American Idol blog: Naples native Paige Miles makes it into final 12

NAPLES — After a performance that put her squarely in risk of being cut from the show, Naples-native Paige Miles managed to make her way into the “American Idol” final dozen.

The 24-year-old teacher has been sort of a dark horse all season due to limited airtime before the live performance portion of the program.

But notoriously hard to please “Idol” judge Simon Cowell consistently praised Miles’ singing voice even as he derided her song choices. On Tuesday, her performance of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile” many “Idol” watching blogs pegged Miles as one of the singers most likely to be cut. But her personality and voice seem to have won over voters.

Before Ryan Seacrest announced Miles’ fate, he asked Cowell who would make the cut between her and Katelyn Epperly.

Cowell said, “If you ask me which has the most potential, I would say Paige.”

The voters agree.

Starting next week, Miles will be competing against both men and women. At the beginning of the show, Seacrest announced the theme for the first mix-gendered round would be the songs of the Rolling Stones. The theme could help Miles, who made her biggest impact in the live performances by doing a rock number on the first live show.