Former "American Idol" favorite Chris Daughtry said in Los Angeles Thursday his surprise ouster from the Fox TV talent competition was "gut-wrenching."
Daughtry -- the favorite to win the title among many critics as well as odds makers -- said he was waiting for the "just kidding factor" during Wednesday night's elimination show, until host Ryan Seacrest abruptly announced he had the least amount of votes among the four finalists.
Daughtry wasn't the only one stunned by the public vote tally. Judge Randy Jackson told TV's "Extra" the vote "obviously ... wasn't based on singing tonight because the wrong person went home."
Katharine McPhee flubbed her lyrics during Tuesday night's tribute to Elvis Presley and the judges were fairly harsh in their criticism of her performance.
With Daughtry out of the running, predicting the final outcome is now virtually impossible, judge Simon Cowell told "Extra.""The funny thing about this show is when someone goes, you never know where their votes are going to go," Cowell said. "I genuinely don't know who is going to win."
