American Idol eliminated Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens and determined its Top 7 ninth-season finalists during Wednesday night's live results show broadcast on Fox.
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Over 34 million votes were cast following the live performance broadcast, according to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest.
"It was the best," Stevens said of her Idol journey after Seacrest announced her ouster.
"[I'll talk] about all the amazing people I met, the amazing experience that this was," she added when Seacrest asked what she'll tell her friends once she returns home.
Unlike Stevens' elimination, which followed the show's usual format and was revealed in live broadcast's closing minutes, Garcia's elimination was revealed only 15 minutes into the hour-long results show.
"Andrew, it's the end of the road. I'm sorry," Seacrest said after calling Garcia and fellow finalists Aaron Kelly and Casey James to center stage to learn their fate.
"You guys are safe, you may take a seat," he added to Kelly and James.
Garcia remained upbeat following the announcement of his elimination.
"I'm still happy. Thank you guys. I mean, I appreciate everything and I'm glad I'm here, I'm glad I've been through what I've been through," he said.
"You guys let me experience something that I'll never experience again. Thank you. Love you guys!"
This week's American Idol results show featured a double elimination due to last week's utilization of "The Judges' Save," the voting twist that allowed the show's four judges -- Simon Cowell, Ellen DeGeneres, Kara DioGuardi, and Randy Jackson -- to decide to save Michael Lynche, a 26-year-old from Astoria, NY, from elimination at the conclusion of last week's results show.
Lynche was the only other remaining finalist still in danger of elimination when Seacrest revealed Stevens' exit but was not one of the week's bottom three vote-getters.
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"I can tell you this. One of you is obviously going home, the other person was not even in the bottom three this week," Seacrest disclosed before announcing whether Lynche or Stevens would be leaving the competition.
Garcia had performed Presley's "Hound Dog" during Tuesday night's live broadcast. While DeGeneres had claimed she "liked it a whole lot," Idol's remaining judges had felt otherwise.
"That was definitely not good karaoke. I didn't like it, I didn't get it at all," Jackson said.
"It's Elvis! You got to own it. He owned the stage and I felt like the mic was your crutch almost. You were dragging it around as opposed to opening up and really owning the performance," DioGuardi added. "Swagger -- like you were really up there to be a star and that is your last performance -- and I didn't get that from you."
"Andrew, I'm going to have to agree. I thought it was lazy [and] unpredictable," Cowell said. "There's always the one part in [a musical] that no one really wants to see and hear, and that was the part. It didn't feel like a star performance, and I think all of your coolness has been sucked out of you right now.... I'm sorry, I just really didn't get it."
Stevens had performed "Baby What You Want Me To Do" to good reviews from Jackson, DeGeneres and DioGuardi.
"Katie's getting a little sassy, letting all the vibes out! Listen, nice vocals, nice vocals. Very nice. I liked that, I was entertained. I was like moving -- woo, woo!" Jackson said.
"It was a very horny song -- a lot of horns in it... and you can sing, that was great," DeGeneres added.
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However Cowell had disagreed with his fellow judges.
"Ah look, for me I just found it very loud and a bit annoying. Because you know, again -- I just didn't like the song very much," he told Stevens.
In addition to James, Kelly and Lynche, Crystal Bowersox, Lee Dewyze, Siobhan Magnus, and Timothy "Tim" Urban also still remain in the running to be crowned American Idol's ninth-season champion.
About The Author: Steven Rogers
