American Idol: Paige Miles Surprised by Elimination, Blames "Too Harsh" Judges

Citing laryngitis and claiming it wasn't her time to go, the ousted Idol chats with reporters about what went wrong

The best defense is a good offense, right? So why not incorporate that into the world of American Idol...Paige Miles certainly has.

While chatting with the ousted songstress today, she voiced many issues with Wednesday night's elimination process including her darned laryngitis, those "harsh" judges and that troublesome "save" option...

"It's tough when you have no voice and it's a singing competition," Paige says of her recent health woes.

Sick or not, Paige did take note of our behind-the-scenes look at judge Kara DioGuardi's up-in-arms-reaction to her final song, but wasn't as flattered as one might think.

"They were all kind of going nuts at the table," says Paige, but counters that they must not have been too upset she was on her way out "because they did have an option to save [me] and they exercised their decision before I even performed."

Ouch.

"I initially thought the save was something that even if they're not going to use it, you get the opportunity to at least sing for it and then they make their decision," she explains. "But for the statement to be made before I opened my mouth, I was pretty bummed."

Adding insult to injury, the 24-year-old Texan said she never thought she'd be going home! "I knew I had a poor performance Tuesday night," she says, "but I really didn't think it was my time to go yet, so I was surprised."

Paige isn't, however, biting the hand that feeds her, noting that Idol was a great start to her someday budding career. "Idol is a big learning experience and a major platform." But those judges? They could use a little work.

"Some of the things they say I agree with and totally understand where they're coming from, but in some ways the context of it can be a little hurtful," she says of Simon Cowell, Kara, Randy Jackson and Ellen DeGeneres. "Sometimes we think they could rephrase it or say it in a better way, because it does come across as pretty harsh."