|
Elliott's "Idol" Dream Ends Sarah Hall
Sponsored Links
Paula Abdul picked him to win. America disagreed.
In one of the slimmest voting margins in American Idol history, Elliott Yamin was issued his walking papers Wednesday, sending Katharine McPhee and Taylor Hicks through to the finals.
Yamin racked up 33.06 percent of the 50 million votes cast after Tuesday's episode, per Fox. Unfortunately for him, McPhee and Hicks scored slightly higher in percentage points, with one earning 33.68 percent of the votes and one earning 33.26 percent. (No word on which Idol hopeful wound up on top.)
While America's choices may not have jibed with Abdul's preferences, they did concur with Simon Cowell's picks for the final two.
During an appearance on Monday's Tonight Show, Cowell told Jay Leno he believed that McPhee and Hicks would be the last two contestants standing and that Hicks would be the next American Idol.
Cowell's decision to support Hicks and McPhee came just days after Abdul told Teen People that Yamin was her favorite.
"I am going to be honest with you--I want Elliott to win," Abdul told the magazine.
Taking into account that a recent poll of Idol viewers conducted by public opinion research firm Pursuant Inc. found that 58 percent take Cowell's criticisms to heart, while only six percent favor hearing what Abdul has to say, Wednesday's result may have been somewhat predictable.
Yamin's elimination was also foretold by DialIdol.com, a Website that measures the number of busy signals registered by each contestant's phone numbers in order to predict which hopeful receives the most votes in a given night.
Furthermore, after Yamin's performance of Ray Charles' "I Believe To My Soul" on Tuesday, Cowell delivered an ominous verdict.
"Your songs are not going to carry you through to next week--that's the problem," the snarky judge opined--correctly, as it turned out.
Even so, postings from Yamin's fan base on the official American Idol message boards indicated that many were shocked by his elimination.
"I feel like my heart has been ripped out, and I'm still bawling. It hurts, it hurts so much," one fan lamented.
"I too loved Elliott and he was a class act by himself. His vocals were superb. With a little more confidence, he will make it big and I will buy his CD," another fan wrote.
Over the course of the competition, Yamin, who is 90 percent deaf in one ear, openly showed his sensitive side. On Wednesday's episode, the 27-year-old singer grew tearful while viewing a montage of his hometown visit to Richmond, Virginia.
Yet upon hearing his verdict, Yamin maintained his composure. Stuttering slightly, he told host Ryan Seacrest he felt "truly blessed."
"I hope it doesn't stop here," he said of his musical career.
If the self-proclaimed "Yaminions" have their way, it may just be getting started.
Released on: May 18, 2006
|
