Sadly, the “Idol” producers didn’t show us much that was good from South Carolina. Jefferey Lampkin is probably the only one I’ll remember by the Hollywood round of the four we saw who got the Golden Ticket (and one of the four was Jefferey’s not-as-good sister.) And why didn’t the Air Force gal get through? Huh?

Instead of starting with good singers like last night, the puppet masters opt for “characters.” First up is afro-man Raysharde Henderson of Atlanta (first Atlantan we’ve seen so far!), who compares himself to Clay Aiken. He’s just over the top and as noted by Paula, theatrical. It’s a no.

Then there’s the rather unpleasant-looking waitress DeAnna Prevatte from Kellie Pickler’s hometown Albermarle, N.C.. She’s rather intense, but not in a good way. “I like the anger and the passion,” Simon said, but it’s a no.

The Idol fans: awww… it’s love. Crystal Ortiz and Randy Stark of Abilene met through the “Idol” message forums where he supposedly doles advice about the audition process. They were clearly put there for back story, not talent. She’s actually not as bad as he is but he got more airtime. “That was a horrible audition,” Simon said. “The good news is you found each other.”

Sibling hallelulah!: Michelle and Jefferey Lampkin!! They are actually pretty good and possess a lot of spirit, especially Jefferey. “You were the bomb,” Randy said to Jefferey. Randy says yes to only Jeffery. Paula says yes to both. Simon, shockingly, says yes to both, too. He said he couldn’t split them up. What sweet tea did Simon drink in Charleston????

Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” is the unfortunate “group” song.

Gimme an A!: Cheerleader Amy Flynn tries to channel Christina Aguilera, a risky move, after a speech about, like, abstinence, like, totally. She’s, like, cute and has an interesting, raspy voice. She’s just different enough to cut through. “This isn’t going to be quite so thumbs up, Amy. I personally thought the song was too big for you,” Simon said. “A lot of people are going to find you annoying. You are very confident and I don’t think you’re as good as you think you are.” She’s through!

zzzz…: London Weidberg, 24, from Charleston, is a professional singer and she’s not bad. Kinda dull. “You have a nice tone to your voice but not the best song,” Randy said. “There are thousands of singers like you,” Simon said. “I didn’t hear anything unique.” I agree with Simon.

Fly, Lindsey, fly!: Air Force C-17 pilot Lyndsey Goodman is the latest back story. She’s gorgeous and is in the military. Can she sing, too? She could use some work but she has potential after doing a pleasant “Black Velvet.” “I liked it. Had a couple of pitch things,” Randy said. “I’m concerned your nerves,” Paula said. “It held you back.” “I think you are a very good cabaret singer. I don’t think you are a contemporary recording artist,” Simon said. She got ousted! I’m shocked! Oh, well…

Queen of Delusion: Aretha Codner, named after Aretha Franklin, says she’s as good as Fantasia. She goes for Whitney — big mistake. She’s decent but clearly not good enough. She misses some big notes, too. “The funny blue dress. the huge belt, the screaming. It didn’t work and the singing was terrible,” Simon said. “It is amazing,” she said. “I stop crowds.” “You mean the crowds disappear?” Simon said. “Come on. You seriously murdered the Whitney Houston song.” “No… I thought I did a great job,” she said.

King of Delusion: Joshua Bosin of Beaufort S.C. goes all Jennifer Holliday on us —if she were a guy and really awful. “This show is faked and rigged,” he complained. “My talent is too big for this competition to hold,” he later proclaimed.

Tara Smith comes by and sucks. So do a bunch of others. Oliver Highman, 27, of Cornelius, is a new daddy whose wife had a baby the first day of auditions. He makes it to day two. I can’t get past the fact he looks like a Merrill Lynch stockbroker. And his voice is all over the place. He gets a no but he does show off his baby. And he takes the rejection just fine because, heck, he’s a dad!

In the end, 23 made it through. We only saw four Hollywood-bound folks. We also saw 9 “no’s.” So 106 contestants are off to Hollywood after four cities. We’ve seen 30 of them. (Mike S— tell me if I got that off-the-top-of-my-head count correct!)