizen" take over the men's room to primp their already-overprimped hair while the self-described "heartthrob" of the group polls his bandmates on whether the collar of his Elmer Fudd jacket should be up or down (results of the poll: down. The collar: up. I think we now know everything we need to know about this kid). After irritating everyone else backstage with their toolishness, they make it out onstage to face Simon and the other judges at last.

They're going for an En Vogue song, which they don't mess up totally, but you don't take on En Vogue unless you have better chops than these guys. Their choreography is dull enough that they'd be better off without any at all, but Britney, Demi, and L.A. seem to dig them. A visibly irritated Simon stops them and listens to the other three talking about how much they liked it, and then flatly declares, "I didn't get it." He says it was ten years out of date and out of tune, and gives them a no. But the other three say yes, so they're through, but not without a parting putdown from Simon to take with them. Cue the mean-Simon montage, as he insults a couple more groups and girls and calls it "constructive." He's back, apparently.