On last night's American Idol results show, viewers were treated to the past, present and future.
Lazaro Arbos, for example, is now a distant memory, following an unexpected run to the final six.
And Kelly Clarkson? Well, she's all three, really. But in the present, she's the shining example of all every contestant wants to be: successful, funny, cool, talented... successful.
Watch as she returned Thursday to the stage that made her famous and performed "People Like Us."