When Kent's Stefano Langone sang "I Need You Now" to the three judges on "American Idol" Thursday night, he really meant it.

Without their support, he would have been eliminated from the show.

As it turned out, Langone's heartfelt rendition of Smokie Norful's ballad earned him a spot as one of 13 contestants to survive the round. Eleven others were sent home.

Ten finalists advanced on the Fox reality show through online and phone votes from viewers, but Langone didn't make that cut.

In a new twist, judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler picked six of the remaining 14 for a wild-card competition. That's when Langone, 21, pulled "I Need You Now" out of his pocket.

He scored a wild-card berth, as did Ashthon Jones, 24, of Nashville and Naima Adedapo, 26, of Milwaukee.

"This is the toughest night ever," Jackson said.

Five men and five women were chosen by viewers. They are Casey Abrams, 20, of Idyllwild, Calif.; James Durbin, 22, of Santa Cruz, Calif.; Jacob Lusk, 23, of Compton, Calif.; Scotty McCreery, 17, of Garner, N.C.; Paul McDonald, 26, of Nashville; Thia Megia, 16, of Mountain House, Calif.; Haley Reinhart, 20, of Wheeling, Ill.; Karen Rodriguez, 21, of New York; Pia Toscano, 22, of Howard Beach, N.Y.; and Lauren Alaina, 16, of Rossville, Ga