Yes -- and I believe the apology will only benefit Katharine from here on out, because it reinforces the notion that she's something special. She is not. Better than poptarts like Brittny Spears, perhaps, but not even as good as last year's AI winner, Carrie Underwood.
I disagree, from the standpoint that Carrie, at this same point last year, still had a lot of work to do on her stage presence. I think that combining vocals and presence, Katharine has roughly the same "polish" that Carrie did with the competitin cut down to 5.
I think Katharine will benefit from sympathy votes next week. People will think she was robbed this week and try to help her out next week. Will she sing in lingerie next week?