Miracles invaded the Idol stage Tuesday.

First, with the appearance of Smokey Robinson, the mentor for Motown theme night. Though the leader of the Miracles proved more cheerleader than constructive guide, he definitely put the songs (many of which he penned and/or produced) in context.

The other miracle was how some of Idol’s Big Ten ever made it this far.

“Train wreck” was a word tossed around during the evening, and it certainly applied to at least three of the contestants.

Not one of which was Matt Giraud, who sounded simply awesome on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” If the guy can ever completely ditch his piano-bar birthright, he might muster the skills (and taste) to crack the top three.

Kris Allen may claim he was covering Marvin Gaye’s “How Sweet It Is,” but we all know he was really aiming more for the James Taylor rendition. Whatever the genesis, Allen brought some vocal gusto to a song that is traditionally more catchy than inspiring.

In similar fashion, Scott MacIntyre elected to tackle the 1966 Supremes ditty “You Can’t Hurry Love” but he was really channeling the 1982 Phil Collins version of the song. White bread, grandmas, hotel bar tip jar — these are the images that flooded my mind as I shut my eyes and listened to MacIntyre. Although his piano proficiency and disability are keeping him in the competition, his voice is actually getting worse each week.

And speaking of worse each week … Megan Joy has gone from quirky hipster to Haley Scarneto-style eye candy in a few short weeks. Her retro torch vibe gave way to a wedding singer tryout version of “For Once in My Life” that absolutely swallowed her up. Even the princess on her tattoo looked embarrassed. It was the worst match of artist and song choice since Britney Spears attempted Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n Roll.”

R&B wannabe Anoop Desai knew going in that Motown would be in his aural wheelhouse, and he proved it on Robinson’s “Ooo Baby Baby” — with the man actually sitting 20 feet in front of him. While some of the other borderline male contestants are gradually crumbling, Desai is getting better each week.

Not getting any better was Michael Sarver, who delivered his worst-ever performance with The Temptations classic “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” One thing about Sarver is his genial confidence in his abilities always seems to save him during the talking portions after the judges vent. He really is too proud to beg, and so far that has kept him around despite the fact he is outgunned by the other non-MacIntyre male contestants.

How could Lil Rounds screw up “(Love is Like a) Heat Wave”? By rushing the tempo and shouting through the verses, apparently. Rounds seemed to be the most logical competitor to shine on Motown week, but instead of selecting a powerhouse track by, say, Aretha Franklin, she went with the lesser Martha and the Vandellas — a song, quite frankly, that never needs to be covered again.

I’ll admit I’ve been rather critical of Adam Lambert in past blogs. But I’m starting to wonder if he is the only contestant this season genuinely capable of surprising an audience each week. Lambert turned Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” into a devastating, falsetto-driven showstopper. But best of all, he backed off from his “spirit fingers” demeanor and opted for subtlety. He even looked non-gimmicky with a slicked-back hairstyle and tailored suit.

Danny Gokey had the most ready-made soul voice on paper, and he proved as much on “Get Ready.” Gokey’s chops remain stronger than his stage presence, which has an air of Taylor Hicks cheesiness to it. Perhaps this is why judge Simon Cowell always picks on him. Or it could be because he does dorky things like mimic the background singers’ choreographed moves.

When you’ve got a lyric as great as “And When he died / All he left us was alone,” you got to belt it with feeling. Allison Iraheta certainly did that on The Temptations hit “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” She also proved herself the best female singer left standing. Of course, that’s a backhanded compliment in a year when all top three finalists will likely be males.

Bottom three prediction: Michael Sarver, Scott MacIntyre and Megan Joy.

Loser: Michael Sarver.