Wednesdays are tough days for the Rockers. They arrive at the studio having no idea who is in the bottom three. Unless they're absolutely confident they knocked their song out of the park, there's a chance that tonight could be their last appearance on "Rock Star:INXS."

One member of the group is taken off the hook early. Several Rockers are complimented on taking risks: Ty, MiG and Jordis are singled out for special mention. But the Rocker who INXS thinks did the best job last night is again asked to come up and perform an encore. This week it's Marty, who wowed everyone with his intense yet controlled rendition of Nirvana's "Lithium." It also gives Dave a chance to explain himself. Last night, he says he gave Marty a hard time, telling him that while he was impressed by his performance, he didn't think it was his best vocal. Dave was booed (twice) for his troubles, for what he says was the first time in his career. So Marty again gets to wow the audience with Nirvana, content in the knowledge that he is probably not going home.

Who else can breathe easy? Brooke asks who thinks they're in the bottom three. Brandon, Daphna, Heather, J.D. and Jessica raise their hands. Only three of them are right, and Brooke reads the list of this week's vulnerable Rockers: Daphna, Heather and Jessica.

Daphna gets to defend herself first. Jon tells her that last night she did a "funky rock song" and didn't do it very well. She says that yes, she "murdered" The Clash's "Rock the Casbah," and perhaps hoping to plea bargain it down to manslaughter, explains that it's a punk song, and in a statement that musical CSIs will study for years, says that punk songs are "supposed to be murdered." She must have mixed it up with death metal.

To prove she's not a serial killer, INXS asks her to have a whack at "What You Need." And in the first surprise of the evening, Jon and Garry sit in with the House Band, so all three Rockers up for elimination tonight will perform with an all-INXS rhythm section.

Driven by a bouncy pop/funk groove, "What You Need" was INXS's first American Top Ten hit. The song advises that "It's not easy, when you gotta walk upon that line" and to "Just pick it up and throw it into shape," but Daphna ignores it. Her performance is certainly more on the money than last night (it's hard to imagine how one could be more off the mark), but -- given the heat she's generated in past weeks -- it's rather tepid. She practically wilts when she comes to the lascivious boast of the chorus. She just doesn't take the song where it really needs to be.

Heather's ill health possibly played a big part in her ending up in tonight's bottom three, and Kirk asks if she's feeling better tonight. She says she is, but it's hard to guess that from her performance tonight. She's asked to sing "By My Side" because it will give the band a chance to judge her voice. It's a moody ballad off the 1990 album "X" that showed off Michael Hutchence's softer side. Heather's performance of it suffers from the same problems that marred "If It Makes You Happy." The song just seems to drift; she has trouble delivering the low notes of the verses with any power and can't quite make it to the highs on the chorus. It feels like she's sleepwalking through the song.

Like Tara before her, Jessica must have been stung by being in the bottom three two weeks in a row. Before she goes on, Tim challenges her: "We know you believe in yourself; make us believe in you." To give her that chance, she's asked to sing the vocally challenging "Elegantly Wasted." She doesn't waste the chance, erasing any doubt that she is determined to stay. Her impressive version of the simmering, sinuous song is as far from her tentative performance of "Because The Night" as imaginable, and she moves around the stage comfortably, managing to find a balance between last week's bump and grind and the stiffness she showed last night.

It certainly caught the attention of INXS. Tim sends her back to sit in the Rocker's box, telling her the band feels that "she saved herself and she is not going home tonight."

But there will be no call from the governor to save Daphna and Heather. Tim tells them that for the first time, the job of choosing someone for elimination isn't hard. The band thought Daphna worked the room but that her vocals were "a little shaky." Heather, on the other hand, was a little more problematic. He's not sure, but to the band, it seems like she's "given up already."

Then he drops the bombshell. Neither of them really delivered or did anything to prove they wanted to stay, so neither is right for INXS.

There's an audible gasp from the audience; the Rocker's can't quite believe what they've heard. Their necks snap back at the news, and they have the dazed looks of people who just walked away from a freeway pile up. Dave responds with a simple "Wow," then takes a breath and tells everyone that he's "shocked" and will miss the two Rockers' "energy and presence" and "seeing their beautiful faces everyday."

Given the chance to respond, Daphna tells INXS that her parents taught her well, so she accepts the news graciously and thanks the band for the opportunity. (One thing her parents didn't teach her was to let a smile be her umbrella. Her comments might be G rated, but the knives coming out of her eyes tell a different story, one the FCC would have problems with.) More important for her, she hopes that being on "Rock Star:INXS" will give her the opportunity to support her mother. Fighting back tears, she says, "That's all that matters to me now."

Heather is also gracious and thanks the band, telling them she's had fun. She also compliments her fellow Rockers -- "These people are beautiful," and adds that "One of them is going to be perfect" as the singer for INXS. Now that her "Rock Star:INXS" experience is over, she's going to "build a Road Warrior RV, throw my dog and my gitfiddles" in it and take off around the country.

But Dave, Brooke, INXS and the remaining Rockers will be here next week. After tonight's episode, that's about all we're sure of. Don't miss a thing next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and point your browser back here for the recaps. 'Til then . . .