American Idol Backstage Scoop: Which Contestant Says They're "More Deserving" Than the Others?

Get the scoop on everything that happens off-camera

The gloves came off at American Idol Wednesday night.

With the one save of the season gone, every contestant brought their Idol A-game in efforts to pack a punch with the judges and win America's vote. There was criticism, confusion, hurt feelings and condolences running wild leaving everyone a little winded.

So who hurt Elise Testone's feelings? Whose comment rubbed Colton Dixon the wrong way, and what did Ryan Seacrest have to say about the passing of his longtime friend and colleague Dick Clark? We got the scoop!

Emotions were riding high at American Idol Wednesday night as the final seven went up against each other in a two-song battle to win votes and make it one step closer to winning the Idol crown. In a surprising turn of events, fan favorite and Idol heartthrob Colton Dixon fell short in the judges eyes and when we talked with him after the show, he didn't understand what they weren't hearing.

"The judges were a little rough," he said. "Honestly I don't get it. I did the song the way I wanted to do it, I thought I did it well and that was that. I'm not the guy to really show off vocally. I'm the guy that changes up a song and makes it my own. So I'm a little confused, but I'll take what they said and run with it, and if I'm still here next week, I'll choose another song that's a little more impressive vocally."

Colton was also irked by another of Jimmy Iovine's comments about having a brick wall of female voters behind him. 

"It's always weird talking about voters and I hated when he compared Phillip and I, but I'm not trying to do anything any other contestant isn't," Colton told us. "I'm just being me onstage. Everyone gives me crap about 'the stare' or look I give into the camera. I swear it's not planned. I see a camera and I'm trying to find the lens and that's all...intently trying to find the lens."

Speaking of irked, Elise broke the unspoken cardinal rule of Idol contestants and talked back to the judges during her second round critique. Unhappy and confused by their comments to show more emotion, she explained the point she was trying to get across after the show. 

"I don't feel I was being rude," she said. "I really want to be natural and speak the way I want to speak. I think what compelled me to do it was [Jennifer Lopez] said I wasn't connecting and being emotional with my song and I didn't want to just stand there and smile and not connect their conversation with me. I wanted to engage and I don't discredit anything they said, I just felt I needed to explain that I am always approaching my song from an emotional standpoint. It's hard to do that in a minute and a half and make it work."

It's also hard dealing with much younger competition and more than rumored favoritism with the judges. 

"I guess it always does hurt me a little bit when I feel like all these comments are going out to all the young contestants when I'm more deserving in a way because I have worked so hard and gone through so many things to get here, but at the same time I really respect and admire how well they are doing. So it's a bitter sweet thing. I try not to dwell on it because there's no point."

On the bittersweet note, host Ryan Seacrest was visibly upset over the passing of Dick Clark and before we got to talk to the contestants, publicists announced Ryan would be "addressing the people" with a statement regarding the loss of his friend. Somber and reserved, Ryan stepped to a podium in the press room. 

"I'm sorry we're here under these circumstances," he said. "This is a tremendously emotional day for so many people. Fans of music, fans of television, broadcasters, certainly me personally, as Dick Clark was one of those incredible pioneers of our business. He taught me how to do television. I studied him as a kid, and I was fortunate enough to work with him for several years on New Year's Eve. I'm sad and I'm grateful. We will miss him and there won't be another like him."

There were, however, a couple LOLs of the night. Jennifer Lopez was so caught up in Phillip Phillips' rendition of Usher's "You Got It Bad," she couldn't help but gush over his sexiness and Phillip wasn't complaining after the show.

"The comment about Jennifer saying I was sexy, well she's sexy and gorgeous herself," he said "I ain't complaining. It's always a good thing to hear!"

It was also funny to spot season-eight winner Kris Allen in front of us as we were passing through security. Clearly, his heyday at the old stomping grounds is long gone as he was subject to dumping out his pockets, getting grilled by security personnel and walking through the metal detector. Haha.