American Idol Backstage Scoop: Deandre Spills, "I Wasn't Ready for America"

Get behind-the-scenes dish from when the cameras aren't rolling

By Aimee Curran Apr 06, 2012 5:00 AMTags
American Idol, Hollie Cavanagh, DeAndre BrackensickMichael Becker / FOX

Thursday nights are never fun, and in the words of judge Jennifer Lopez, "Someone's got to go every time, and that sucks."

It was definitely a rough night at American Idol. Deandre Brackensick had to say good-bye to his Idol dream, Joshua Ledet nearly passed out from a sudden illness and Phillip Phillips looked bored to death.

But who grabbed J.Lo's butt at commercial break?! (FYI: It wasn't boy-toy Casper Smart!) We got the dish!

Elimination night served up a slightly unexpected exit for Deandre fans who were anticipating Hollie Cavanagh or Elise Testone to be singing for their Idol life. Surprise aside, we gotta hand it to Deandre and Elise who didn't seem to be stressing over being the bottom two. During commercial break, the two took center stage, dancing and twirling each other around before host Ryan Seacrest sent Elise to the safety of the couches. 

Although he didn't claim the judges save, Deandre still had a positive attitude when we caught up with him after the show and admitted he wasn't totally caught off guard by having to say goodbye. 

"I kind of felt it a little bit," he told us. "My style, you either love it or hate it and, you know, R&B is so unappreciated right nowadays and I really want to bring it back, so I kind of had a feeling somewhat. Things happens for a reason and it's not the end. Just gotta keep fighting for it. I understand where the judges are coming from. I've already been saved once and you only get so many chances, so I wasn't ready for America right now. I agree with them 100 percent. I agree with the judges, I agree with Jimmy [Iovine] and what happened. I'm just grateful I got to this point."

With such a small number of contestants left, it was obvious the stressful schedule was getting to Joshua.  Slumped in the couch during commercial breaks, stage hands were by his side with water bottles doing their best to keep him going until the end of the show. We were expecting him to either vomit or faint, so it wasn't surprising to see him take a break from the cameras during Kelly Pickler's performance. 

Speaking of Kelly, the country cutie accidentally got a little fresh with Jennifer at the judges table! With only 20 seconds left before going live after commercial break, Kelly was trying to get off the judges stand and back to her seat. Unfortunately, Jennifer, who was standing behind her chair and slightly bent over, was in Kelly's way. We caught Kelly put her hands on Jennifer's butt as balance to slide past and get to the stairs. Can we insert a big LOL for that move? 

In other Idol news, Phillip Phillips' attitude on the couch seemed nothing short of bored, as he slouched, drummed his fingers together and smacked on gum, barely giving the audience any love when cameras weren't rolling. While we had to laugh a little when he called Ryan "Dude" and admire him for staying true to himself, he was definitely giving off a vibe of indifference to being in the competition. 

The competition is getting stiffer! Are you sad to see Deandre go? Who do you think should be the next American Idol? Let us know in the comments!

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