Exit Q&A: Michael Johns

Did your jaw hit the floor last night? Have you managed to get out of bed today? Are you contemplating leaving the country? We feel your pain about the surprise elimination of American Idol's Michael Johns, the sexy singer from Down Under. So while EW.com spoke to him today, we did so with a staff-wide ache in our cyber-hearts.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Michael, one of my colleagues is threatening to move to Canada because he can't live in a country that would vote you off American Idol.
MICHAEL JOHNS: You are so sweet. But this year more than any other year it's week-to-week. You can't say someone is going to make it through because they had a good week. People have to vote.

You looked so completely shocked. Were you thinking that Syesha and Carly had such mediocre performances that for sure you'd be safe?
It wasn't like that. Back there it was me, Kristy, Jason, Syesha, and Carly. I was like, ''Okay, I get what's going on. This is going to be a shocker week.'' I hadn't been in the bottom three before, and everyone is due for that. I didn't think I was going home, though. It just goes to show you that you never know.

Was Ryan unnecessarily cruel when he went on about how no one was kicked off last year during ''Idol Gives Back'' week, and then said you were kicked off?
You know what? I'd be lying if I didn't say that was pretty cruel. That one was a tough one. When Ryan said I had the lowest number of votes, he gave me this look as if to say, ''Mate, you know I don't want to say this right now.'' But it's a TV show, and at the end of the day, it's entertainment.

You looked pretty shaken up. Was it hard to compose yourself?
I wasn't, like, destroyed or anything. I probably would have been more sad if I felt I didn't sing the song as good as I could, and if I didn't hit those high notes. There was a moment when I took a really deep breath in and I saw my wife, and she said, ''I love you.'' I just exhaled then. If you re-watch, you'll see I just switched then. I thought, ''Just suck it up. This is the last time you're going to perform on this stage.''

You re-watched the show already? Isn't that a little masochistic?
I just wanted to know how I sang at the end.

From watching it, you could tell how shocked everyone was. What was it like up on stage?
It was insane. You could hear a pin drop initially. Paula's jaw was wide open, and even Simon looked at me as if to say he wasn't expecting that. Everyone started booing.

Was Simon right that you made the wrong song choice?
[Aerosmith's] ''Dream On'' is an American classic. I'm living the dream right now. Every week I've chosen songs because they mean something to me.

What did the judges say after the cameras were off?
They were really sweet. Paula grabbed me and said, ''Oh, please. You're going to have so many offers come your way.'' Randy told me to stick to the blues. And to have Simon say on camera that he's going to miss me and that I'm a good guy was great. You can't ask for more than that.

NEXT PAGE: Michael Johns explains the cravat
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