Jessica Sanchez, 16, and Phillip Phillips, 21, have a 50/50 shot at being named the next American Idol, as fellow contender Joshua Ledet, 20, was eliminated Thursday.
Despite being sent home in third place, Ledet doesn’t regret his time on the FOX singing competition. “I felt relieved and a lot of pressure was off of me,” he told Us Weekly post-show. “I feel good.”
Ledet, who hails from Westlake, Louisiana, wasn’t “surprised” when host Ryan Seacrest delivered the bad news on live TV, “because Phillip and Jessica were great and they have huge fan bases. They deserve it like everybody else.”
After being eliminated, an emotional Ledet hugged Sanchez, Phillips and judge Jennifer Lopez, 42. “Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to cry. I felt good about the whole situation. But when people come up to you and try to comfort you, then the tears start coming,” he admitted. “With all their support, I lost it a little bit.”
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He added: “Jennifer told me to keep my head up and said that I was only going to go further from here.”
Ledet ended his American Idol run with a performance of “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” He then invited his mother onstage. “It was just something that happened. I just felt the vibe,” he explained to Us. “She’s been supporting me the whole time, so I had to grab her.”
Ledet — who admires past American Idol contestants Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Jennifer Hudson — hopes “something good” comes out of his time on the series. “I definitely think this is what I want to do in my future, but I don’t really know yet because I haven’t talked to any of the big people.”
