A good majority of America - Us included! – pegged Melinda Doolittle to finish out Idol’s sixth season singing for top honors at the Kodak Theater, but that dream came to a screeching halt when she said a premature goodbye last week. Finishing third, Doolittle gracefully exited the Idol stage having shown the nation what a true Idol really is – a genuine class act. Here, Usmagazine.com chats with the booted Tennessean to get her take on her famous expressions, Seacrest’s slip-up and much more!

SHE’S A WINNER!
“I was up against two amazing contestants - I love Jordin and Blake. I know I was probably getting a little bit of the older vote, which is great. I had a lot of people come up and say, “You know, I voted for you five times last night.” So I have, you know, [fans who] may not spend a full two hours voting or anything like that, and that’s okay. I really feel like personally that I’ve won as far as where I ended up in this competition.”

SHOCKED? WHO, ME?
“[My shocked expression] is part of my personality. [Having sung background vocals for so long] I get used to having to sound like other people that American Idol was my first time really stepping out and finding out what my voice sounded like. The fact that people liked it and were giving me good comments was surprising to me. It was a great honor.”