American Idol ousted Emily Piriz during Thursday night's live results show on Fox, determining the thirteenth season's Top 11 finalists.
 
Emily, an 18-year-old student from Orlando, FL, became the second finalist sent home from American Idol's thirteenth season after she received the fewest home viewer votes cast following Wednesday night's performance show, which featured the Top 12 finalists performing songs that best defined what the word "home" means to them -- whether it be their town, a family member or simply what it represents.

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Emily's elimination became official after Idol judges Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban announced they weren't going to prevent her departure by using their one "The Judges' Save" of the season. Emily had been in the bottom three with M.K. Nobilette and Jena Irene.

During a Friday conference call with reporters, Emily talked to Reality TV World about whether she regrets her song choice and how she feels about the apparent wipeout of female contestants so far. Below is what she had to say.

Reality TV World: You had gotten mixed reviews from the judges for your performance of "Let's Get Loud," with Harry kind of bashing the energy of it but Jennifer saying she loved it. So were you surprised to be eliminated, and looking back, do you think maybe choosing a different song -- like one that shows off your vocal range a little more -- could've changed the outcome for you?

Emily Piriz: I mean, ultimately, I'm happy. I wouldn't have changed my song choice because I was going with my gut, with my heart, and that was my No. 1 song choice. And, you know, whether I would've done another song or this one, I think my fans still would have voted for me -- the people that were my fans from Day 1. So, I wasn't really upset with my song choice and I don't think I would've changed it.

Reality TV World: Last season, the girls dominated in that it was American Idol's first-ever all-female Top 6. But three girls have landed in the bottom the last two weeks. Were any of you girls concerned things might play out the way they did in 2010 and 2011 when all the girls seemed to be wiped out early on and the seasons were won by, for lack of a better term, the cute guys with guitars? It seems like this season is on that path.

Emily Piriz: I mean, I guess. But everyone is so talented -- the girls and the guys. So I don't think it has to do with being a guy or a cute guy or, you know, a girl. Everyone has great talent and it's just on our performances. I mean, every performance is make or break. Any one can be your last one, so I think that the girls might start getting worried, but it just gives us motivation to step it up.

Reality TV World: Before Harry announced the judges weren't going to use their one save of the season on you, Jennifer bluntly said the decision wasn't unanimous, and she seemed a little pissed off. Did you ever find out if Jennifer and either of the other two judges voted "yes" on the save to keep you? Did you learn anything about that situation?

Emily Piriz: They didn't tell me, but I assumed that some of them voted -- one or two of them voted yes -- just because of how JLo reacted and how she said that. And I kind of knew it in her face. I could kind of tell. But yeah, afterwards, she was saying that I was one of her favorites, so I was thinking she probably would've voted "yes."

Reality TV World: When most of the other Idol contestants are asked this question, they usually say something like, "Every person left is awesome and they all could win." But do any of the contestants stand out to you in particular for having great potential and what it takes to win the competition this season?

Emily Piriz: I mean, (laughs) I'm going to be just like everybody else. Everyone IS unique. Everyone -- it's hard to say, especially with this group of people. Everyone is different. You can't say one is better than the other because they have totally different sounds. Not one person is the same. So everyone has a great chance of winning and everyone just has to work hard to get there.

Reality TV World: What strengths and weaknesses did you discover about yourself during your American Idol journey?

Emily Piriz: Weaknesses, probably some staging -- just little things I do, like I move too much or I'm thinking too much. There are just little things I needed to work on. And staging, it really helped me [to have] a staging coach. But, you know, strengths -- my confidence and just my optimism, being confident in myself and picking my own songs and staying true to who I am as an artist.

Also during the call, Emily talked to reporters about her American Idol experience -- including what she has to say about Harry as a judge.

Do you think there's something about you singing Jennifer Lopez's "Let's Get Loud" that just didn't connect with the viewers?

Emily Piriz: I'm not sure. Probably just like, I guess what Harry was saying, I needed to bring even more energy that I brought to the stage. But, you know, I don't regret doing that song. That song really means "home" to me and I was happy with my decision.

What do you have to say about Harry's judging? He's very tough sometimes, so did you find that helpful?

Emily Piriz: Yeah, I personally, I liked the way he judged. I know it sounds bad since he was, like, kind of mean to me sometimes, but I liked it just because it's not every day you get somebody telling you what you're doing wrong. It's more of somebody saying, "Oh good job! You sound great."

But if somebody's telling you something that you're doing wrong, you can improve on that and you can fix that. So that's really what he's there for and he's not saying we're horrible singers. He's just nit-picking at things to make us even better than what we already are.

Did you and M.K. talk about potentially landing in the bottom three the night before? Were either of you worried about that?

Emily Piriz: We kind of just sat around and we really don't try to think about those things, but she was like, "I have a feeling I'm going home." And I told her, "No, you're not going home. Don't say that. We never know who's going home." And when we were in that bottom, she was like, "It's me, it's me."

And I was telling her, like, "No it's not. Don't tell yourself that," you know, "it's not." And then when my name got called, I wasn't surprised or shocked. I mean, both of us deserved to be there, so it was okay that I went because she deserved to be where she is. But, yeah.

Did Jennifer have anything to say to you after the show, after you got voted out?

Emily Piriz: She did. It was short. I guess, you know, it was really emotional. I had tears in my eyes and so did she. She was just saying that I was one of her favorites and that I needed to keep on going and not give up because I have something special.

What did having Jennifer's support this season mean to you exactly?

Emily Piriz: Oh my gosh, her support meant everything. Since the first audition ever, she was a huge fan of mine and she told me I was a great singer, the first time I ever sang for her. And you know, I used to be a little girl looking up to her and she was one of my idols. So to have that support from her, it means everything.

Check back with Reality TV World on Monday for more from Emily's interview.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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