- LOS ANGELES: "American Idol" rocker James Durbin admitted on Friday that he was blindsided by his ouster from the TV singing contest because he had always previously won the support of the audience.
- The 22 year-old metal singer told journalists he had been expecting to reach the final three of the competition and was proud of his performances on this week's show.
I definitely was (blindsided)," Durbin said. "It was rough. It was a rough night. I wasn't expecting it. Because of that it caught me off guard." "Wednesday, I had two of my best performances of my entire life...I was really proud of myself and really excited to see what was next and go home for that Top Three. But not every thing works out the way you expect it," he said.
Durbin, who has Tourette and Asperger's syndrome, was in tears on Thursday's live show when told he was out of the contest. He had made a name for himself on America's most-watched TV show with a series of hard rock performances, often against the advice of in-house mentor, record executive Jimmy Iovine. His shock departure left 17-year-old country singer Scotty McCreery, pop/country singer Lauren Alaina, 16, and Haley Reinhart, 20, to compete for a place in the May 24 finale.