Enter “American Idol” and exit the other networks’ hopes of winning Thursday night. On the penultimate Thursday of the February sweeps period, Fox roared to a win courtesy of the first Thursday “Idol” of the season, in which four contenders were booted.

“Idol” averaged an 8.4 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, more than doubling its closest competitor in the timeslot, CBS’s “Survivor: Micronesia,” which slipped to a season-low 4.0, down 11 percent from last week's 4.5.

At 9 p.m., leadout “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” hit a series high thanks to “Idol,” averaging a 4.8 and seeing very strong retention in its second half hour, losing virtually none of its 18-49 audience.

ABC still won the 9 p.m. hour with “Lost,” which averaged a 5.7, same as last week.

But for the night, Fox nearly doubled No. 2 ABC’s average with a 6.6 rating and a 16 share. ABC was second at 3.4/8, CBS third at 3.3/8, Univision fourth at 2.7/7, NBC fifth at 2.5/6 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.

At 8 p.m. Fox led with an 8.4 for “Idol,” followed by CBS with a 4.0 for “Survivor.” Univision was third with a 2.6 rating for its first of three hours of “Premio lo Nuestro 2008,” while ABC and NBC tied for fourth at 1.7, ABC for a repeat of “Lost” and NBC for repeats of “My Name is Earl.” CW placed sixth with a 1.0 for a repeat of “Supernatural.”

ABC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 5.7 for “Lost,” while Fox slid to second with a 4.8 for “Lyrics.” NBC was third with a 3.2 for “Celebrity Apprentice,” CBS fourth with a 3.1 for a repeat of “CSI,” Univision fifth with a 2.7 for its second hour of “Premio lo Nuestro” and CW sixth with a 1.3 for an original “Supernatural.” That show, considered on the bubble for renewal, did match its season high among the network’s target viewers 18-34 with a 1.4 rating.

At 10 p.m. CBS jumped to first with a 3.0 for a repeat of “Without a Trace,” with ABC and Univision tied for second at 2.7, ABC for “Eli Stone” and Univision for “Premio lo Nuestro.” NBC was fourth with a 2.5 for “Lipstick Jungle,” even to last week.

Fox was also first for the night among households, finishing with a 10.3 average overnight rating and a 16 share. CBS was second at 7.7/12, ABC third at 5.3/8, NBC fourth at 4.0/6, Univision fifth at 2.9/5 and CW sixth at 1.8/3.