Former contestants are bummed that Paula Abdul is leaving American Idol.
"Paula leaving American Idol is like a honeycomb without the honey," season 7's Blake Lewis tells Usmagazine.com in a statement. "She brought a sweetness to the AI that no one can replace. She will be forever our girl."
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Season 8 winner Kris Allen posted on Twitter: "We love you. Glad I was able to be a part of your last season on the show. You showed us so much love."
Added top three contestant Danny Gokey: "I'm really sad 2 see Paula Abdul not coming back 2 Idol. She was the judge with the biggest heart! She really will be missed 🙁 The whole thing has many people feeling :(."
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Brooke White, who competed on Season 7, wrote: "I honestly didn't think she was going to leave Idol. When I saw her Tweet, I said 'Wow! Sitting on the edge of that stage, you feel pretty vulnerable out there. And when you're getting chewed up, any sort of relief is nice. Paula was that little ray of hope. She cushioned the blows a little bit. Not everyone at home liked that, but I can speak as someone who did sit at the edge of that stage, and to have someone who was concerned and caring helped."
Season 1 contestant Jim Verraros changed his Facebook status to say: "not having Paula back for the ninth season of Idol is a huge mistake. Paula, I love you and thank you for making me feel worthy. The show will be nothing without you…"
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Season 6's Chris Sligh wrote: "I think both Fox and Paula have made a HUGE mistake. Paula needs this. Fox needs Paula. But the show will go on."
Abdul announced on Twitter late last night she was leaving the show with a "sad heart." Season 9 begins filming on Thursday.
