Please remember that the apology came AFTER the votes were cast, not that the harsh remarks had much influence for the votes cast Tuesday night, but they might in the future.
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 think it was a case of protecting the product based on how many votes were cast. With Pickle gone Simon doesn't have much of a choice but protect the goods.
And, I do think that she was owed something of an apology. Tell her the performance wasn't great, her voice was off or the song didn't fit. Don't compare her to a crack addicted waste of talent and say that she ain't good enough. Plus, the guy who wrote the song helped her work on it. Think his opinion might count for something here?